Ceausescu

[Comrade Corinna]

I'm Romanian, (background not actually from there) and I am wondering what you all thought of Ceausescu. IMO he was one of the worst to ever fuck up a former Communist country.
Everything I know about him was either from a right wing-biased textbook or my extremely right wing-biased mother, so I am wondering what the leftists thought... IMO, theres no way he was actually a communist. There was a rule that all women had to have five children, and he totally contradicted the theory of Communism because he lived in what is still the second largest building in the world (with the misnomer Palatul Poporului, "the People's Palace") while the rest of the country was starving. I would say that was more just totalitarian than Communist, with Ceausescu and the Securitate calling the shots, not the proletariat.

I don't know, I just thought I'd throw that out there.

[ComradeOm]

The "Genius of the Carpathians" was one of the worst Stalinist stooges in the Eastern Bloc. The man was certainly not a communist, just another totalitarian dictator who gives leftists a bad name.

[Zeruzo]

Actually Ceasescu and Pol Pot are the only communists i have doubts about...
I do not know enough about him, only read his trial. He hasn't written much books either so it's hard to judge what was going on in his mind...
But do not believe that ComradeOm too quick either, he is not a representation of all communists. And probably just like me only has half information, i have no doubts this same 'comrade' is also anti-Stalin, anti-Mao and anti-Hoxha without even trying to read one of they're works. If there is a Romanian communist party, you might ask what they're stance on Ceasescu is.

[Poum_1936]

I have a girlfriend and a good friend that both grew up in Romania and moved here to the states at different times and both came from different backgrounds. But they both couldnt hate the man more. They also are really biased against anything considered communism now. Ive been dating my g/f for 3 years now, and during the time Ive grew into a commie and shes finally beginning to accept the fact that communism was not what romania had. Hell, he must be really hated if every year on the anniversary of his death they replay the footage of his execution all day. I hear his wife got 10 bullets for every one he got. I

remember Chomsky writing that Ceausescu was one of the worst dictators in history.

Here's alittle blurb that might help from "The Soviet Union Under Brezhnez"

"... A third source of trouble stemmed from leaders installed with Soviet assistance who then secured their positions at home to such an extent that they felt able to assert greater independece from Moscow.

From the Brezhnev leadership, Romania increasingly came to represent a case of the third type. After securing Krushchev's agreement to the withdrawl of Soviet troops from his country in 1958, Romanian leader Gheorge Cheorghio-Dej came to act with increasing independence, a trend that gre more pronounced from the early 1960's. Romania adopted a neutral stance in the Sino-Soviet dispute. It rejected Soviet proposals for greater economic intergration within the bloc, as these would have impeded Romania's industrial development. Romanian leaders also adopted a steadily more strident nationalist stance, even speaking publicly of Romania's 'lost provinces', a reference to territories taken from Romania by the Soviet Union in 1940. Gheorghiu-Dej's successor, Nicolae Ceaucescu, attacked the concept of military blocs andmoved to develop ties to the West rather faster than Moscow would have liked. Domestically, however he maintained a tight Stalinist regime, and Romania's small population and strategically peripheral location meant that such deviations from the Soviet line were tolerated."

[ComradeOm]

Originally posted by [email protected] 26 2005, 01:20 PM
Actually Ceasescu and Pol Pot are the only communists i have doubts about...
I do not know enough about him, only read his trial. He hasn't written much books either so it's hard to judge what was going on in his mind...
But do not believe that ComradeOm too quick either, he is not a representation of all communists. And probably just like me only has half information, i have no doubts this same 'comrade' is also anti-Stalin, anti-Mao and anti-Hoxha without even trying to read one of they're works. If there is a Romanian communist party, you might ask what they're stance on Ceasescu is.
Now that you mention it I do have an aversion to those totalitarian strongmen who have plagued socialism since Stalin emerged as Tsar of the Kremlin. Even those few positive attributes that Stalin possessed are absolutely lacking in most of those self-obsessed idiots who have tried, and failed, to follow in his footsteps. None have produced significant additions to Marxist theory because each of them elevated their own positions over the well being of the proletariat.

You also happen to have doubts about Ceasescu or Pol Pot “comrade”? One a vain fool who cared for nothing but his own power and who went begging to the West and the other a madman who decided to murder over a million in order to achieve some “agrarian utopia”. What would a man have to do to actually gain a condemnation from you “comrade”? Write a book that detailed his crimes? Or perhaps you might simply open your eyes and look at their actions.

[Comrade Corinna]

Ceausescu was disgusting, the way he abused his power, for example he would decide that the Romanian people ate too much and literally took away their food because he felt like it. It was great that they overthrew him, by themselves, because the US has this tendency to take out "communist" leaders by force and replacing them with a fascist alternative (Pinochet anyone?)
Problem is, now people associate "Ceausescu=bad! Ceausescu=Communist! Communist=bad!" Ceausescu's "communism" was bullshit!
Romanians, and Romanian immigrants (like my mother) because of Ceausescu might be more likely to jump on the anti-Communist bandwagon.
But not me!

[Cheung Mo]

Washington did not intend to overthrow Ceausescu...I heard he was one of Nixon's lovers.

[loveme4whoiam]

I remember for my "Fall of Communism" unit for Yr 12 History (which was, I obviously now know, was wrong in almost every instance of Communist theory) we studied Romania and that evil fucker Ceausescu. Was sticks in my mind though is a source we were given that was a section of an interview with a geologist (of all things) who supposedly found himself in a position, during the overthrow of Ceausescu, to order his death. It was the most ridiculous, self-serving piece of shite I have ever read.

Sorry, that was off-topic. But yeah, Ceausescu was totally un-Commie, and just another to add to the list of people who have helped the cappies to screw with people's perceptions of Communism. Bastard. And what's better is, I think 6 months before he was executed he was warmly received by the PM in the UK and was apparently forging a great friendship with the UK :lol: