MARIN BUNESCU, UN ÎNVĂŢĂTOR ÎN TIMPUL LUI SPIRU HARET (II)
MARIN BUNESCU, A TEACHER IN THE TIMES OF SPIRU HARET

Summary/Abstract: Continuing the idea of the article published in the previous issue of this journal, the author follows, specifically, the social and political militantism of the teacher Marin Bunescu at the end of the 19th – beginning of the 20th century. Born in a rural community where he spent most of his life, he nurtured the desire to help the progress of the Romanian countryside, but this couldn’t be done without first improving the life of the poor peasants. Access to education would have helped the peasants to become conscious of their basic rights, to learn more efficient ways to manage their work and assets, and thus to improve their living. Naturally, this program could only be done through a political party, but Marin Bunescu failed in constituting a Peasant Party, so he became very close to the Social Democratic Party of Romanian Laborers and was one of the most dedicated militants of the socialist movement in the rural area (1898-1899). Although the socialist movement in Teleorman and in other surrounding counties was perfectly legal, Marin Bunescu was accused of instigating several rebellions against land owners, so all socialist organizations were wiped out and its promoters (Marin Bunescu included) were arrested and brought to justice. The teacher was sentenced to prison where he served 7 months then he was acquitted but suspended from the school in Suhaia where he had worked for 25 years and for 3 years he was forced to do his job in very difficult conditions (1901-1904). During the 1907 rebellion, the new Minister of Education Spiru Haret nominated Marin Bunescu as School Inspector in Teleorman, but the Liberal Organization in Turnu Magurele didn’t welcome him, so he was sent back to his regular job after a few days. His aspirations reached a climax only when the Peasant Party was created with him as one of its founders (1918). Marin Bunescu was elected in 1919 to the first Parliament after the Great Union, but his parliamentary activity was short-lived as the Parliament was dissolved in 1920 and he did not succeed to be reelected.

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