Alexandru Dobrogeanu-Gherea
Encyclopedia
Alexandru Dobrogeanu-Gherea or Alexandru Gherea (rendered in Russian
as Александр Доброджану-Геря or Доброжану-Гере - Aleksandr Dobrodzhanu-Gerya /Dobrozhanu-Gere; July 7, 1879, Ploieşti
—1938, in the Soviet Union
) was a Romania
n communist militant
and son of socialist, sociologist and literary critic Constantin Dobrogeanu-Gherea
. He also used the pseudonym
s of G. Alexe and Saşa/Sasha.
at the University
of Berlin
, becoming a member of the Romanian Social-Democratic Workers' Party in 1910. During World War I
, Gherea served in a field artillery
regiment
.
He joined the Socialist Party of Romania
(the revived form of the Social Democrats) in 1918, and was one of its five delegate
s (one of the others was Gheorghe Cristescu
) to the 1920 Moscow
Comintern
meeting that called for the Romanian group to follow Bolshevik
lines. He was twice elected to the Romanian Parliament
(in 1920 and 1922).
), in May 1921. Thus, Gherea was arrested together with the other Comintern supporters, and confronted with terrorist Max Goldstein
during the Dealul Spirii Trial of the next months. He was convicted, but soon released through an amnesty
on June 4, 1922. In the same year, he was chosen a member of the Overseeing Committee and an agrarian
commission at the new Party's 2nd Congress in Ploieşti. He was a member of the Central Committee during the preparations for the 3rd Congress in Vienna
, and as such occupied a central position when the Party was outlawed in 1924 (although he probably never was the general secretary
, as some sources claim). Arrested in December, he was released on probation
in 1925, using the circumstances to make his escape to the Soviet Union, being sentenced in absentia
to ten years in prison.
Gherea took part in the July 1928 4th Party Congress in Kharkiv
, returning yet again to Romania, arrested for a third time and serving time in prison, only to benefit from another amnesty, in 1929.
and holding official positions in the Comintern. Gherea translated some of Vladimir Lenin
's works into Romanian
.
Together with the majority of Romanian communists inside the Soviet Union, after attracting Joseph Stalin
's suspicion, he fell victim to the Great Purge
: arrested in 1936, he was executed two years later.
In April 1968, Nicolae Ceauşescu
's regime
chose to investigate and exonerate most of the former Party members to have died in the period, Dobrogeanu-Gherea included. A similar measure had been taken inside the Soviet state in the previous decade, during Nikita Khrushchev
's process of de-Stalinization
.
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
as Александр Доброджану-Геря or Доброжану-Гере - Aleksandr Dobrodzhanu-Gerya /Dobrozhanu-Gere; July 7, 1879, Ploieşti
Ploiesti
Ploiești is the county seat of Prahova County and lies in the historical region of Wallachia in Romania. The city is located north of Bucharest....
—1938, in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
) was a Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n communist militant
Militant
The word militant, which is both an adjective and a noun, usually is used to mean vigorously active, combative and aggressive, especially in support of a cause, as in 'militant reformers'. It comes from the 15th century Latin "militare" meaning "to serve as a soldier"...
and son of socialist, sociologist and literary critic Constantin Dobrogeanu-Gherea
Constantin Dobrogeanu-Gherea
Constantin Dobrogeanu-Gherea was a Romanian Marxist theorist, politician, sociologist, literary critic, and journalist....
. He also used the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
s of G. Alexe and Saşa/Sasha.
Socialist activism
He studied engineeringEngineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
at the University
Humboldt University of Berlin
The Humboldt University of Berlin is Berlin's oldest university, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt, whose university model has strongly influenced other European and Western universities...
of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, becoming a member of the Romanian Social-Democratic Workers' Party in 1910. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Gherea served in a field artillery
Field artillery
Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, long range, short range and extremely long range target engagement....
regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
.
He joined the Socialist Party of Romania
Socialist Party of Romania
The Socialist Party of Romania was a Romanian socialist political party, created on December 11, 1918 by members of the Romanian Social Democratic Party , after the latter emerged from clandestinity...
