OAMENI MICI ȘI NECĂJIȚI. SCRISORI CĂTRE PUTERE. 1948-1964
SMALL AND WRETCHED MEN. LETTERS TO POWER. 1948-1964

Summary/Abstract: The communist party’s particular interest in the letters it received from ordinary people can be explained from at least two perspectives: on the one hand, the communist power orchestrated a presumed dialogue with society, and on the other hand it revealed the capacity of the people to adapt to the new norms and codes imposed by the regime. Aside from mentions in the official paper, „Scânteia”, or the resolutions written by officials on the letters, as well as the annual reports relating to the number and the topics of those letters, the real perspective of the authorities on all these documents is difficult to recreate. Official documents keep details about the general effort to respond to the complaints which are coming from ordinary people. The letters to power are direct proof of the interactions between leaders and led. They are especially valuable sources for understanding how the society functioned and adapted the rigours of political power. They allow us, on the one hand, to identify the reactions of society (revolt, approval, dissimulation), and, on the other hand, indicate the way in which the power reconfigured the political agenda according to the signals it received from below.

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