Comuniștii români și „devierea de dreapta”. Istoria unei afaceri de partid, 1940-1968
Romanian Communists and the "Right-Wing Deviation". History of a Party Business, 1940-1968

Author(s): Dan Cătănuş
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, History, Oral history, Political history, Social history, Recent History (1900 till today)
Published by: Institutul National pentru Studiul Totalitarismului
Keywords: Communism; Gheorghiu-Dej Regime; Romania; Romanian Communist Party; stalinism; right-wing deviation; rivalry; power
Summary/Abstract: The volume analyzes the origin, evolution and consequences of this controversial episode of the history of Romanian communism: "the right-wing deviation". In 1952, Gheorghiu-Dej accused his main opponents - Ana Pauker, Vasile Luca and Teohari Georgescu – of "right-wing deviation" and removed them from the party leadership. The whole affair was carried out with the direct involvement of Stalin, from its debut to the final decision. The reprisals that followed were not limited only to the three "deviators", but also encompassed, in ever wider circles, their relatives, friends, more or less close collaborators, reaching even vast social segments considered to have been protected by the former leaders. The unmasking of the "right-wing deviation" in the Romanian Workers Party in 1952 was only the end of a deeper business that was rooted deep in the past. The story is fascinating, because, following the thread of rivalry that has been created since the period of illegality between the future protagonists of the struggle for pre-eminence in the party, we discover personal stories, controversial episodes of the communist movement before and after august 23, 1944. The second leading thread, permanently present, is that of the relationship with Moscow, in its double hypostasis: of direct involvement, through indications masked in tips and suggestions, but also by transforming the Soviet factor into a book that the Romanian communist leaders each tried to play as best they could.

• Details
• Contents