(the revived form of the Social Democrats) in 1918, and was one of its five delegate
Delegate
A delegate is a person who speaks or acts on behalf of an organization at a meeting or conference between organizations of the same level A delegate is a person who speaks or acts on behalf of an organization (e.g., a government, a charity, an NGO, or a trade union) at a meeting or conference...
s (one of the others was Gheorghe Cristescu
Gheorghe Cristescu
Gheorghe Cristescu was a Romanian socialist and, for a part of his life, communist militant. Nicknamed "Plăpumarul" , he is also occasionally referred to as "Omul cu lavaliera roşie" , after the most notable of his accessories.-Early activism:Born in Copaciu Gheorghe Cristescu (October 10, 1882...
) to the 1920 Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
Comintern
Comintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern, also known as the Third International, was an international communist organization initiated in Moscow during March 1919...
meeting that called for the Romanian group to follow Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
lines. He was twice elected to the Romanian Parliament
Parliament of Romania
The Parliament of Romania is made up of two chambers:*The Chamber of Deputies*The SenatePrior to the modifications of the Constitution in 2003, the two houses had identical attributes. A text of a law had to be approved by both houses...
(in 1920 and 1922).
Communism
Dobrogeanu-Gherea was one of the Party members who had voted in favor of the transformation of the group into the Socialist-Communist Party (that soon turned into the Romanian Communist PartyRomanian Communist Party
The Romanian Communist Party was a communist political party in Romania. Successor to the Bolshevik wing of the Socialist Party of Romania, it gave ideological endorsement to communist revolution and the disestablishment of Greater Romania. The PCR was a minor and illegal grouping for much of the...
), in May 1921. Thus, Gherea was arrested together with the other Comintern supporters, and confronted with terrorist Max Goldstein
Max Goldstein
Max Goldstein , also known as Coca, was a Romanian revolutionary, variously described as a communist and an anarchist.Born in Bârlad to a Jewish family, he worked as a clerk and moved to Bucharest, where he became a Communist sympathizer...
during the Dealul Spirii Trial of the next months. He was convicted, but soon released through an amnesty
Amnesty
Amnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...
on June 4, 1922. In the same year, he was chosen a member of the Overseeing Committee and an agrarian
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
commission at the new Party's 2nd Congress in Ploieşti. He was a member of the Central Committee during the preparations for the 3rd Congress in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, and as such occupied a central position when the Party was outlawed in 1924 (although he probably never was the general secretary
General secretary
-International intergovernmental organizations:-International nongovernmental organizations:-Sports governing bodies:...
, as some sources claim). Arrested in December, he was released on probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
in 1925, using the circumstances to make his escape to the Soviet Union, being sentenced in absentia
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
to ten years in prison.
Gherea took part in the July 1928 4th Party Congress in Kharkiv
Kharkiv
Kharkiv or Kharkov is the second-largest city in Ukraine.The city was founded in 1654 and was a major centre of Ukrainian culture in the Russian Empire. Kharkiv became the first city in Ukraine where the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in December 1917 and Soviet government was...
, returning yet again to Romania, arrested for a third time and serving time in prison, only to benefit from another amnesty, in 1929.
Victim of repression
From 1932, he lived in the Soviet Union, working as a journalistJournalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and holding official positions in the Comintern. Gherea translated some of Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist politician who led the October Revolution of 1917. As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years , as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a...
's works into Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
.
Together with the majority of Romanian communists inside the Soviet Union, after attracting Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
's suspicion, he fell victim to the Great Purge
Great Purge
The Great Purge was a series of campaigns of political repression and persecution in the Soviet Union orchestrated by Joseph Stalin from 1936 to 1938...
: arrested in 1936, he was executed two years later.
In April 1968, Nicolae Ceauşescu
Nicolae Ceausescu
Nicolae Ceaușescu was a Romanian Communist politician. He was General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and as such was the country's second and last Communist leader...
's regime
Regime
The word regime refers to a set of conditions, most often of a political nature.-Politics:...
chose to investigate and exonerate most of the former Party members to have died in the period, Dobrogeanu-Gherea included. A similar measure had been taken inside the Soviet state in the previous decade, during Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
's process of de-Stalinization
De-Stalinization
De-Stalinization refers to the process of eliminating the cult of personality, Stalinist political system and the Gulag labour-camp system created by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. Stalin was succeeded by a collective leadership after his death in March 1953...
.
Sources
- Stelian Tănase, Procesul din Dealul Spirei
- Dosarele Istoriei, 10/1998