CEU eTD Collection ANTIFASCIST THE WORK In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of WOMEN MOBILIZING GENDER FOR SOCIALIST MODERNITY: FOR MOBILIZING GENDER SOCIALIST European European Master in Women’s and GenderHistory Supervisor: Professor Susan Supervisor: Professor Susan Zimmermann OF ONE OF Department of DepartmentGender Studies of Central European University Central European ROMANIA ROMANIA TRANSYLVANIAN Budapest, Hungary Budapest, Alexandra Ghit Submitted to , 2011 1945 AND By TO THE 1953. CHAPTER U NION OF DEMOCRATIC WOMEN OF OF THE UNION OF CEU eTD Collection successful, despite the overt opposition and resistance mounted by women. beginning rhetorical1949 andportray with way the to strategies as to meant resorted their work in carried favor work” of out incollectivization of “persuasion the UDWR involvementthe look atthe motheringI women practices. Thirdly, tochangetheir population byappealingto Women Romania (UDWR)social of contributed to meantengineering projectsto bolster the Romanian Communistessentially modernist process of expanding the implicitly political community pursued by the Party.Romaniain (UAWR) production of the onwomen’sdiscourses citizenship part as of an Secondly, look attheinvolvement Antifascist"beneficiaries". of Women Union of I of the Specifically, I trace the locallyand and by as negotiated altered and/or constructed by activists resisted those way in whichimplemented centrally, formulated where state" the of strategies "the grand terms what Kotkin the Union of in1945 and Stalinist 1953 for understand characteristic modernity processes how and seeksto Democratic My thesis looks at the role of two communist women's organizations in Romania between Abstract i CEU eTD Collection encouragement when things got bleak.when encouragement got things my thesis. Iam deeply grateful to everyone who has discussed this thesis with me and provided Gender and Women’s History. Also, prof. Daniela Koleva for agreeing to be the second reader of rather erratic work habits and her assistance as coordinator of the Matilda MA program in and support throughout the writing of this thesis. I am grateful for her tact in dealing with my I’d like to thank my supervisor, prof. Susan Zimmermann,for her insightful comments Acknowledgements ii CEU eTD Collection revisionist social history and post-revisionist (cultural) history...... 9 Chapter 2- FRAMEWORK AND METHOD...... 8 CHAPTER ...... 5 1- INTRODUCTION ...... 1 Contents CONTENTS 2.6. Method and Sources...... 27 2.5. Previous Studies on Communist ...... 20 Women’s Organizations 2.4. State, power and modernity...... 16 2.3. The historiography of the early years of communism in Romania...... 13 totalitarianism, systems: insocialist society and state in understanding Paradigms 2.2...... 8 2.1. Introduction List ...... 4 of Abbreviations ii Acknowledgements...... i ...... Abstract 1 CEU eTD Collection mothering...... 54 Romania, central actors, local activists and the performance of gendered citizenship...... 32 oiiain...... 50 mobilization community in uncertain times...... 34 ouain...... 57 population Chapter 4-The UDWR’sinterventionism: and changedomesticity Attempting to Chapter 3-Expanding The AntifascistWomen of thecommunity:Union political of 4.2. High-modernism and rational,legible, Soviet domesticity...... 57 ...... 54 4.1. Introduction ...... 53 3.6. Conclusions “They3.5. collaborate”: localwouldnot representing chapters andperforming 3.4. Representations of gendered local action and syntheses of socialist ...46 citizenship 3.3. As far as the center stood: types of actors and different visions ....37 for citizenship political agreater before Stalinism”: “high war, the after A modern project 3.2...... 32 3.1. Introduction ...... 30 2.7. Conclusions 4.2.2. Soviet models, European ideas on mothering ...... 60 and domesticity 4.2.1. A“unified” communist women’s organization and reproduction the of the 2 CEU eTD Collection Mare county (1949-1952)...... 80 draw women on the side of collectivization in Satu Mare county...... 89 collectivization...... 82 Bibliography...... 100 Chapter 6- Conclusions...... 99 in oncollectivization Success:UDWR Satu reports 5-Hardships Chapter and Moderate Secondary Sources...... 104 Primary Sources...... 100 ...... 98 5.5. Conclusions 5.4. Languageshardshipsuccess: Reporting of mentions of to attempts and onUDWR 5.3. The Center’s rhetorics of triumphing over hardships: The 86 Story of Maria Zidaru wave”of “first the negotiating andpeasants Activists Intense,uneven dialogues: 5.2...... 80 5.1. Introduction ...... 79 4.6. Conclusions 4.5. (Re)making spaces,redefiningmotherhood, constructing domesticity...... 74 proper 4.4. Improving “the people” through better ...... 69 food and eating 4.3. Mothering discourses...... 