Brașov rebellion

Beginning in late 1986, the seeds of Romanian Revolution were sown as workers throughout this [[Soviet Bloc] country mobilized in protest of communist leader Niccolae Ceausecu’s economic policies. Labor uprisings sprouted in the major industrial centers of Cluj (November 1986) and Nicolina (February 1987), culminating in a massive strike in Brasov, Romania’s second city. Ceausescu’s “draconian [economic] measures” sought to curb food and energy consumption and reduce worker’s wages, leading to what Romanian émigré Vladimir Tismaneanu calls an “all pervasive discontent,” making Romania “the most vulnerable Eastern Bloc country to revolution.” Though Romania was the last of the Eastern European communist strongholds to succumb to revolution, his sentiments capture the social and economic volatility of Romania in the late 1980’s. The Brasov Revolt reflected this instability; moreover, it was the one of the first large-scale public uprisings against the Ceausescu regime.

Located in southeastern Transylvania, Brasov was Romania’s most industrially developed city with over 61% of labor participating in industry. A skilled working class emerged in the 1960’s as the Communist government forced migrations of Moldavian peasants to operate Brasov factories. Therefore, the industrial decline in Eastern Europe during the mid-1980’s hit Brasov and its workers especially hard. Ceausecu’s debt reduction plan beginning in 1982 led to the collapse consumer market of the city. (Money intended for food production and distribution was in turn diverted to debt payment to the West.) Therefore, the state rationed key foodstuff and consumer goods, leading to long lines in Brasov for the most basic commodities. It is in this climate of economic depression and food shortages that the Brasov Rebellion erupted on November 15th, 1987.

Early the morning of the 15th, workers at the local Steagul Rosu plant (truck manufacturer) protested reduced salaries and the proposed elimination of 15,000 jobs in the city. Roughly 20,000 workers walked off the job and marched toward the Communist headquarters at the city center chanting anthems of the 1848 revolution “Down with the Dictatorship” and “We want bread.” Over 20,000 workers from the Brasov Tractor Plant and a number of townspeople joined the march. The combined mob sacked the headquarters building and city hall “throwing into the square portraits of Ceausescu and food from the well-stocked canteen.” A massive bonfire of party records and propaganda burned for hours in the city square. By dusk, State security forces and the military surrounded the city center and disbanded the revolt by force. Though no one was killed, over 70 workers were arrested and imprisoned while others were forcibly relocated to other towns in the region.

Though Brasov Rebellion did not directly lead to revolution, it dealt a serious blow to Ceausescu regime and its confidence in the trade unions. This revolt reflected what historian Denis Deletant refers to as “Ceausecu’s inability to heed the warning signs of increasing labor unrest, plunging blindly forward with the same [economic] measures, seemingly indifferent to their consequences.” Therefore, the Brasov Rebellion underscores the growing discontent among workers against the Ceausescu regime; moreover, it foreshadowed the popular uprisings that would bring down the regime and communism in Romania. (Rebellion returned to Brasov in December1989 as Romanians ousted the regime and executed Ceausescu.)

Bibliography

Kuran, Timur. “Now Out of Never: The Element of Surprise in the East European Revolution of 1989.” World Politics, Vol. 44, No. 1. (Oct., 1991), pp. 7-48.

Keil, Thomas J.. “The State and Labor Conflict in [[Post-Revolutionary] Romania.” Radical History Review, Issue 82 (Winter 2002), pp. 9-36.

Deletan, Denis. “Romania, 1948-1989: A Historical Overview.” 35-36. Parallel History Project (PHP) on Nato and the Warsaw Pact. Available: http://www.isn.ethz.ch/php/documents/collection_14/introduction.htm

Nelson, Daniel. “The Worker and Political Alienation in Communist Europe.” Polity Journal, Vol. 10, No.3 1978 pp. 1-12.

Socor, Vladimir. “The Workers’ Protest in Brasov: Assessment and Aftermath.” Romania Background Report 231, Radio Free Europe Research, 4 December 1987, pp. 3-10.