Costin Murgescu
Costin Murgescu | |
---|---|
Born | Constantin Ion Murgescu October 27, 1919 |
Died | August 30, 1989 | (aged 69)
Other names | V. Borcea |
Academic background | |
Alma mater | Bolyai University Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies |
Influences | Petru Comarnescu, Dimitrie Gusti, Mihail Manoilescu, Victor Slăvescu, Gheorghe Zane |
Academic work | |
Era | 20th century |
School or tradition | |
Institutions | University of Bucharest Institute of Economic Conjecture Romanian Academy Institute of South-East European Studies |
Main interests | Economic history, political economy, economic forecasting, management science, economic sociology, political philosophy, Romanian literature |
Influenced | Victor Babiuc, Eugen Dijmărescu, Mugur Isărescu, Bogdan Murgescu, Napoleon Pop |
Costin Ion Murgescu (Romanian pronunciation:
An innovator among the Romanian communist intellectual and professional elite, Murgescu spent his final decades questioning the assumptions of
Biography
Early life and fascist militancy
Born in
During the first years of World War II, Murgescu was a supporter of the fascist
The general conclusion of the work, partly based on direct quotations from Mein Kampf, was that totalitarianism, moving beyond authoritarian regimes and their "everyday ephemera", was centered on the promise of a "new man"—whose creation would both rehabilitate humanity and change history "for eternity".[10] As a literary chronicler at Universul, Constantin Fântâneru saw in Murgescu "that model of an author who will win people over to a doctrine simply by outlining clearly its ideas."[11] In the official newspaper Țara, Nicolae Ciuceanu noted: "With this work, Mr Costin Murgescu has won himself a leading position in Romanian journalism, and this accomplishment is all the more important, given that the writer is presently just 24 years of age."[10] The brochure quoted at length from the speeches of Benito Mussolini[11] and Iron Guard leader Horia Sima.[13] Envisaging the "new man" as "strong, lively, and immaculate",[13] it called for a non-violent "moral revolution" to bring Romania into the "New European Order".[11] It sought to rebuild culture around the Guard's "Legionary spirit", and promised artistic freedom "only to ethnic Romanians."[13] In his Universul chronicles, Murgescu offered his praise to both Codreanu and the military Conducător, Ion Antonescu.[14] Moreover, he penned warnings against the Guard's enemies: "those who have martyred this People—no mercy for them. They should expect a terrible punishment."[15] He still had contributions as a literary critic, such as a short introduction to Japanese poetry.[16]
Murgescu remained active in the press after the Guard fell from power in the
Communist turn and România Liberă
In a 1987 article, L. Eșanu argues that Murgescu's participation in the
During or immediately after the
From 1944 to 1952,
Invited by the Fatherland Front in neighboring Bulgaria, Murgescu witnessed first-hand the Bulgarian legislative elections on October 27, 1946; he was part of a journalists' delegation that also comprised Aurel Baranga, Paul Georgescu, Ștefan Tita, and Gheorghe Zaharia.[33] Ahead of Romania's own elections in November, Murgescu played down Peasantist concerns about vote-rigging and intimidation, and declared such claims to be part of a ploy against the leftist parties in government. His statements were polemically reviewed by Dreptatea, which introduced him as bine [sic] cunoscutul legionar ("that notorious Guardist").[34] He was also a prominent contributor to the communist literary magazine, Contemporanul, where he praised the party for its "consolidation of democracy".[35] His first theoretical work appeared in 1947, outlining his belief that the new economic regime would be based on the development of heavy industry.[36] In August 1948, Veac Nou magazine, put out by the Romanian Society for Friendship with the Soviet Union, featured his article on Soviet–Romanian economic cooperation, rendering his belief that Soviet backing was crucial for both Romania's industrial development and her consolidation as a "people's democracy".[37]
Around 1950, Murgescu married Ecaterina Oproiu, a fellow România Liberă journalist who went on to establish the official film magazine, Cinema.
