Romanian rural systematization program

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The Romanian rural systematization program was a

Background

Nicolae Ceaușescu's 1988 idea to raze about half of Romania's 13,000 villages and rebuild others into "agro-industrial centers" was not new. It had been written into law in 1974. At that time, about 3,000 villages were scheduled to die out gradually, while 300–400 more were to be transformed into towns. However, industrial construction assumed priority, overshadowing the rural reconstruction and resettlement program, which was not pursued with any vigor. In the spring of 1988, however, the rural systematization program reemerged as a top priority on Ceaușescu's agenda.^[1] The concept was first developed by Nikita Khrushchev, aiming to raise the standard of rural life by amalgamating villages in order to stop the migration of younger people from rural to urban. However, the project was forgotten while Ceaușescu focused on other projects, such as the Centrul Civic and the Danube–Black Sea Canal, but it was relaunched in March 1988.^[2] The 1974 law for urban and rural territorial reorganization provided for the development of the countryside by focusing on the more viable villages while the rest would be gradually starved of investment. However, momentum was lost in the late 1970s, and of the 140 new towns promised by 1985, only one – Rovinari – was completed in 1981. No explanation was ever given, but likely Ceaușescu transferred his attention to the aforementioned projects.^[3]

Details of the plan

The villages most likely to be phased out were those with minimal prospects for growth. By the year 2000, 85% of communes were to have piped drinking water and 82% modern sewage.

Between 3 August 1975 and 3 July 1988, Romania was accorded most favoured nation status from the United States.^[9][10] In 1988, Ceaușescu renounced Romania's MFN status with the United States, just as the latter was about to suspend it over human rights violations.^[11] In July 1987, the United States Congress voted to suspend Romania's MFN status. Although the suspension was meant to last at least 6 months, in order to avoid further humiliation, Ceaușescu renounced his country's MFN status.^[12][13] More than 85 oral testimonies and 995 written statements were submitted to support the suspension of Romania's MFN status. On 26 February 1988, in order to save face, Romania announced that it did not need MFN status. The House and Senate votes were rejected as unacceptable "interference in the internal affairs" of Romania. To underline this rejection, the village-bulldozing program was made public in April 1988.^[14] Romania's renunciation of MFN status in February 1988 resulted from Ceaușescu's growing irritation with American pressure over Romania's human rights situation, such as Ceaușescu's treatment of his opponents.^[15][16] Ceaușescu's renunciation of MFN made its suspension by the United States Congress meaningless.^[17] His action showed that he would not submit to pressure from either side, East or West.^[18]

Implementation and results

Ceaușescu felt fed-up by continuous United States Congressional scrutiny of Romania's human rights record, a scrutiny hindering his long-cherished "grand design". Shortly after his "cocky" gesture on MFN, Ceaușescu announced the most sweeping and ominous plan of his regime up to that point, involving the liquidation of up to 8,000 villages.

Towns created under Systematization

The program fell behind schedule, with only 24 new towns declared in 1989 out of the 100 expected by 1990.^[26] These 24 agro-industrial towns are listed below:^[27][28]

• Transylvania
  • Bihor County
    • Valea lui Mihai - Although agriculture remained predominant, small-scale industries were being developed. Around 30 apartment blocks were built in the center.^[29]
  • Hunedoara County
    • Aninoasa - A mining center in the upper Jiu Valley.^[30]
  • Maramureș County
    • Seini - Main industries: agriculture, animal breeding and fruit growing.^[31]
  • Mureș County
    • Iernut
  • Sibiu County
    • Avrig - The Mechanical Works at Mârșa (Mecanica Mârșa [ro]) was the most important industrial plant in the area.^[32]
    • Tălmaciu - Several timber factories and a textile plant. Blocks totalling 480 apartments were built.^[33]

• Wallachia
  • Argeș County
    • Colibași - Location of Automobile Dacia, Romania's first car manufacturing plant. Two national research institutes - for automotive engineering and nuclear technology - were also located there.^[34]
  • Brăila County
    • Ianca - A model for agro-industrial towns in flat regions.^[35]
    • Însurăței - Blocks totalling 330 apartments were built, of which 200 were located in the center.^[36]
  • Buzău County
    • Nehoiu - A model for agro-industrial towns in mountainous regions.^[37]
    • Pogoanele - Blocks totalling 200 apartments were built in the center.^[38]
  • Călărași County
    • Budești
    • Lehliu Gară - Its main industrial plant was a subsidiary of a clothes factory based in Bucharest.^[39]
    • Fundulea - Three important agricultural research institutes were based there, most of their staff commuting from Bucharest.^[40]
  • Giurgiu County
    • Bolintin-Vale - A satellite of Bucharest.^[41]
    • Mihăilești - Most of the former village razed and rebuilt to make way for the Danube–Bucharest Canal. Visited by Ceaușescu multiple times.^[42] Blocks totalling 3,500 apartments were built.^[43]
  • Gorj County
    • Bumbești-Jiu
    • Rovinari - Already a town as of 9 December 1981.^[44]
  • Olt County
    • Piatra Olt
    • Scornicești - The town with the most impressive record of medals, distinctions and titles in Socialist Romania, including that of "Hero of the New Agrarian Revolution". The new town had a factory making automobile spare parts, a clothes factory, a brewery, a dairy plant and a poultry farm.^[45]

• Dobruja
  • Constanța County
    • Basarabi - An inland harbor for the Danube–Black Sea Canal. There were also two large wineries.^[46]
    • Negru Vodă - Blocks totalling 341 apartments were built.^[47]
    • Ovidiu

• Moldavia
  • Bacău County
    • Dărmănești

Other rural settlements decisively impacted by Systematization which later became towns

Bragadiru, Cornetu, Balotești and Otopeni were likewise to become agro-industrial towns.^[48] Two hundred dump trucks were required to carry the rubble resulted from the demolition of many private houses in Otopeni, Dimieni and Odăile.^[49] In Bragadiru, Măgurele, Otopeni and 30 Decembrie blocks totalling thousands of apartments were built.^[50] Otopeni became a town on 28 November 2000.^[51] Bragadiru and Măgurele became towns on 29 December 2005.^[52][53]

International reactions

Hungary

In Hungary, the program is called "romániai falurombolás" (lit. "Romanian village destruction"). After May 1988, Transylvanian "atrocity stories" abounded in the Hungarian press. The Romanian regime drew unfavorable world opinion and came under increasing attack from the global press.