The socialist Republic of Romania lasted forty-two years, the first eighteen of which were called the Romanian People’s Republic. In Romanian, this name had two similar variants of pronunciation and spelling. The republic ceased to exist in December 1989, when Nicolae Ceausescu was executed.
The coming to power of the Communists
The scale of the persecution of the communists reached enormous proportions under Ion Antonescu: all of them either were imprisoned or were in the capital of the USSR. A small and weak party lost leadership, so it could not play a significant role in the political arena of the state. After the overthrow of Antonescu, the situation changed, and Romania fell into the Soviet sphere of influence.
After a swift change of leaders, the Soviet Union nominates "its own man" - Peter Groz. The Romanian statesman immediately set his sights on ideologizing the country, which greatly contributed to the victory of the Communists in the elections in 1946.
After that, arrests of the opposition began, and King Mihai I was forced to abdicate. The monarchy was completely liquidated. The Romanian People’s Republic (the future Socialist Republic of Romania) was officially proclaimed on December 30, 1947.
Domestic Politics under Georgiu Deja
The new leader of the Socialist Republic of Romania was Georgiu Dej. The country's leadership immediately nationalized almost all private enterprises, and in the years 1949-1962 forced collectivization was carried out. Only in the late forties about eighty thousand peasants were arrested.
Following the example of the Soviet Union, industrialization was also carried out. A special planning committee was led by the then leader, Georgiou-Dej. The pre-war level in industry was reached by 1950. Most (80%) of all investments went to the chemical, energy and metallurgical industries.
Landmarks and foreign policy
Gheorghiu-Dej was a Stalinist, he removed from high posts all those who were a possible political opponent. So, his main comrade-in-arms was arrested in 1948, then pro-Moscow politicians and M. Konstantinescu, their last rival, were eliminated.
After the death of Joseph Vissarionovich, relations between Romania and the USSR became complicated. Since the late fifties, Gheorghiu-Deje, under the leadership of the Romanian Socialist Republic, has maintained an intermediate position between East and West, as well as the principles of nationalism.
The Romanian leadership managed to achieve political and economic autonomy in the socialist camp. Special agreements with France, the USA and Great Britain were concluded in 1959-1960. And this allowed Romania to penetrate foreign markets. In addition, the USSR troops were withdrawn from the Socialist Republic of Romania.
Romania at Ceausescu
The actions of Nicolae Ceausescu were liberal in nature. He, for example, rehabilitated previously convicted members of the Communist Party. In 1965, a new constitution was adopted, new symbols and the name of the country were approved. In foreign policy, Ceausescu adhered to the principles of his predecessor. In the sixties, there was an improvement in relations with the West and gaining independence from the East. Diplomatic relations were established with Germany, the presidents of the United States and France came to Romania, the head of the country visited the United States twice and traveled to the UK once.
Economic development
N. Ceausescu planned to overcome the lag behind the Western countries in industry, so it was decided to force the construction of a powerful industry with funds taken from international financial institutions. The Romanian Socialist Republic borrowed a gigantic sum at that time, but the calculations turned out to be incorrect. To cover debts, I had to resort to austerity, literally elevated to the rank of state policy.
The state of the Socialist Republic of Romania (1965-1989) was deplorable. It was almost impossible to buy bread and milk in the country, but there was no talk of meat. A strict limit on the use of electric was introduced: only one light was allowed in the apartment, it was forbidden to use refrigerators and other household appliances, and the lights were turned off during the day. Hot water was supplied to the population by the hour, and even then not everywhere. Food cards were introduced . These measures have spread throughout the country: both in the provinces and in the capital.
Romanian Revolution of 1989
A wave of "velvet revolutions" swept across Europe in the late eighties. The leadership tried to isolate the Socialist Republic of Romania. But in December 1989, an attempt to evict the popular clergyman Laszlo Tekes from housing led to popular demonstrations that ended in the overthrow of the Ceausescu regime.
Against the demonstrators, the police and the army were used, which in the course of the confrontation went over to the side of the speakers. The Minister of Defense “committed suicide” - that was the official statement. And Ceausescu fled from the capital, but was captured by the army. The military tribunal, according to the results of which Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife were shot, lasted only a few hours.