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Romanian Social Democratic Party (defunct)
Encyclopedia
The Romanian Social Democratic Party was a social-democratic
political party
in Romania
. It published the magazine România Muncitoare
, and later Socialismul, Lumea Nouă, and Libertatea.
wing (deemed "generoşii" - "the generous ones"), which left in order to join the National Liberal Party
, and the Marxist
groups - which survived only in Bucharest
as the Socialist Union of Romania (Uniunea Socialistă din România).
The PSDR affiliated with the Second International
, and was noted for its activism in favor of the labour movement
and internationalist
pacifism
, as well as its denounciation of the Romanian campaign in Bulgaria
during the Second Balkan War
. These policies got the party banned when Romania entered World War I
(August 1916). Its members reunited after the war, and founded the Socialist Party of Romania
(November 1918).
The majority of the new party became increasingly favorable to the Bolshevik
option, reforming itself as the Communist Party of Romania
(PCdR, later PCR), in May 1921. A minority wing formed the Federation of Romanian Socialist Parties (Federaţia Partidelor Socialiste din România), which reformed as the Social Democratic Party in May 1927 and affiliated with the 2½ International
. The leader of the PSD in the following period was Constantin Titel Petrescu
.
The party was a member of the Labour and Socialist International
between 1923 and 1940.
In 1933, a communist
-inspired group distinct from the PCdR left to form the Socialist Party (Partidul Socialist, also known as the Unitary Socialist Party, Partidul Socialist Unitar), led by Leon Ghelerter and Gheorghe Popovici (and joined by Gheorghe Cristescu
).
Banned in 1938 by the personal dictatorship
of King
Carol II
, the PSD remained active in clandestinity, peacefully resisting to the rise of Fascism
, condemning the Iron Guard
and the National Legionary State
proclaimed in 1940. With the ascendancy of Ion Antonescu
and Romania's participation in World War II
alongside the Axis Powers
(see Romania during World War II
), the PSD, who remained favourable to the Allies
, joined King Michael
and other political groups in open resistance to the regime, becoming part of a clandestine National Democratic Bloc which included the National Peasants' Party
, the National Liberals, and the Soviet Union
-backed Communists.
In 1944, the PCR and the PSD formed a Singular Workers' Front (Frontul Unic Muncitoresc), which was meant to coordinate actions from the Left. The united fronts succeeded in overthrowing Antonescu's government on August 23, and backed the government of Constantin Sănătescu
which declared war on the Axis.
, leading to the creation of National Democratic Front (Frontul Naţional Democrat, FND) in February 1945 (which grouped the two parties together with Petru Groza
's Ploughmen's Front
, Mihai Ralea's Socialist Peasants' Party, and Mitiţă Constantinescu
's Union of Patriots). Meant as an electoral alliance
of the Left, the FND faced accusations from the PSD that it was becoming a tool for the PCR (especially after it had passed resolutions reflecting democratic centralism
); the PSD left the Front in October of the same year. An internal struggle ensued between the pro-communist wing and Titel Petrescu's supporters; Petrescu's faction (including Lazăr Măglaşu and Ilie Mirescu) left the PSD in March 1946 to found the Independent Social Democratic Party (Partidul Social Democrat Independent, PSDI), which presented itself as an independent faction in the November 1946 general election
- these were won by the FND after a large-scale electoral fraud
engineered by the Groza government.
Under pressure from the PCR to create "a single party working class
", the PSD accepted Marxism-Leninism
and united with the Communists in February 1948, to create the Romanian Workers' Party (Partidul Muncitoresc Român, PMR), official name of the PCR as the ruling party
of Communist Romania
until 1965 (when it returned to its former title). PSD members, including Titel Petrescu, where victims of political repression, and many died in communist prisons.
, the party reformed itself under the name Social Democratic Party of Romania, and rejoined the International. After entering alliances with the Democratic Party (forming Uniunea Social-Democrată during the 1996 legislative election
), and taking part in the Romanian Democratic Convention
governments of Victor Ciorbea
, Radu Vasile
, and Mugur Isărescu
(briefly leading the coalition government
with Alexandru Athanasiu
in 1999), the PSDR adhered to the Social Democratic Pole of Romania
, and fused into the Social Democratic Party
on January 16, 2001.
A minority wing opposed to the merger survives as Partidul Social Democrat "Constantin Titel Petrescu".
