December 19, 2003
What was the Revolution?
December 19, 1989.
"The United States condemns the brutal use of police force by the Romanian Government against protesters in Timisoara and other cities. According to various reports, dozens and perhaps hundreds were killed by Romanian security forces. The Romanian Government has sealed Romania's borders and imposed a blackout of news and information."
That was President George Bush's Press Secretary, Marlon Fitzwater, speaking at 11 in the morning in Washington. By that time it was already 6 in the evening in Romania, and another bloody day in Timisoara was drawing to a close. The protestors had carried the day, though -- they had proclaimed a general strike and, despite being fired upon by the Securitate, had managed to bring all business in the city to a halt.
They didn't know it, but they were going to get a break for a couple of days. President Ceausescu had just flown back from Teheran. He was planning to crush the "hooligans" and "fascists" in Timisoara, but it was going to take a little while to assemble the necessary forces. Meanwhile he went on TV and appealed directly to the Romanian people not to support the "international and terrorist actions by imperialist circles and foreign espionage agencies" designed to "provoke disorder and destroy the institutions" of the country. This had exactly the opposite effect: it alerted the nation that something important was going on.
That night a group of the protestors met inside Timisoara's City Hall. With dozens dead, tanks in the street and the city at a standstill, they realized that this had gone far beyond a mere protest. It was, they decided, a revolution.
Or was it?
Fourteen years later, the official position of the Romanian government is that, yes, it was indeed a revolution: it started in Timisoara, spread to the rest of the country, and brought Ceausescu down just a few days later. That's the story, and the government is sticking with it.
Here's Romanian President Ion Iliescu, speaking at the Parliamentary Palace (formerly the Palace of the People) on December 18, 2003:
"The historical truth is that Romania got rid of totalitarianism, not through a palace revolution or coup d'etat, but through a popular revolt unleashed in Timisoara, supported by the entire Romanian people... it was not an artificial act, conceived in I do not know what offices, by I do not know what subversive organizations."
Well... maybe.
There is an alternative theory. It holds that the revolt in the streets was necessary, but not sufficient, to overthrow Ceausescu; and that his downfall ultimately did come from a palace revolution: a coup d'etat, carried out by members of his inner circle. In this view, the Timisoara uprising -- and the others that quickly followed it -- were important, but only for providing distraction and, afterwards, cover.
It's a theory, by the way, that is popular with a lot of Romanians these days. (In fact, several opposition members of Parliament publicly alluded to it in their speeches.) The question of just what the Revolution really was... still seems to be up for grabs.
So, while I'm normally not a big believer in conspiracy theories, I hope to explore this one a little more over the next little while, as we blog our way through the days of Romania's December Revolution.
I remember an "accident" which produced heroes during the "revolution".
On the street in front of the big market from my neighbourhood, one day, a romanian Jeep named ARO with some people on board became, by mistake, the target of lots of people who was defending that area. They thought that the car was full with terorists. It was a big terorists hunting during the first days of our "glorious revolution". National TV (TVR) was very usefull for creating a great under attack tension. Different people came and spread lots of rummors about terrorists, russian army, etc.
I am not sure what a revolution is supposed to be like.. but I think this one here was somebody's project rather than a telepathic express of people wishes of freedom (or something else).
I remember the first mornings (22, 23, and 24 december '89). I was waking up and first 2 things I could hear was 1) the TV which was turned on non-stop and 2) the fire guns and tanks noises outside (Shutting and driving on the roads).
I remember also the first newspapers. For a few years everyone bought LOTS of newspapers EVERY day.
I remember also a girl from my elementary school who came back from the mountains during the days we had the revolution. She was shut in her leg (most probably by mistake) while she was trying to get a bus from the train station to her house). She was fine after some surgery + plus that she gave lots of interviews as she became a revolution victim. She had nothing 2 do with the revolution, her only mistake was that she didn't know what was happening in Bucharest when she left the mountains.
The terrorists everyone was looking for, regarding the rummors, was supposed to look like well trainned arabian people. As far as I know, not even one terorist was found. Another rummor was that most of the fire guns sounds came from some recorded tapes.
I don't think it was a revolution, and I do not think that the events from Georgia (Shevarnadze events) can also be called a revolution. I saw on the news that somebody said that was his project to changeShevarnadze and a few minutes later the reporter called those events revolution.
Sorry for this long comment :)