REMEMBRANCE IN TIME - Index of

Manuela MARIN: Aspects of the „Creative Resistance” in Communist Romania 91
and the haste with which they would have sold out refers to his personality cult and the
fact that the local party's leaders political survival depended on the dedication with which
not only would they perform their task of promoting and supporting the party, but also of
promoting the adulation of the supreme head of the RCP phenomenon. The figure of the
party activist poorly equipped intellectually is even more hilarious as it is not only the
subject of a collective farce staged by his subordinates, but he/she is also unable to
recognize an act of protesting.
Another political joke, which has different variants, has its main character Nicolae
Ceausescu or his wife. The RCP leader is shown angry that he cannot find a particular
pair of shoes, while Elena Ceausescu boasts with pride during an external visit with a
unique pair. The reason is that those shoes would be Ceausescu's BA thesis. 22 Obviously,
the joke alludes to the basic job of the RCP's leader, as a shoemaker, detail often omitted
from his official biography. This is because being a shoemaker was not an appropriate job
for a Communist leader because of its non-proletarian character. At the same time, this
biographical omission was able to neutralize possible questions related to intellectual
preparation of Nicolae Ceausescu, which was validated on a groundless basis by the titles
and national and international academic awards that he had received throughout the period of
his leadership. The existence of these jokes on the modest professional beginnings of the
Romanian communist leader demonstrate the existence of popular counter image of Nicolae
Ceausescu that questioned the main assertions of the Communist propaganda on his
background before getting to the supreme function in the party.
Another example of popular resistance to the Romanian communist regime was the
creation of conspiratorial/subversive groups. Although most of the examples selected by
the Securitate in its documents identified in the composition of these groups adolescents,
yet there were cases in which adults were involved. From the data reports of the local
Securitate’s bodies resulted that the tendency of most of these groups was to adopt a
symbolic and a fascist-inspired organization (in fact Nazi). Thus, a group of 14 teenagers
from Drobeta Turnu Severin used the Nazi salute amongst them, wrote on the board, on
the textbooks expressions and fascist signs manufacturing at the metal workshop of the
school a number of such signs. 23 A similar environment suggestively named "Swastika"
was annihilated by the intervention of local Securitate’s authorities in Bihor County.
Influenced by Sven Hassel novels, three members of the group, students in 12th grade in
a school from Oradea, engaged in discussions praising the actions of the commando
forces of the Gestapo during the Second War and inserted into their personal belongings
and vocabulary specific Nazi symbols and words. 24 The Securitate’s investigations
revealed that some hostile letters containing Romanian communist regime were signed on
behalf of illegal organizations or groups. Continuing the example described above, the
person who sent in 1977 seven letters denouncing violations rights and freedoms in
Romania signed on behalf of an organization called "Făclia Moldovei". 25
The inclusion of these groups/organizations in the category of creative resistance
elements is justified for several reasons. The first aims to organize these groups even
outside the legal framework controlled by RCP. The second reason concerns the
22 Ibidem, p. 23, 65.
23 Arhiva CNSAS, D 16302, vol. 17, f. 51 f.
24 Arhiva CNSAS, D 8833, vol 15, f 203 f.
25 Arhiva CNSAS, D 16302, vol. 17, f. 31 v.