64 3 CEU eTD Collection RWP- The Romanian Workers’ Party following Workers’ RWP- TheRomanian mergerwith the used Party Social (name the RCP- The Romanian Communist Party usedbetween (name 1945 and 1948) WIDF– Women’s International Democratic Federation Democratic International Women’s WIDF– Romania of Women Democratic of Union UDWR-The UAWR –The Union of Antifascist Women of Romania Democratic Party in 1948, until 1965) MADOSZ- GAC- Women Romania of of Federation FDWR- The Democratic Gospodarii AgricoleColective List of Abbreviations MagyarDolgozók Országos Szövetsége (Collective Agricultural Farms) Agricultural (Collective (Union of Hungarian Workers of Romania) 4 CEU eTD Collection Press, 1995). contribute, firstly, to complicating the dominant narrative of the “Stalinization” of by Romania of “Stalinization” of the narrative dominant complicating the firstly, to contribute, and Mare from UWDR in county, Satu Romania. North-Western Through approach this I aim to in produced especiallybylocal of organization-asreflected reports the of the chapter UAWR the by campaigns the targeted women the of reactions the and local level at the elaborated practices and discourses materials, in propaganda theinteractionbetween capture discourses attempt to I projects social engineering implementation of and imagination the of discussing In women. flesh out the impact of these "grand strategies" on the construction of gender and the experiences inrelations studies, by influenced paradigm to thethesis Soviet “post-revisionist” the attempts modernity state-society and of of Stalinist ona Relying conceptualization organizations. well as the(formed in in disbanded1948 and 1953),analyzing materialsby published these as organizations archives Romaniaand 1947)andtheUnion between Democraticof Women Romania of 1945 (active of "beneficiaries"the Satulocallyand and by as negotiated altered and/or constructed by activists resisted those Mare (inimplemented centrally, formulated where state" the of strategies "the grand terms what Kotkin North-Westernin1945 and Stalinist 1953 for understand characteristic modernity processes how and seeksto Romania)1- CHAPTER INTRODUCTION chapters of these 1 My thesis looks at the role of two communist women's organizations in Romania between Stephen Kotkin, Stephen 1 . Specifically, I focus on the activities of the Union of Antifascist Women of Magnetic mountain :Stalinism as a civilization 5 (Berkeley: University of California CEU eTD Collection Civic Belonging," atlooks Thethird the by UAWRactivists. chapter women”’s need of enlightenment committed “backward of on and discourses unity message representations tenuous on through citizenship of mobility physical and of communist citizenship, as expectations towards of localwell gratitude as Party,the intiative incorporated the Soviet notion of and at its base, at the organization apex of at the both the of actors, several groups interaction inargues of that the It level of local chapters, in. ofwomen Party’s inclusion ofthe political community, projectexpansion of the the through a vision Communist Romanian of in the Romania in citizenshipWomen Antifascist of Union the of involvement the for women emerged atlooks andsources anusedin of contains study.outline methods chapter The second the this that major instudies. alsorelation to the haveemerged Thechapter three which paradigms Soviet discussing previousmodernity studies on Stalinist and oncommunist women’s in organizations systems. socialist organizations’ within socialist states and, implicitly, on the articulation of gender regimes in state women’s of role re-conceptualize the to whichseeks work of a growingbody to contribute merely by but coercion toregulatethemselves.by moldingusing Secondly, I wishto people not functioned state the how toshow rather but in Romania, regime communist consolidating tactics. In aiming doto this however,it is notmy intention to deny the repressive character of the progress and waysof itandachieving its contestation by“little through people” a range of focusing how thison process entailed theforging of a peculiar, Soviet-inspired vision modern of 2 by my analysis for framework a theoretical construct I mythesis of chapter first the In On aktivnost Kritika: Explorations in Russian and Eurasian History see Golfo Alexopoulos, "Soviet Citizenship, More orLess: Rights, Emotions, and States of 2 . The chapter also. The chapter how the shows organization itselfdefined andforged a aktivnost -energetic, enthusiastic civic action as definingfeature 6 7, no. 3(2006). CEU eTD Collection directions for future research. future for directions conclusion successful activism reports,inof inwork processactingthe meanings of upon The gender. the thesisas restates avoidance the tactics such through the termsinteractions, of their tonegotiate be persuadedsought peasants to mainand argumentsstalling both andthe activists that I argue of agriculture. collectivization the to peasants’ opposition made(in inreduce meantto work” “persuasion in the the activists MareUDWR Satu of participation the the casethesis of atlooks