Romania

Abstract

At the demise of the communist regime at the very end of 1989 Romania emerged as the poorest of the former members of COMECON. Prior to the Second World War the Romanian economy had been largely agricultural, complemented by a productive raw materials industry (for example, in petrochemicals). The communist regime which formally seized power in 1948 transformed Romania’s economy with a determined and persistent focus on heavy industry which altered dramatically the economic structure of the country. This economic transformation went hand in hand with a political process of creating a socialist society which had particular Romanian characteristics. The Romanian communists at an early stage of their political power emphasized the national and nationalistic elements of their policies and resisted, wherever possible, attempts to integrate Romania into a cohesive economic or political framework under Soviet hegemony. The singularity of the Romanian approach became increasingly evident under the regime of Nicolae Ceausescu (1965–89) who from 1967 on was both head of the Communist Party and Head of State. Under Ceausescu Romania pursued economic and foreign policies which were to a large extent independent of those of the Soviet Union. For example, Romania opposed the Soviet-inspired invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 and sought close relationships with both the West and China. This independent stance was initially met with considerable support in the West.