The De-Stalinization in Romania was a process of removing
Stalinist policies and
Stalin's cult of personality between 1959 and 1965. Implemented by
Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej
Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej (; 8 November 1901 – 19 March 1965) was a Romanian communist politician and electrician. He was the first Communist leader of Romania from 1947 to 1965, serving as first secretary of the Romanian Communist Party ...
, it included the marginalization of Stalinists such as
Ana Pauker
Ana Pauker (born Hannah Rabinsohn; 13 February 1893 – 3 June 1960) was a Romanian communist leader and served as the country's foreign minister in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Ana Pauker became the world's first female foreign minister whe ...
and a large-scale amnesty of thousands of
political prisoner
A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention.
There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although n ...
s. A number of political and cultural figures from the 19th century fight for independence were rehabilitated and writers formerly considered "bourgeois decadent" (like
Tudor Arghezi
Tudor Arghezi (; 21 May 1880 – 14 July 1967) was a Romanian writer, best known for his unique contribution to poetry and children's literature. Born Ion N. Theodorescu in Bucharest, he explained that his pen name was related to ''Argesis'', th ...
) were allowed to publish again.
[Deletant, p. 172] It marked the beginning of a period of
liberalization
Liberalization or liberalisation (British English) is a broad term that refers to the practice of making laws, systems, or opinions less severe, usually in the sense of eliminating certain government regulations or restrictions. The term is used m ...
in
Communist Romania, which ended in 1971 with the
July Theses
The July Theses ( ro, Tezele din iulie) is a name commonly given to a speech delivered by Romanian leader Nicolae Ceaușescu on July 6, 1971, before the Executive Committee of the Romanian Communist Party (PCR). Its full name was ("Proposed meas ...
returning the country to the Totalitarian side which was renamed Ceauşism.
Changes in placenames
Many placenames, companies and institutions had been named after Stalin and the "classics of Marxism", as well as Romanian Communist heroes. Most of these were reverted in the 1960s. This began in 1962, with the reverting everything that was named after Stalin:
Brașov
Brașov (, , ; german: Kronstadt; hu, Brassó; la, Corona; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the administrative centre of Brașov County.
According to the latest Romanian census (2011), Brașov has a pop ...
(which had been named ''Orașul Stalin''), two raions in Bucharest, 23 national companies, 28 local companies, 26 agricultural cooperatives, 5 schools, 285 socio-cultural institutions (hospitals, clubs, stadiums, etc.) and 541 avenues, streets and parks.
[Mariana Bechir]
„Tătucul“ Stalin, şters de pe harta României
'' Adevărul'', July 22, 2009
Some placenames named after Lenin were also changed, but many were also kept. The reason for the change was to have a better proportion between international and local names, part of the advancement of
National Communism in Romania.
Notes
References
*Marcela Salagean, "The Period of De-Stalinization in Romanian Culture, 1959-1965", in ''East European Quarterly'', Vol. 42, No. 3, Fall 2008
*Dennis Deletant, Ceaușescu and the Securitate: Coercion and Dissent in Romania, 1965-1989, M.E. Sharpe, London, 1995, {{ISBN, 1-56324-633-3.
Romanian Communist Party
Socialist Republic of Romania
De-Stalinization