ICE research
Expelled from România Liberă following an inquiry into his social origins,[6] and having to explain his attitude toward his father the war criminal,[43] Murgescu focused entirely on his work in economics. From 1953 to 1956, he was a scientific researcher in the political economy department of the University of Bucharest.[2][6][43] He later joined the team of economists and statisticians at the Institute of Economic Conjecture (ICE), located in Bucharest. This institution was headed by Gogu Rădulescu, a disgraced and sidelined PCR activist. Rădulescu appointed Murgescu head of the National Economy Section, and deputy ICE Director.[44] At the time, the ICE also offered employment to the formerly repressed scholar Gheorghe Zane, who was protected by the PCR eminence Alexandru Bârlădeanu[45] and who, as Murgescu put it, was thus allowed to continue his interwar research, with input from "dialectical materialism".[46]
Murgescu himself was assigned to work on an economic overview of the
These rural expeditions, recounted by Murgescu's articles in Contemporanul (August 1957), allowed for a discussion of collectivization, which they presented as a relevant success (particularly so in the model regions of Constanța and Hunedoara).[52] Also in Contemporanul, Murgescu published an essay that sought to rehabilitate Gusti, but his effort was smothered by the Communist Party in 1959.[50] At the ICE in 1958, he came into conflict with his superior Miron Constantinescu, and was afterward demoted to department head.[53] According to fellow economist Egon Balas, Murgescu was also able to use political censorship for his own gains, "manufacturing a conflict" with Constantinescu, who was a somewhat dissenting communist, and obtaining his ousting. As a result of this intrigue, Murgescu became sole editor of the ICE academic journal, Revista Economică, in 1958.[54] He also resumed his position as second director, but was placed under tight surveillance by Securitate agents in 1959; according to Vasile, he was most likely recruited as a Securitate informant (code name "Barbu Rîmniceanu"), and tasked with reporting on the activities of former fascists such as Bucur Țincu and Ion Veverca.[43] His position at the Institute mirrored that of Ion Rachmuth—an unusual situation in which a former Guardist and a Jewish man, once exposed to racial persecution, had to report to each other on a daily basis.[55]
Making occasional returns to the field of Marxist economic history, Murgescu wrote propaganda works, accusing the deposed Romanian royal family, and in particular Carol II, of having organized a "plunder" of Romanian assets.[56] In 1960, the anticommunist Romanian diaspora stood accused by the communists of covering up for fascism. In reply, the Paris-based magazine La Nation Roumaine published ample revelations about the fascist past of Murgescu, Mihai Ralea, Mihu Dragomir, and various other figures of the new regime.[57] Also in 1960, Murgescu and N. N. Constantinescu were editors of a major economic history tract, Contribuții la istoria capitalului străin în Romînia ("Contributions to the History of Foreign Capital in Romania"). This work, also put out by Editura Academiei, was revisited some 20 years later by historian Vasile Bogza, who noted that, despite some flawed interpretations, it remained one of the "thorough studies" in the field.[58] A University of Bucharest professor,[59] Murgescu was received as a corresponding member of the Romanian Academy in 1963, earning a doctorate in economics from the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies in 1964.[2][60] He also served the Institute of South-East European Studies as an academic supervisor for its Revue des Études Sud-est Européenes.[61]
National communism
By 1963, Murgescu was called upon by the regime to inform the world about Romania's economic ideology, which was increasingly
