Customer Reviews

Ceausescu and the Securitate: Coercion and Dissent in Romania, 1965-1989

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is in my view the most authoritative study of the Ceausescu system to have been published since the dictator's execution in 1989. Very well written and quite fascinating. It puts more sensationalist and hastily produced works to shame.

Probabaly what drew me to the book was the knowledge that Deletant had a long association with the regime of Ceasuescu and a strong academic understanding of the system. He writes with personal candour and an eye for a good story. He also has the ability to bring large numbers of facts together with consummate ease. Probably the best researched volume on the subject.

This British author speaks fluent Romanian, married a Romanian wife, and lived in Communist Romania. The result is well-researched history, supplemented by personal experience (such as his attempts to get an emigration permit for his wife).

How does someone find out about the organizational structure and the people within the Securitate (the secret security police of Romania)? Well, this book gives those details. An organization that is devoted to secrecy is opened to the public by this book.

The Securitate was used effectively and efficiently by Ceausescu to remove all opposition to his rule and to keep his citizens in line through terror and fear. Ordinary citizens sometimes knew the agents installed in their schools, at their workspaces, or at their meeting places ... but they weren't always obvious ... many never knew who was an agent or an informer ... friends, coworkers, even family.

How did normal, otherwise good people allow themselves to become a part of this repressive arm of Ceausescu's communist regime? Well, many of the answers are in this book. It discusses how the Communist Party gained support for the Securitate, how they coerced people into complying with the Securitate's demands, and even how some tried to rebel against the omnipresent Securitate.

Although the long list of names, many of whom I have never heard of before, is occasionally boring, at least I know where to find them if I ever read about one of them. This is a subject that could consume many volumes if covered in detail (there are millions of files on citizens), but this book does an excellent job in the extent of its coverage while keeping the book small enough to hold in my lap.

Unfortunately, the book is VERY hard to find. But if you can find it, you will be glad you bought it!