Ploughmen's Front
Ploughmen's Front Frontul Plugarilor | |
---|---|
People's Party | |
Merged into | Romanian Workers' Party |
Ideology | Republicanism Agrarian socialism Left-wing populism |
Political position | Left-wing |
Colours | Red |
Party flag | |
The Ploughmen's Front (Romanian: Frontul Plugarilor) 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.[1]
History
Begun in
In 1935, the organisation aligned itself with the outlawed
During this period, the Ploughmen's Front never obtained more than 0.30% of the vote.
In October of that year, it joined other the PCR-led
In February 1945, although represented inside the Nicolae Rădescu cabinet (as it had been in the Constantin Sănătescu one) it took part in violent incidents that led to its fall.[11] Groza, who was first considered for high political office in late 1944,[12] led the third cabinet after the fall of Antonescu (formed on March 6, 1945); while the government was maneuvered by the PCR, the Ploughmen's Front did hold the Ministry of Agriculture and Royal Domains, which was assigned to Romulus Zăroni,[13] and that of Culture and Arts, which was assigned to Mihai Ralea.[14] In late 1947, Stanciu Stoian became another one of the party's leading members to be presiding over a ministry — that of Religious Affairs;[15] additionally, Octav Liveazeanu became head on the Information Ministry.
The party ran on a single platform with the PCR during the
At the time, PCR leaders began using Antonescu's 1943 crackdown on the Front as an instrument in intra-party fights: after
Nevertheless, relations between the Front and Communists were tested at times: after its first congress (July 1945), Groza's party called for the preservation of small, privately owned, agricultural plots and voluntary
In July 1947, the Front was joined by Nicolae D. Cornățeanu and other members of the defunct National Union for Work and Reconstruction (a small political grouping formed by Constantin Argetoianu),[23] and, in 1948, it absorbed the National Peasants' Party–Alexandrescu (a splinter group of the National Peasants' Party).[24]
The Ploughmen's Front ceased to exist when it dissolved itself in 1953. According to the 1991 testimony of former PCR leader Gheorghe Apostol, the latter action was instigated by the main party; he also indicated that, in retrospect, Gheorghiu-Dej had found such measures taken against pluralism to be regrettable ("Dej himself said: «What a stupid thing we have done! We could at least have allowed the Ploughmen's Front to exist!»).[25]
Electoral history
Legislative elections
Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1933 | 7,970 | 0.3% | 0 / 387
|
— | 14th |
1946 | 4,773,689 | 69.8% | 70 / 414
|
70 | 1st1 |
1948 | 6,959,936 | 93.2% | 126 / 414
|
56 | 1st2 |
1952 | 10,187,833 | 100% | 428 / 428
|
302 | 1st3 |
Notes:
1 BDP members: PSDR (81 deputies), PNL-Tătărescu (75 deputies), Ploughmen's Front, Romanian Communist Party (68 deputies), National Popular Party (26 deputies), PNȚ-Alexandrescu (20 deputies), and 8 independents.
2 FDP members in 1948:
3 FDP members in 1952:
Notes
- ^ Ştefan, p.10
- ^ Cioroianu, p.150, 151
- ^ Cioroianu, p.150, 151; Hitchins, p.390
- ^ Hitchins, p.390-391
- ^ Groza, in Cioroianu, p.165
- ^ Frunză, p.115
- ^ Hitchins, p.391
- ^ Betea, "În umbra..."
- ^ Betea, "În umbra..."
- ^ Cioroianu, p.154
- ^ Cioroianu, p.159-162; Hitchins, p.507-508
- ^ Cioroianu, p.152-153
- ^ Cioroianu, p.161; Frunză, p.116, 187
- ^ Cioroianu, p.154, 161
- ^ Cioroianu, p.159
- ^ Frunză, p.287-292; Hitchins, p.517; Ştefan, p.9-10; Tismăneanu, p.288
- ^ Cioroianu, p.159; Frunză, p.117
- ^ Betea, "În umbra..."
- ^ Cioroianu, p.162; Hitchins, p.511
- ^ Cioroianu, p.161-162
- ^ Cioroianu, p.162
- ^ Cioroianu, p.165-166
- ^ Otu
- ^ Videnie, p.46
- ^ Apostol, in Betea, "Engima..."
References
- Lavinia Betea,
- (in Romanian) "Engima partidului unic" ("The Riddle of the Single Party"), in Jurnalul Național, January 30, 2007
- (in Romanian) "«În umbra celulei»" ("«In the Cell's Shadow»"), in Jurnalul Național, January 31, 2006
- Adrian Cioroianu, Pe umerii lui Marx. O introducere în istoria comunismului românesc ("On the Shoulders of Marx. An Incursion into the History of Romanian Communism"), Editura Curtea Veche, Bucharest, 2005
- Victor Frunză, Istoria stalinismului în România ("The History of Stalinism in Romania"), Humanitas, Bucharest, 1990
- Keith Hitchins, România, 1866–1947, Humanitas, Bucharest, 1998 (translation of the English-language edition Rumania, 1866–1947, Oxford University Press, USA, 1994)
- (in Romanian) Petre Otu, "1946–1947. Se pregătește guvernul Argetoianu!" ("1946–1948. An Argetoianu Government Is Under Preparation!"), in Magazin Istoric, May 2000
- M. Ștefan, "În umbra Cortinei de Fier" ("In the Shadow of the Iron Curtain"), in Magazin Istoric, November 1995
- ISBN 0-520-23747-1
- Nicolae Videnie, "«Alegerile» din martie 1948: epilogul listelor electorale alternative. Obsesia unanimității — primii pași" ("The «Elections» of March 1948: an Epilogue to Alternative Electoral Lists. Unanimity Obsession — The First Steps Taken"), in Dosarele Istoriei, 11/V, 2000