With the inauguration of Nicolae Ceaușescu as Party Secretary, and later President of Romania, Murgescu had more opportunities to expand on his economic theories. Serving only as ICE department head from 1965,[67] he continued to edit Revista Economică to 1968, then Revista Română de Relații Internaționale (from 1968 to 1970).[2][50] In parallel, he was taken on as an adviser by Ion Gheorghe Maurer, who was serving as President of the Council of Ministers.[63] In 1967, he declared his new interest in exploring "national specificity", commending the old-regime intellectuals Zane and Petru Comarnescu for their work in that field.[68] He also partook in the effort to reassess Mihail Manoilescu as the interwar doctrinaire of economic nationalism, and is regarded by economist Dan Popescu as Manoilescu's intellectual heir.[69] From June 1969, he had a Tuesday evening show on Radio Romania, as part of the series Tableta de Seară, which also featured, among others, actor Radu Beligan, mathematician Grigore Moisil, writer Marin Sorescu, and literary scholar Edgar Papu.[70]
Murgescu moved from ICE to the Institute for World Economy (IEM), where he worked from 1970 until his death,
Murgescu was particularly interested in Romanian economic history in relation to the global economy, and a pioneer of
During early 1977, the
Dissidence, death, and legacy
Murgescu followed up with several studies of his own. In 1980, he put together Zane's complete works, with his own preface. His effort was praised by Cândea, who recommended that Murgescu expand his contribution into a Zane monograph.[46] The series also includes his signature work, Mersul ideilor economice la români ("The Development of Economic Ideas among the Romanians"), appearing as two volumes—in 1987 and 1990, respectively.[3][83] The initial volume was welcomed by literary critic Mihai Ungheanu as a contribution to the "necessary recovery of Romanian values in social and economic thinking"—alongside contributions by Ilie Bădescu and Ion Ungureanu.[84] The work was instead met with criticism by the literary sociologist Zigu Ornea, sparking a debate which was to be Murgescu's last.[85]
Murgescu spent the last stage of his life as a dissident, in latent conflict with President Ceaușescu. At the IEM, he helped organize debates about politics and economics, introduced Romanian students to the core notions of
Murgescu died a few months before the
Murgescu was survived by his wife, Ecaterina Oproiu, who went on to serve as a Presidential appointee on a visual media regulatory agency, the National Audiovisual Council, between 1992 and 2000.[94] Murgescu's nephew, Bogdan Murgescu, also trained in economic history, and achieved notoriety for his analysis of economic backwardness.[95][96] He credits Costin Murgescu as an early influence on his own work.[91] Mersul ideilor, reissued by the National Bank of Romania presses in 1994,[76] was complemented by the posthumous Drumurile unității românești ("The Paths of Romanian Unity", 1996).[3] As a learning institution, the IEM was the alma mater of economists who rose to political prominence after 1989, among them Eugen Dijmărescu, Mugur Isărescu, Napoleon Pop, and Victor Babiuc.[97][95] In 1990, it was renamed the "Costin Murgescu Institute of World Economy", becoming part of the Romanian Academy network.[98] According to Isărescu: "At the Institute for World Economy, professor Costin Murgescu was able to fulfill his calling on many levels. Constantly preoccupied with establishing a Romanian school of economic research, he turned [the IEM] into a veritable creative workshop."[60] As noted in 2010 by sociologist Zoltán Rostás, Murgescu's "sinuous youth" was "hardly mentioned", "but [he] was nearly sanctified by the elite of economists who are now in their sixties."[50]
Notes
- ^ a b c d Vasile (2018), p. 586
- ^ ISBN 978-606830-457-1, pp. 365–366
- ^ a b c d e f g (in Romanian) Costin Murgescu at the Bank Deposit Guarantee Fund site
- ^ Balas, p. 336; Vasile (2018), p. 587
- ^ "Revista revistelor", in Revista Fundațiilor Regale, Issue 12/1938, p. 714
- ^ a b c d e Isărescu, p. 32
- ISBN 978-973-32-0922-5, pp. 267–268
- ^ "Centenar Radu Gyr", in Biblioteca Bucureștilor, Issue 3/2005, p. 13
