Communist Romania and best movies on communism

History buffs and not only, here we come with some highlights of Romanian history (made easy) from beginnings to present, embellished with some interesting facts. This time we focus on communist Romania and showcase some amazing Romanian movies that help you understand those difficult times.

This is part 3, a brief hi/story of communist Romania, and a sequel to part 1, from the beginnings to the small Unification in 1859, and part 2, monarchy in Romania and the two World Wars.

Show contents

Beginning of communism in Romania
The rise to power of Ceausescu
Interesting facts about the Ceausescu family
Best movies on communist Romania

Beginning of communism in Romania

The communist regime in Romania lasted from 1945 to 1989, almost 45 years. At the end of WW2, Romania was pressured by the Soviet Army to set up and lead through the power of the communists. They established a Communist Party and won the first elections based on fraud. They abolished all other parties and arrested their leaders. A new battle started against rich people, whose lands and properties were taken away, they were arrested and persecuted. At the same time, they set up Securitatea, a repressive state institution whose role was to correctly enforce communism and punish all citizens who didn’t conform to it.

Communist Romania is synonymous to Ceausescu
This is the picture to be found in all schoolbooks on the first page, as well as above the door of every class or office.

The rise to power of Ceaușescu

Nicolae Ceauşescu came to power in 1965. He was the General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party first and soon became the communist leader of the country. At the beginning, his policy seemed very open towards foreign countries, especially in 1968, when he refused to invade Czechoslovakia. Consequently, important leaders of the time, such as Nixon, Margaret Thatcher, or Charles de Gaulle soon visited Romania, and it only strengthened his belief that he was the “Carpathian genius”. During his leading years, Ceauşescu developed a strong cult of personality, being called “the most beloved son of the nation”, “the great leader”, while the media used to call that era “the Golden Age”. This immense cult of the leader contributed to an overwhelming dictatorship that was soon visible in all walks of life.

Ceauşescu soon set up a totalitarian regime whose measures are hard to keep count. He censored the press, strengthened the Securitate, that was responsible with mass surveillance, and lots of human rights abuses started. He was famous for his systematization process, a program of urban planning that consisted mainly in the demolition of towns and villages and their reconstruction. Contraception and abortion were outlawed because of a decree, as the first leader of the country aimed at increasing the population. He closed the borders, and inside, he started an austerity policy in order to pay out the external debt incurred by the country. It is true, he did succeed, but the population underwent really hard times. We can mention here heavy rationing of all the basic needs, such as food, water, oil, heat or electricity. The shops were basically empty all the time and you could only buy your monthly share of basics. Water, heat and electricity were only provided a few hours a day, or at weekends. The population’s increasing dissatisfaction level projected on an anti-communist background in Eastern Europe led to the uprising of the people initially in Timişoara, a wave that rapidly spread throughout the country.

In December 1989, Nicolae Ceauşescu and his wife were executed.

If the people were left in the dark and poverty, the Ceauşescu couple sparkled in luxury villas sprinkled all over Romania. They were equipped with all the comfort one could possibly imagine. Everything first class, of course. I’d mention Ceauşescu residence comprised 80 rooms, the most famous one where they lived for 25 years.

Immerse yourself in Ceausescu Palace in Bucharest!

Still, Ceauşescu’s name is linked to some of the country’s most important constructions: The Palace of the Parliament from Bucharest, the second largest building in the world that underlines the dictator’s desire of megalomania, Transfăgărăşan, one of the most amazing highways, the Danube-Black Sea Canal, a  waterway link between the North Sea and the Black Sea via the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal, or the Iron Gates Dam that contains two hydroelectric dams, the biggest hydro energetic settlement on the Danube. It would be unfair not to mention that these tremendous achievements (others included) sacrificed many human lives and involved extreme work conditions.

Interesting facts about the Ceaușescu family

  • Ceauşescu was the third child from a poor peasant family with ten children;
  • He only attended primary school and started working as a shoemaker apprentice;
  • Was a big fan of Kojak movies and crime films that he used to watch in the cinema room of his sumptuous mansion;
  • Despite being a total communist and overtly displaying his atheism, Ceauşescu built a church in his native village for his mother as she was deeply religious;
  • He was distinguished doctor honoris causa at 8 universities from the country and abroad; Do not be surprised! Everything was fake! He had to fulfil his ego!
  • The cult of personality echoed in poems and songs honouring the number one person in the country, an entire artistic move dedicated to Ceauşescu;
  • He was obsessed about his health and safety;
  • Elena Ceauşescu, the wife of the nation’s first son played a very important role in leading the country, being the second most powerful and influential person in the state;
  • Part of the cult of personality, Elena Ceauşescu had a doctorate in chemistry, wrote several books in the field of chemistry, was awarded the title of doctor honoris causa and was Member of the Romanian Academy, while the truth is she was almost illiterate;
  • She was utterly jealous and was totally devoted to her husband; she considered that such a person is born every 500 years;
  • Both of them suffered from a terrible inferiority complex.
The Ceausescu couple is communist Romania
The Ceaușescu couple

Best movies on communist Romania

Even today, communist Romania is masterfully pictured in movies that were broadcast abroad and received many accolades.

Here is a short list of some films highlighting unimaginable (but true) scenes from communist Romania:

  • The New Year That Never Came (2024, director: Bogdan Muresanu). On the brink of the Romanian revolution, the film intersects the destinies of six characters and closely follows their lives in the days prior to the Revolution. The movie is a fresco depicting not just mentalities, but also lifestyle accurately (clothing or hairstyle). Both featuring a tragic and comic side, the film was very well received and won the Orizzonti Award for Best Film.
  • 4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days (2007, director: Cristian Mungiu). The plot is set in full communist regime in 1987 and revolves around a young woman almost five months into an unwanted pregnancy. As abortion was illegal, she desperately seeks to find solution from an illegal male abortionist. The movie was awarded Palme d’Or at 2007 Cannes Film Festival and won the European Film Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
  • Tales from the Golden Age (2009, director: Cristian Mungiu). The movie is in fact 5 unconventional short stories, each one telling ordinary stories from late communist Romania. The title alludes to the “Golden Age” of the last 15 years of Ceausescu’s regime.
  • The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu (2010, director: Andrei Ujica). This is a documentary presenting unknown official footage from the Romanian National Television and Archives.
  • How I Spent the End of the World (2006, director: Catalin Mitulescu). The film is about 17-year-old Eva and her brother. After she gets expelled from school, she meets a boy, and together they plan to escape the communist regime by swimming across the Danube.
Caption taken from The New Year That Never Came
Caption taken from The New Year That Never Came

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