Om Nou sau Duşman în propaganda comunistă: studiu de caz Constantin Mitea
Man or Enemy in the Communist Propaganda: Constantin Mitea, a Case Study

Summary/Abstract: One of the most important characteristics of the communist propaganda was the identity function. Thereby, the main techniques used in order to create a discursive framework for defining the New Man were: the autobiography, the activity report and the characterization attached in the personal file. Those techniques contributed to the re-creation of the self, to the individual’s adjustment in order to integrate into the new limits imposed by the political power. The process of creating the New Man was in a strong relationship with the discourse on the construction of the Enemy. This was, in fact, the Manichean vision of the communist ideology about the society. The main purpose of this study is to identify and analyze the construction of this new political identity in the case of Constantin Mitea, one of the nomenclature’s members. Comparing the creation of the political identity with the real activity of Constantin Mitea, the aim of our study is to reveal the manner in which propaganda influenced his political behavior. One of his important positions was that of editor in chief at “Scânteia” newspaper (The Spark). He also held several important positions in the political life during both Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej and Nicolae Ceausescu’s regime. This was the reason why he was supposed to be an example of good practice in the professional and private life. The main sources used for this study are the archives, more precisely the fund of the Central Committee of the RCP, stored by the Romanian National Archives from Bucharest. I also used a number of studies focused on the development of the New Man in the communist propaganda or the role of propaganda in controlling the communist society. Therefore, this study aims to answer several questions such as: what was the importance of the discourse about the New Man in the construction of the new political identity of the group, and that of the individual? According to the definition provided by the communist propaganda, can we consider Constantin Mitea as a New Man or, on the contrary, an Enemy?

• Details
• Contents