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in 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...
. It published the magazine România Muncitoare
România Muncitoare
România Muncitoare was a socialist newspaper, published in Bucharest, Romania....
, and later Socialismul, Lumea Nouă, and Libertatea.
Early party
Created under the name of Social Democratic Party of Romania (Partidul Social Democrat din România, PSDR) in February 1910, it viewed itself as a successor to the Romanian Social-Democratic Workers' Party, the latter having disbanded in April 1899 after a conflict between its reformistReformism
Reformism is the belief that gradual democratic changes in a society can ultimately change a society's fundamental economic relations and political structures...
wing (deemed "generoşii" - "the generous ones"), which left in order to join the National Liberal Party
National Liberal Party (Romania)
The National Liberal Party , abbreviated to PNL, is a centre-right liberal party in Romania. It is the third-largest party in the Romanian Parliament, with 53 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 22 in the Senate: behind the centre-right Democratic Liberal Party and the centre-left Social...
, and the Marxist
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
groups - which survived only in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
as the Socialist Union of Romania (Uniunea Socialistă din România).
The PSDR affiliated with the Second International
Second International
The Second International , the original Socialist International, was an organization of socialist and labour parties formed in Paris on July 14, 1889. At the Paris meeting delegations from 20 countries participated...
, and was noted for its activism in favor of the labour movement
Labour movement
The term labour movement or labor movement is a broad term for the development of a collective organization of working people, to campaign in their own interest for better treatment from their employers and governments, in particular through the implementation of specific laws governing labour...
and internationalist
Proletarian internationalism
Proletarian internationalism, sometimes referred to as international socialism, is a Marxist social class concept based on the view that capitalism is now a global system, and therefore the working class must act as a global class if it is to defeat it...
pacifism
Pacifism
Pacifism is the opposition to war and violence. The term "pacifism" was coined by the French peace campaignerÉmile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress inGlasgow in 1901.- Definition :...
, as well as its denounciation of the Romanian campaign in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
during the Second Balkan War
Second Balkan War
The Second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece, on 29 June 1913. Bulgaria had a prewar agreement about the division of region of Macedonia...
. These policies got the party banned when Romania entered 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...
(August 1916). Its members reunited after the war, and founded 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...
(November 1918).
Refoundation and World War II
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....
option, reforming itself as the Communist Party of Romania
Romanian 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...
(PCdR, later PCR), in May 1921. A minority wing formed the Federation of Romanian Socialist Parties (Federaţia Partidelor Socialiste din România), which reformed as the Social Democratic Party in May 1927 and affiliated with the 2½ International
International Working Union of Socialist Parties
The International Working Union of Socialist Parties was a political international for the co-operation of socialist parties.-History:...
. The leader of the PSD in the following period was Constantin Titel Petrescu
Constantin Titel Petrescu
Constantin Titel Petrescu was a Romanian politician and lawyer. He was the leader of the Romanian Social Democratic Party.He was born in Craiova, the son of an employee of the National Bank in Bucharest...
.
The party was a member of the Labour and Socialist International
Labour and Socialist International
The Labour and Socialist International was an international organization of socialist and labour parties, active between 1923 and 1940. The LSI was a forerunner of the present-day Socialist International....
between 1923 and 1940.
In 1933, a communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
-inspired group distinct from the PCdR left to form the Socialist Party (Partidul Socialist, also known as the Unitary Socialist Party, Partidul Socialist Unitar), led by Leon Ghelerter and Gheorghe Popovici (and joined by 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...
).
Banned in 1938 by the personal dictatorship
Dictatorship
A dictatorship is defined as an autocratic form of government in which the government is ruled by an individual, the dictator. It has three possible meanings:...
of King
King of Romania
King of the Romanians , rather than King of Romania , was the official title of the ruler of the Kingdom of Romania from 1881 until 1947, when Romania was proclaimed a republic....
Carol II
Carol II of Romania
Carol II reigned as King of Romania from 8 June 1930 until 6 September 1940. Eldest son of Ferdinand, King of Romania, and his wife, Queen Marie, a daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the second eldest son of Queen Victoria...