The chapter and fourth shaped outof local this project. them how factors thecarrying and peasants) points toward emotional andreproduction. Throughout I show how women resistedthe these attempts at transforming manipulation consumptionfood habits and through practices spatial meanttorationalize physical and and practices mothering of remakingthe to by contributing in this project UDWR) participated of definitions of Marechapter UDWR The the ideas(and particularly Enlightenment. Satu the the European of of project wasimplementedby and from in onpracticesdrawing is discourses USSR,itthe rooted populationthe how, althoughand social enhancing control. Ishow interventionist modern this involvement of the Union of Democratic Women of Romania in the state’s attempts at improving 7 CEU eTD Collection choices made and point to the sources used in used choices made and tothe sources connection thisto point thesis. follow. Finally, in this chapter I outline the epistemological assumptions and methodological moreinliterature topicalthrough discussionsofrelevant that analyticaleach of chapters the andliterature review refined The general issupplemented and own discussion project. theoretical my into insights their integrate I way the highlighting Europe Eastern and Central and USSR the on topic,this proceed discuss I to previous studiesor touching on women’s upon organizations in andstate a general citizensHaving inmodernistregimes.socialistframe stakedout conceptual the between interaction the thesis this of purposes the for conceptualize I way the others) among regime inRomania. by (by Ithen outline works Kotkin andJamesdiscussing Scott, Stephen years historiography of study approaches communist the tothe Stalinism and early of the the by overtly avoideda rangeof opposed or actors. internalized, diffused, replicated, modernity” and values of“Stalinist were altered, aspirations Romania between 1945 and1953towardsaconsideration of mechanismsthe through which the of of “Sovietization” the interpretations historical broadening of the (modestly) to contribute make a contribution to the history of women and gender in Central and Eastern Europe as well as aim to I intersection From this regimes. socialist in state relations state-society of investigations communist women’s organizations andmovements, explorations of modernity”“Stalinist and In this chapter , therefore, I contextualize my research endeavor in relation to previous to in relation endeavor my research contextualize I , therefore, chapter this In I place my thesis at the intersection researchof on the gender regimes of state socialisms, 2.1. Introduction AND METHOD CHAPTER 2-FRAMEWORK 8 CEU eTD Collection which had mostly been the purview of political scientists political of purview the been mostly had which an for Warinterest increasingbackground Cold of the area historians’ andsocial research to how over describe“revisionists” the SovietUnion beginning occurred with 1960sin the and Unitedthe States on the Sovietologists”) “traditional (or “totalitarianists” between clash by FitzpatrickSheila inher“Revisionism 2007article, in History”, Soviet the very politicized foci.As newoutlined andresearch introduced in Party-States relations key state-society of theme Brzezinski, socialisms. state Stalinist in paradigm) onthe ofidentity-depending orrelation interaction polarization, (their “society” and state” of“the conceptualizations scholarly in ofchanges tracing easier an enables of cultural history despite the inter-(sub)disciplinary nature of many recent studies, Iemploy it here becausesomewhat it reductive, asitassociates revisionism withpractitioners of social history post-revisionistsand withthose article by Sheila Fitzpatrick, "Revisionism inSoviet History," relations by constructed such scholars as Carl Friedrich and Brzezinski Zbigniew to contradict image sought consciously quite Sheila Fitzpatrick the herself) ofstate-society was mostvisible andcontested whom with University, among Columbia scholars associated paradigms) and“post-revisionist” “revisionist” beginning with 1970s(resultingthe inthreemain namelythe“totalitarian”,approaches, totalitarianism, revisionist social history and post-revisionist (cultural) history. the 1970s: the in to werereacting model revisionists “totalitarian scholarship” the the description, Fitzpatrick’s The study The study of Stalinistthe in period history hasSoviet undergonetwo“paradigm shifts” was purely an object of regime control and manipulation. The main mechanism of control was terror, was control of mechanism main The manipulation. and control of regime object an purely was associations atomization andthe ofbondsbetween people produced a powerless, society passive that “ portrayed the Union Soviet as acompletely top-down entity. destruction The of autonomous 5 4 3 2.2. Paradigms in understanding state and society in socialist systems: Ibid. The work most oftenassociated with the “totalitarian paradigm” is CarlJ. Friedrich and Zbigniew Ibid., 79. K. the in inaugurated was “paradigms” three into history Soviet to approaches of research interpretation This Totalitarian dictatorship and autocracy (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Univ. Press, 1956). 