- ^ "Până la ora 12. Note și comentarii. Evoluție", in Dreptatea, June 12, 1946, p. 4
- ^ a b c Nicolae Ciuceanu, "Țara culturală. Note pentru Statul Totalitar", in Țara, December 16, 1941, p. 2
- ^ Universul Literar, Issue 45/1940, p. 2
- ^ Boia, pp. 164–165
- ^ a b c "Note", in Preocupări Literare. Revista Societății Prietenii Istoriei Literare, Issue 11/1940, pp. 697–698
- ^ Boia, pp. 164–165, 234, 291
- ^ Boia, p. 165
- ^ Costin I. Murgescu, "O prezentare lirică a Japoniei", in Revista Fundațiilor Regale, Issue 12/1940, pp. 690–696
- ^ Boia, p. 231
- ^ Costin I. Murgescu, "Victor Slăvescu și posibilitatea unei istorii a gândirii noastre economice", in Revista Fundațiilor Regale, Issue 11/1943, pp. 463–467
- ^ a b c Balas, p. 336
- ^ a b "Maiorul Murgescu confruntat cu victimele din lagărul Vapniarca. 'Ați intrat sănătoși și veți ieși in cârje de aci' le spune maiorul Murgescu victimelor", in Timpul, April 5, 1945, p. 1
- ISBN 1-4039-9341-6, p. 197; Kornis, pp. 228–229
- ^ L. Eșanu, "Sublinieri. 15 August - Ziua presei române. Tradiții revoluționare", in Ateneu, Issue 8/1987, p. 2
- ^ Boia, p. 234
- ^ Angela Banciu, "Din propaganda rezistenței antifasciste românești. Ziarul Ecoul și rolul său între anii 1943—1944", in Revista de Istorie, Issue 7/1989, pp. 697–698
- ^ Boia, pp. 234–235
- ^ Valentin Silvestru, "1944–1983", in Teatrul, Issue 3/1983, p. 84
- ^ România Liberă, March 6, 2012
- ^ Vasile Budrigă, "Luptele purtate pentru eliberarea României de sub dominația fascistă reflectate în presa centrală românească a timpului (23 august – 25 octombrie 1944)", in Revista Muzeelor și Monumentelor, Issue 5/1985, pp. 54, 56
- ^ M. N. R., "G. M. Cantacuzino și Galeria Eroilor", in Săptămîna, Issue 36/1988, p. 3
- ^ România Liberă, February 3, 2011
- ^ (in Romanian) Cristina Diac, "Stație în drumul spre putere", in Jurnalul Național, January 10, 2006
- ^ George Păun, "Scânteia apreciază", in Dreptatea, April 7, 1946, p. 3
- ^ "Ultimele știri. Buletin intern", in Moldova Liberă, October 24, 1946, p. 4
- ^ "Până la ora 12. Note și comentarii. Tactică", in Dreptatea, October 24, 1946, p. 4
- ^ Boia, p. 291
- ^ Vasile (2018), pp. 586–587
- ^ "A apărut Veac Nou. No. 15 — August 1948", in Frontul Plugarilor, August 1, 1948, p. 3
- ^ Alexandru Matei, "Screening the Thaw Era: Romanian Television in the 60s as a Public Service Television", in The French Journal for Media Research, Issue 2/2014
- ISBN 978-606-526-004-7, pp. 97–98, 100
- ^ Kornis, p. 230
- ^ "Partea I-a: Decrete. Ministerul Justiției", in Monitorul Oficial, June 2, 1945, pp. 4597–4598
- ^ Emil Niculescu, "«Unde sunt cei care nu mai sunt». File din drama armatei regale române", in Străjer în Calea Furtunilor, Issue 12/2012, p. 53
- ^ a b c d Vasile (2018), p. 587
- ^ Balas, p. 335
- ^ Vasile (2018), p. 584
- ^ a b Virgil Cândea, "G. Zane, de la economie la istorie", in Flacăra, Issue 36/1980, p. 20
- ^ Ernő Gáll, "Caracterul neștiințific și antiprogresist al sociologiei țărăniste", in Buletinul Universităților V. Babeș și Bolyai, Cluj, Vols. 1–2, 1956, pp. 20–21
- ISBN 978-963-9776-25-8, p. 6
- ^ G. Iosub, "Da, da, țărani evrei în România. De vorbă cu dr. Avram Rosen, doctor în economie", in Minimum, Vol. XIV, Issue 157, April 2000, p. 19
- ^ a b c d (in Romanian) Iulia Popovici, Zoltán Rostás, "Gusti nu era anticomunist, nici antilegionar. Era prevăzător" (I), in Observator Cultural, Issue 520, April 2010
- ^ Ștefan Bosomitu, "Notes and Remarks on the (Re)Institutionalization of Sociology in Communist Romania in the 60s", in History of Communism in Europe, Vol. 2, 2011, pp. 181–183
- ^ Mara Mărginean, "From Printed Word to Bureaucratic Negotiation. Housing Projects for Workers during the 1950s in Romania", in sITA (studies in History & Theory of Architecture), Vol. 1, 2013, p. 129
- ^ Vasile (2018), pp. 587, 590
- ^ Balas, pp. 357–358
- ^ Vasile (2018), pp. 587–588
- ^ (in Romanian) Andreea Lupșor, "Carol al II-lea în istoriografia comunistă", in Historia, August 2013
- ^ Nicolae Florescu, "Reevaluări. Vintilă Horia și utopia narativă (II)", in Acolada, Issue 6/2013, p. 19
