CLASS 7

Ghita Ionescu- Transitions to Communist Totalitarianism

 The instauration of Groza’s government in March 1945 was synonymous with

the installation of the “popular democratic regime”.
 This was the first phase 1945-1947 characterized by the permanent control of the
Soviet army and the second phase- the socialist stage meant the abolition of
monarchy and old institutions as well as the proclamation of the Republic and the
detachment of the country from imperialist states.
 The installation of Groza government was prepared by the presence of the Soviet
army on Romania’s territory.
 The government’s first actions were to establish a reign of terror and to liquidate
all opposite forces; this was immediately put into practice and soon political
figures started to “disappear” such as Stefan Foris, Eugen Cristescu or Clodius.
 The communists tried to attract members among the peasants with the agrarian
reform in March 23, 1945.
 In May 8, 1945 an agreement is signed in Moscow. The agreement stated the
creation of a new form of association between the Soviet Union and Romania,
namely Sovrom which were based on equal contribution from both countries but
in fact Romania brought the resources, the workshops while the Russians were
only exploiting the country’s economy taking control of it: the Sovrom was just
an instrument for exploiting the country.
 Bringing Antonescu to trial in 1946 was only a political action for the communists
to appear in a better light than him but was too late to convince people as the
“Romanian communists were showing themselves far more subservient to
Moscow than Antonescu had ever been to Berlin”.
 In 1945 after Truman was named president of the United States he had to reply to
the strong pressures from the people regarding Yalta treaty and he was almost
obliged to take a firm stand against the Russians. At the Postdam Conference in
1945 a memorandum asked for the change of government in Romania and
 Bulgaria but by the end of the Conference both regimes were classified as
“recognized democratic governments “These nations are not the sphere of
influence of any power” (Truman).
 The King asked Groza to resign so as to install another government but after a
discussion with the Soviet Ambassador Groza refused to do so. The reply of the
King Michael was the refusal to sign the laws, the bills or decrees because he
couldn’t find any external help. The situation in the country was desperately: the
National Peasant Party whose members were arrested and persecuted hoped for
new elections to be organized while the people’s only way to find out what was
going on in the country was listening to Western radios, the Voice of America or
BBC.
 During the following period the communists started to organize the country fact
that determined acts of violence.
 At the Moscowoza govern Conference on the considerations that the government
was an authoritarian one, US proposed that the Groza government should include
also members of the opposition: National Peasant Party and Liberal Party in order
to assure the basic freedoms and free elections in which they had all right to
participate. As a consequence Emil Hatieganu and Mihail Romniceanuwere
included in the government but they no power to influence the decision making
process.
 For the next elections National Peasant Party were being sabotated and the
communist started to curb their propaganda. Moreover the government tried to
gain support among other political parties and they obtained a considerable
success at the Social Democrat Party Congress of March 10, 1946.
 At the elections of 1946 the block of democrat parties won of course unfair the
elections. What made the communists to act this way? They observed the
elections in Hungary and saw that they had a free elections and the Smallholders,
the equivalent of the National Peasant Party won the elections which meant that
the same thing could happen in Romania and the Soviet Union couldn’t take that
risk.
 1945 was the year when the peace treaty following WW2 was signed; it was a
treaty expected both by the people and by the government; the pople hoped that
the treaty would bring freedom and justice.
The Romanian delegation was led by Gh. Tatarescu and also a great number of
members of the old regime- with this strategy Groza tried to prove that there was
a certain continuity in Romania’s diplomatic affairs. At the Paris Conference
Romania was not recognized as an co-belligerent state even if it suffered heaves
losses than Italy for instance.
 Regarding the frontier problem the peace treaty re-establishedthe frontier with
Hungary as it had been until 1940, so the Vienna Award was null.
 What shocked the members of the Conference was that concerning the Russo-
Romanian frontier, the Romanian representatives had nothing to object which
made obvious the Soviet influence. Politically the new government in Romania
had to respect the civil, social and political rights of the citizens, rules which of
course were not to be respected by the communists.
Military the Soviet Union had to withdraw the armed forces from Romania and
maintain only a few troops that would assure the communication with Russia.
 From May 1947 the Groza government with the Soviet support proceeded to
annihilate the opposition. The first one that had to face the communist terror was
the Peasants Party whose leaders Maniu and Mihalache were arrested in July
1947.
 After 1947 the terror felt upon Romania and make Romanians silent, sullent and
impenetrable to their families or foes; almost 60 000 people are suppose to have
been murdered.
 The Peasant Party and the Liberal Party were dissolved and all way of
communicating with the people were suppressed. Only the Social Democrat Party
continued to exist because it was planned the creation of a Worker’s Party which
include it.
 People tried to resist the pressure of the communist regime in a more organized
form: it was well known the resistance in the mountains which engaged young
 officers, civil servants, priests, students, but those group were more defensive
than offensive.
 The state terror was accompanied by an economic bankruptcy and in 1947 it
reached a scale unprecedented in the history of Romania kingdom (hunger and
dire need).
 The causes were diverse: the first one was in the aftermath of the war itself, the
second was the pressure of Soviet Russia on the Romanian economy taking into
account that the Sovrom had been draining the country’s wealth and resources and
also the communists’ deliberate disorganization of production.
 In June 1947 Romania rejected the aid of us through the Marshall Plan.
 The communists had to chose between maintaining popularity or their loyalty to
Stalin’s Russia. An attempt to gain popular support through a milder policy came
from the Minister of Justice Lucretiu Patrascanu.