Re: Ceaucescu and Romanian transition

["Devine, James" <jdevine@xxxxxxx>]

given how bad the Rumanian government was before Ceaucescu was overthrown, I find the view presented by NPR poet-commentator to be a bit more plausible: the same thugs that ruled before the "revolution" ended up in power afterwards (with the notable exception of Ceaucescu and his family). 

------------------------
Jim Devine jdevine@xxxxxxx &  http://bellarmine.lmu.edu/~jdevine
 
> Reactionary coup in Romania
> http://www.workers.org/marcy/cd/sam90/1990html/s900104.htm
> 
> An excerpt from this report written at the time:
> 
> "What the millions saw on U.S. television, for instance--the 
> burning of
> public buildings, the shooting up of libraries--is 
> characteristic of the
> period long ago when the bourgeoisie, in fear of discontented and
> rebellious peasants, redirected their hatred against the boyars (the
> landlords) into anti-Semitic channels.
> 
> Anti-Semitism has disappeared as an official policy. But we are seeing
> its recurrence in another form. How else can one take the proclamation
> that the "anti-Christ" (meaning Ceausescu) was fittingly killed on
> Christmas Day? The forces of deepest reaction now claim control of the
> Bucharest government. This is a recrudescence of the vicious,
> reactionary clericalism that dominated the political scene 
> there for the
> whole period stretching from the first to the second world wars. "
> 
> Bill Lear wrote:
> 
> > My nephew asks: Do you know of any good articles or web sites that
> > comprehensively discuss the Romanian transition and expelling of
> > Ceaucescu?
> >
> > I answer, "No, but I know lots of smarties on PEN-L who 
> surely will".
> > If I remember, Ceaucescu was shot, not expelled, for starters...
> >
> > [sorry for post without subject.]
> >
> >
> > Bill
>