- ^ Vasile Bogza, "Condițiile penetrației capitalului străin în România în primul deceniu după Marea Unire din 1918", in Revista de Istorie, Issue 6/1981, p. 1076
- ^ a b Boia, p. 16
- ^ a b c Isărescu, p. 33
- ^ Dan Berindei, "Revue des Études Sud-est Européenes", in Enciclopedia istoriografiei românești, Editura Științifică și Enciclopedică, Bucharest, 1978, p. 454
- ^ Brzezinski, pp. 444–445, 551
- ^ a b Vasile (2018), p. 595
- ^ a b (in Romanian) Cristian Vasile, "Cartea nevrozelor", in Revista 22, Issue 1183, November 2012
- ^ (in Romanian) Florin Mihai, "Ceaușescu, invidios pe succesul lui Dej", in Historia, March 2012
- ^ Brzezinski, p. 551
- ^ Vasile (2018), pp. 594–595
- ^ Petru Comarnescu, "Jurnal", in Contemporanul, Vol. VI, Issues 23–27, July 1995, p. 11
- ^ Dan Popescu, "Mihail Manoilescu — schiță sumară de portret", in Transilvania, Issue 1/2019, pp. 13–14
- ^ "În București, acum 50 de ani", in Magazin Istoric, June 2019, p. 83
- ^ Kirk Laux, p. 70
- ^ R. Demetrescu, "Bibliorama. Echipa de conducere în unitățile economice", in Comerțul Modern, Issue 4/1972, p. 49
- ^ Léon Lavallée, "Les livres. Costin Murgescu, L'economie socialiste en Roumanie", in La Pensée, Issue 184, 1975, p. 139
- ^ Kirk Laux, pp. 71–72
- ^ Kirk Laux, p. 85
- ^ a b c Isărescu, p. 36
- ^ "Revue des revues. Recherches sociographiques: 312", in Revue Française de Sociologie, Vol. 8, Issue 4, 1967, pp. 593–594
- Scînteia Tineretului, September 2, 1970, p. 4
- ^ Virgil Ionescu, "Bibliorama. Perenitatea ideilor economice ricardiene", in Comerțul Modern, Issue 4/1973, p. 55
- ^ "Nagysikerű tüntetés New Yorkban a történelemhamisító románok ellen", in Chicago és Környéke, Vol. 72 Issue 16, April 1977, p. 3
- ^ Dan Berindei, "Cel de-al XV-lea Congres Internațional de Științe Istorice: stadiul său de pregătire", in Revista de Istorie, Issue 6/1980, p. 1182
- ^ Elizabeth K . Valkenier, Soviet–Third World Relations: "the Economic Bind". Final Report to the National Council for Soviet and East European Research. Columbia University (National Council for Soviet and East European Research), New York City, [n. y.], pp. 50–51
- ^ Isărescu, pp. 34, 36
- ^ Mihai Ungheanu, "Cronica literară. Ion Ungureanu, Idealuri sociale și realități naționale", in Luceafărul, Vol. XXII, Issue 20, May 1989, p. 2
- ^ a b c Zigu Ornea, "Amintirea unui cărturar", in România Literară, Issue 36/1989, p. 9
- ^ Isărescu, pp. 33–36
- ^ Ion Boitan, "Nevoia de optimism (II)", in Cuvîntul Liber, April 24, 1990, p. 1
- ^ (in Romanian) Napoleon Pop, "Am privit BNR cu respect, ca pe o instituție intangibilă", in Revista 22, Issue 1067 (Bucureștiul Cultural supplement, Issue 96), August 2010
- ^ (in Romanian) "Ancheta lui Brucan", in Jurnalul Național, March 28, 2009
- ^ Isărescu, pp. 33, 52–53
- ^ ISBN 978-973-46-2453-9, p. 11
- România Liberă, September 1, 1989, p. 2
- ^ Henri Zalis, "Academica", in Contemporanul, Issue 34/1990, p. 2
- ^ Antoaneta Tănăsescu, "Consiliul Național al Audiovizualului – scurtă istorie", in Revista Română de Jurnalism și Comunicare, Issues 1–2/2008, pp. 32, 33, 35, 38
- ^ a b (in Romanian) Iulian Anghel, "Bogdan Murgescu, istoric al economiei: Adevărata provocare va fi când România va atinge 60% din PIB-ul UE, nu acum când are 43%", in Ziarul Financiar, March 17, 2011
- ^ (in Romanian) Ovidiu Pecican, "Avalon. Decalaje și întrebări", in Observator Cultural, Issue 580, June 2011
- ^ Isărescu, p. 34
- ^ Eugen Străuțiu, "Economical Think-tanks in Romania", in Revista Economică, Issues 1–2/2010, p. 14
References
- ISBN 0-8156-0930-2
- ISBN 978-973-50-3533-4
- ISBN 0-674-82548-9
- ISBN 973-618-106-5
- Jeanne Kirk Laux, "La Roumanie et les multinationales", in Revue d'Études Comparatives Est-Ouest, Vol. 12, Issue 4, 1981, pp. 61–89.
- Geza Kornis, "Fragmente din Memorii (Din viaṭa mea și vremurile mele)", in Smaranda Vultur, Adrian Onică (eds.), Memoria salvată II, ISBN 978-973-125-265-0, pp. 213–238.
- Cristian Vasile, "Institutul de Cercetări Economice al Academiei RPR, 1952–1965: între analiză științifică și propagandă ideologică", in Revista Istorică, Vol. XXIX, Issues 5–6, 2018, pp. 577–600.