Popescu1

SienaPopescu
Mrs.Lucarelli
ComparativeCivilizations
13January2016
PartI:TheCommunistRevolutionof1945
Interviewee:DanPopescu,Grandfather,Age84
1. WhendidthecommunistrevolutiontakeplaceineasternEurope,Romaniainparticular?
Answer
:AttheendoftheSecondWorldWar,RomaniawiththerestofEasternEuropecame
underStalinist,SovietUnioncontrol.RomaniasmonarchywasruinedinMarch,1945.
RomaniasKingMichaelwasforcedtogiveupthethroneandforcedintoexile.TheRussians
installedacommunistgovernmentinRomania.Allcitizensweaponsweretakenovernight.I
rememberburyingourfamilysweaponsundergroundinoilsoakedclothandbagstohidethem
andpreventtheforcefulconfiscation.Thiswasthestartofthecommunistrevolution.

2.
Howoldwereyouatthistime?
Answer:
IwasbornonJanuary17,1930,soIwasfifteenyearsoldwhenthecommunist
revolutioncameintoRomania.

3.
WhatwasRomanialikebeforethecommunistrevolution?

Answer:
Besidesthedevastationoftherecentwar,Romaniawasamonarchy,likeUnited
KingdomsormanyotherwesternEuropeancountries.Romaniawasafreecountryinevery
way.Wehadtherighttoownproperty,totravelfreely,andtoengageinprivateenterprise.We

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hadfreedomofexpressionandreligion,toownfireguns,andwelivedjustasourwestern
Europeanneighborsdid.BucharestwascommonlyreferredtoastheLittleParis,becauseofits
beauty,culturallife,culinarylife,nightlife,andflourishingcommerce.

4.
Describeyourfamilyssituationrightbeforetherevolution.
Answer:
Ilivedwithmymother,father,sister,andbrotherinthecountryside.Myfather,your
greatgrandfather,wasaverywelleducatedmanwholaterstudiedtheologyandbecamea
ChristianpriestandaprofessorofmathematicsandGerman.Hespokemanylanguages
includingFrench,German,andRomanian.HewasproficientinancientGreekandLatin.Hewas
oneofthewealthiestlandownersintheTarguJiuarea,havinginheritedlandandpropertywhich
hadbeeninthefamilyforgenerations.Hewaswellrespectedbythecommunityandwasseenas
animportant,charismatic,andcivilleader.Ourfamilyenjoyedaverycomfortablelifestyle.We
hadacresofland,woodedareas,animals,includinghorses,andaverylargehouse.Myfather
traveledfreelyalloverEurope,includingFrance.Itwasgenerallygoodandwelivedinfreedom
andprosperitybecauseoffreeenterprise.

5.
Howdidtherevolutionaffectyourfamily?
Answer:
TheCommunistrevolution,forceduponusbytheSovietUnion,hadabsolutely
disastrousconsequencesformyfamily.Myfather,IonPopescu,representedthetargetof
communistideology.Hewaswelleducated,welltodo,wellspoken,andoutspokenasacivil
leader.Helovedandadvocatedliberty.Thispaintedalargebullseyeoverallofus,asthenew
communistleadershipspreaditscontroloverthecountry.Myfatherwasarrestedat2:00amin

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themorningonMarch30,1958bythecommunistsandsenttoprisonfortenyears.Hiscareer
waseffectivelyover.Allourwealth,includingourhouse,land,andanimalsweretakenbythe
criminalgovernment.Mymotherandmysisterandbrotherwereleftessentiallydestitute,
overnight.Wewereoutcast,labeledastheundesirablefamilymembersofapoliticaldissident.
Thatwasthebeginningofalongandverydifficulttimeinourlivesthatwastolastfordecades,
until1978whenwewereabletoleaveRomaniaandescapecommunism.

6.
Whatwasthebasisforyourfathersarrest?
Answer:
ForhisoutspokenviewsagainstthehorrorscommittedbytheSovietUnion,in1949
myfather,yourgreatgrandfather,hadbeenconvictedandsenttojailforsixmonths,allfor
speakingagainstapublicofficial.However,thiswasonlythestart.Hissecondarrest,after
whichhewassentencedfortenyearsinprison,wastheresultofhisstatementstoafewformer
colleaguesturnedcommunistinformersthattheUnitedStatesfirstsatellite,ExplorerI,
launchedintoorbitonJanuary31,1958.ThiswasmuchmoresuperiorthantheSovietsSputnik
satellitelaunchedfourmonthsearlier.Morespecifically,astherecordssay,yourgreat
grandfatherwasaccusedofhavinglistedto[outlawed]imperialisticradiostationsandthen
communicatedthenewshehadheardtoothersofsaying[aftertheUSlaunchedExplorerI
intospace]thatitistimefortheRussianstostopgloatingwiththeirsatellite,astheAmerican
satelliteismuchmoreperfected.TheKangarooCourtthensaidthathisstatementswere
intendedtodiminishthegreatachievementoftheRussianpeople.
Thiswashiscrime,claimedbythecommuniststobesubversionofthesocialistregime.
YourgreatgrandfatherdaredtoquestionSovietsupremacyandtolistentoRadioFreeEurope,