, the PSD remained active in clandestinity, peacefully resisting to the rise of Fascism
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
, condemning the Iron Guard
Iron Guard
The Iron Guard is the name most commonly given to a far-right movement and political party in Romania in the period from 1927 into the early part of World War II. The Iron Guard was ultra-nationalist, fascist, anti-communist, and promoted the Orthodox Christian faith...
and the National Legionary State
National Legionary State
The National Legionary State was the Romanian government from September 6, 1940 to January 23, 1941. It was a single-party regime dictatorship dominated by the overtly fascist Iron Guard in uneasy conjunction with the head of government and Conducător Ion Antonescu, the leader of the Romanian...
proclaimed in 1940. With the ascendancy of Ion Antonescu
Ion Antonescu
Ion Victor Antonescu was a Romanian soldier, authoritarian politician and convicted war criminal. The Prime Minister and Conducător during most of World War II, he presided over two successive wartime dictatorships...
and Romania's participation in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
alongside the Axis Powers
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
(see Romania during World War II
Romania during World War II
Following the outbreak of World War II on 1 September 1939, the Kingdom of Romania officially adopted a position of neutrality. However, the rapidly changing situation in Europe during 1940, as well as domestic political upheaval, undermined this stance. Fascist political forces such as the Iron...
), the PSD, who remained favourable to the Allies
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
, joined King Michael
Michael I of Romania
Michael was the last King of Romania. He reigned from 20 July 1927 to 8 June 1930, and again from 6 September 1940 until 30 December 1947 when he was forced, by the Communist Party of Romania , to abdicate to the Soviet armies of occupation...
and other political groups in open resistance to the regime, becoming part of a clandestine National Democratic Bloc which included the National Peasants' Party
National Peasants' Party
The National Peasants' Party was a Romanian political party, formed in 1926 through the fusion of the Romanian National Party from Transylvania and the Peasants' Party . It was in power between 1928 and 1933, with brief interruptions...
, the National Liberals, and 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....
-backed Communists.
In 1944, the PCR and the PSD formed a Singular Workers' Front (Frontul Unic Muncitoresc), which was meant to coordinate actions from the Left. The united fronts succeeded in overthrowing Antonescu's government on August 23, and backed the government of Constantin Sănătescu
Constantin Sanatescu
Constantin Sănătescu was a Romanian statesman who served as the first Prime Minister of Romania after the August 23, 1944 coup, through which Romania left the Axis Powers and joined the Allies....
which declared war on the Axis.
Late 1940s
Subsequently, PSD entered talks with PCR representative Lucreţiu PătrăşcanuLucretiu Patrascanu
Lucreţiu Pătrăşcanu was a Romanian communist politician and leading member of the Communist Party of Romania , also noted for his activities as a lawyer, sociologist and economist. For a while, he was a professor at Bucharest University...
, leading to the creation of National Democratic Front (Frontul Naţional Democrat, FND) in February 1945 (which grouped the two parties together with Petru Groza
Petru Groza
Petru Groza was a Romanian politician, best known as the Prime Minister of the first Communist Party-dominated governments under Soviet occupation during the early stages of the Communist regime in Romania....
's Ploughmen's Front
Ploughmen's Front
The Ploughmen's Front was a Romanian left-wing agrarian-inspired political organisation of ploughmen, founded at Deva in 1933 and led by Petru Groza. At its peak in 1946, the Front had over 1 million members.-History:...
, Mihai Ralea's Socialist Peasants' Party, and Mitiţă Constantinescu
Mitita Constantinescu
Mitiţă Constantinescu was a Romanian economist and liberal politician. He was an advocate of industrialization and a degree of dirigisme.-Biography:...
's Union of Patriots). Meant as an electoral alliance
Electoral alliance
An electoral alliance may take the form of a bipartisan electoral agreement, electoral agreement, electoral coalition or electoral bloc. It is an association of political parties or individuals which exists solely to stand in elections...
of the Left, the FND faced accusations from the PSD that it was becoming a tool for the PCR (especially after it had passed resolutions reflecting democratic centralism
Democratic centralism
Democratic centralism is the name given to the principles of internal organization used by Leninist political parties, and the term is sometimes used as a synonym for any Leninist policy inside a political party...