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anddaredtospeaktoothersofwhatheheard.Thisledtothedestructionofourentirefamily.I
havefoundthetrialtranscriptswhichshowthereasonofthehorriblewrongsagainstus.

7.
Howmuchtimedidhespendinprison?
Answer:
Forbothconvictions,hespentalmosttenyearsinprison.Hewasreleasedafter
endlessandmostlyunsuccessfulappeals,maybenineyearsintohissentence.

8.
Howdidpoliticalprisonaffectyourfather?
Answer:
Hislibertyhadbeentakenawayfromhim.Hisfamilyhadbeentakenawayfromhim.
Allhispropertyhadbeenconfiscated.Hehadbeenremovedfromhiscareerandallhisprior
accomplishments.Helosteverythingexcepthislife.

9.
Howdidtherevolutionaffectyoupersonally?
Answer:
Isufferedalongwiththerestofourfamily.Myhouseandallourpropertyhadbeen
takenfromus.Ourpride,ourhardearnedaccomplishments,ourstatusandourdignities,allhad
beentakenaway,virtuallyovernight.Iwasalsoabouttoapplytolawschool.BecauseIhada
politicallycriminalfamilymember,Iwaslabeledasaninappropriatecandidatetolawschool
andwasnotadmitted.

Ihadtoleavemyfamily,moveonmyownintheCityofBucharest,and
beganworkinginasteelfactorytorecreatemyorigin,soIhadachancetobeadmittedtolaw
school,mylifelongdream.Inanyevent,themoneyIearnedasalaborerIsentbackhometomy
mothertoenablehertoliveandsupporttherestofourfamily,allofwhomhadbeenleft

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destitute.ItwasnotuntilmanyyearslaterthatIfinallymanagedtogainadmissionintolaw
school.

10.
HowlongdidthecommunistrevolutioncontinueinRomania?
Answer:
Thecommunistsmaintainedpowerforclosetofiftyyears.Thesewere50years
withoutfreedomofspeechorreligion,withoutfreeenterprise,havingrestrictedtravelrightsand
forcefulindoctrinationincommunistideologyatthehandsofatotalitarianandruthless
government.Manypeoplewereexecutedfortheirpoliticalbeliefssince1945anditiswidely
knownthathundredsofthousandsmorewereimprisonedortorturedorcausedtocommit
suicide.

11.
Whendiditfinallyend?
Answer:
Simplisticallyanswered,itmaybesaidthatitcametoanendwiththerevolutionof
1989,whenthecommunistleaderwastoppled.Thematterismorecomplicatedhowever,
becausemostofusbelieveandagreethatadifferentformofcommunismcontinuedforyears
after1989,clothedinthefalseappearanceofdemocracy.Itisonlyinthelastfifteenyearsorso
thatcommunismcanbesaidtohavebeencompletelyabandonedinRomania.

12.
WhatcausedtheendofthecommunistrevolutioninRomania?
Answer:
Ironically,mostauthoritiesnowagreethatthesameSovietUnionwhichthatforced
therevolutiononusin1945,wasalsobehindthe1989revolutionwhichtoppledthe
communistleadership.UnderGorbachev,theSovietUniondecidedthatitneededtosoftenits

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appearanceandtransformintoanenduringvariationofcommunismifitwastosurvivethemajor
globalchangescausedbythegreatleadershipofPresidentReagan.However,Romanias
communistleadershipinGorbachev'stime,underNicolaeCeausescu,refusedtojoinrankswith
theSovietleaderandcontinuedinitshardlineapproachtocommunistideology.Thisdidnotsit
wellwiththeSovietUnion,which,resortingtoitsoldmethods,organizedacoupinRomania
undertheguiseofanewrevolution.TherevolutionarieshoweverwereledbyaSoviet
educatedformerRomaniancommunist,whoconvenientlybecamethePresidentofRomaniaafter
therevolution.