); the PSD left the Front in October of the same year. An internal struggle ensued between the pro-communist wing and Titel Petrescu's supporters; Petrescu's faction (including Lazăr Măglaşu and Ilie Mirescu) left the PSD in March 1946 to found the Independent Social Democratic Party (Partidul Social Democrat Independent, PSDI), which presented itself as an independent faction in the November 1946 general election
Romanian general election, 1946
The Romanian general election of 1946 was a general election held on November 19, 1946, in Romania. Officially, it was carried with 79.86% of the vote by the Romanian Communist Party , its allies inside the Bloc of Democratic Parties , and its associates — the Hungarian People's Union , the...
- these were won by the FND after a large-scale electoral fraud
Electoral fraud
Electoral fraud is illegal interference with the process of an election. Acts of fraud affect vote counts to bring about an election result, whether by increasing the vote share of the favored candidate, depressing the vote share of the rival candidates or both...
engineered by the Groza government.
Under pressure from the PCR to create "a single party working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
", the PSD accepted Marxism-Leninism
Marxism-Leninism
Marxism–Leninism is a communist ideology, officially based upon the theories of Marxism and Vladimir Lenin, that promotes the development and creation of a international communist society through the leadership of a vanguard party over a revolutionary socialist state that represents a dictatorship...
and united with the Communists in February 1948, to create the Romanian Workers' Party (Partidul Muncitoresc Român, PMR), official name of the PCR as the ruling party
Single-party state
A single-party state, one-party system or single-party system is a type of party system government in which a single political party forms the government and no other parties are permitted to run candidates for election...
of Communist Romania
Communist Romania
Communist Romania was the period in Romanian history when that country was a Soviet-aligned communist state in the Eastern Bloc, with the dominant role of Romanian Communist Party enshrined in its successive constitutions...
until 1965 (when it returned to its former title). PSD members, including Titel Petrescu, where victims of political repression, and many died in communist prisons.
Post-communism
After the Romanian Revolution of 1989Romanian Revolution of 1989
The Romanian Revolution of 1989 was a series of riots and clashes in December 1989. These were part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several Warsaw Pact countries...
, the party reformed itself under the name Social Democratic Party of Romania, and rejoined the International. After entering alliances with the Democratic Party (forming Uniunea Social-Democrată during the 1996 legislative election
Romanian legislative election, 1996
Legislative elections were held in Romania on 3 November 1996, together with the Presidential election. The elections were won by the Romanian Democratic Convention, an alliance of liberal, Christian Democratic and green parties. This marked the first time that the Party of Social Democracy was out...
), and taking part in the Romanian Democratic Convention
Romanian Democratic Convention
The Romanian Democratic Convention was an electoral alliance of several political parties of Romania, active from early 1992 until 2000....
governments of Victor Ciorbea
Victor Ciorbea
Victor Ciorbea is a Romanian politician. He was the Mayor of Bucharest in 1996-1997 and, after his resignation from office, Prime Minister of Romania from 12 December 1996 to 30 March 1998.-Biography:...
, Radu Vasile
Radu Vasile
Radu Vasile is a Romanian politician, historian and poet.-Education and Professional Activity:*1967 - Graduate, with exceptional results, of the Faculty of History - University of Bucharest...
, and Mugur Isărescu
Mugur Isarescu
Mugur Isărescu is the Governor of the National Bank of Romania. From 22 December 1999 to 28 November 2000 he served as Prime Minister. He is a member of the Romanian Academy....
(briefly leading the coalition government
Coalition government
A coalition government is a cabinet of a parliamentary government in which several political parties cooperate. The usual reason given for this arrangement is that no party on its own can achieve a majority in the parliament...
with Alexandru Athanasiu
Alexandru Athanasiu
Alexandru Athanasiu is a Romanian politician and jurist. A former leader of the Romanian Social Democratic Party , he is a member of the Social Democratic Party since 2001...
in 1999), the PSDR adhered to the Social Democratic Pole of Romania
Social Democratic Pole of Romania
The Social Democratic Pole of Romania was the governing coalition of Romania from 2000 to 2004. It consisted of the Social Democratic Party of Romania, and of two smaller parties, the Romanian Social Democratic Party, and the Humanist Party of Romania...
, and fused into the Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party (Romania)
The Social Democratic Party is the major social-democratic political party in Romania. It was formed in 1992, after the post-communist National Salvation Front broke apart. It adopted its present name after a merger with a minor social-democratic party in 2001. Since its formation, it has always...
on January 16, 2001.
A minority wing opposed to the merger survives as Partidul Social Democrat "Constantin Titel Petrescu".