3 . Each shifta certainbrought of rethinking the 9 History andTheory 4 . The “revisionists” (a group “revisionists”. The of (agroup 46, no. 4 (2007). 46, Althoughno. is it 5 . In CEU eTD Collection communism” “whitewashing of accusations“traditional Sovietologists” from whichattracted reasons the of two Nazism, and communism between comparisons rejected and pathological politically as clearly denouncingUnion political from “revisionists”the Soviet the context, refrained resistanceinstances at of looked 1980s, beginningthe with inconsistencies in administrativepolicies, malfunctions and unintended consequences and, highlighted them),they hadcreated policies action” “affirmative its since regime the supporting were specialists andtechnical especially bureaucrats a newof generation instance, that for functioning of the system continuity of the regime,historians focusing on Sovietthe Union in the at 1970s looked factors the ensuredthat the based on the assumption social control”- the perfect by of “politics a characterized asociety bottom, at the population that repression and top the the at Stalin Union,Soviet with imageof the apyramid-like argues, constructs alone could not explain which, --anapproach approachof Patrikeeff totalitarianists the top-down opposition the to the Redefining Stalinism Soviet self-representation, but with the moral signs reversed (instead of the party being always right, always wrong). being always party was it of the (instead reversed signs moral the with but self-representation, Soviet line,’ andno pluralism of anykind, including cultural. This was ineffect the mirror image of the independent press, no representation of interest groups,no tolerance of deviation from the ‘party pronouncements. After Soviet theend all of in the 1920s, when the Stalin quoted period began, there was no political opposition, no obligatorily and of Marxism-Leninism classics the in articulated ‘Stalin’ were often used as synonyms) was amonolith whose actionswere guided by the ideology with used propaganda mobilizingas a device in place.a second The regime which(for ‘the and party’ “Revisionists” challenged the idea that society was monolithical and largely passive. In passive. largely and monolithical was society that idea the challenged “Revisionists” 7 6 9 8 Ibid., 81.Felix Patrikeeff, "Stalinism, TotalitarianSociety theand Politics of "Perfect Control"," in Fitzpatrick, "Revisionism in Soviet History," 80. Ibid., 79; 81. Fitzpatrick, "Revisionism in Soviet History," 82;84;86. 9 . , ed. Harold Shukman (London: Frank Cass, 2003), 28. 6 ” 7 . The themes they approached were upward social mobility mobility (arguing, social wereupward . Theapproached themes they 10 8 . By and large,despite thefraught CEU eTD Collection Magnitogorsk in his relations state-society have research very formulated in much directions Kotkin’srelation approach to innovative on draw(especially)and work on the Foucaultof terms Michel Fitzpatrick “thepost-revisionists” theory in around Grouped their work. journalthe by 1990sbya the ofhistoriansgeneration USSRwhich insights integrated of from the cultural ideology as a collective construction (something akin akin to (something construction as acollective ideology of conceptualization a entailing subjectivities”-- “Stalinist so-called of exploration is the USSR become themainstream inthefieldone by 1980s the had paradigm” “revisionist the generations a changeof partly due to arguesthat Fitzpatrick Union,Soviet Sheila perceptionsof the popular add, European) American (and,Iwould the “linguistic turn”. He argues thatthe turn”. “linguistic the inin a of his viewespecially resultas have field, the occurred that shifts further critically) (more in interactions systems liberal society democratic state- shaping those to similar technologies through ideology) governed and shaped byMarxist USSR asasystem modernity bytheaspirations of was underpinned which than decisively (rather 12 11 10 Although the revisionist school has not had a similar “paradigm-shift” influence on A different discussion of the “state of the art” in studies of Stalinism, Mark Edele’s, notes Fitzpatrick, "Revisionism in Soviet History," 87. Ibid., 87. Kotkin, Ibid., 79, 87. 11 . One of the most important features of this new direction in the study of the Magneticmountain : Stalinism as a civilization Magnetic Mountain Magnetic turn 12 has moved the from focus conceptualizing Kritika, . 11 , a monograph of the industrial town of town industrial the of monograph a , 10 . This paradigm was challenged inits turn Weltanschauung the fairlythe heterogeneous group whom . )- and a focus on the on focus a and )- CEU eTD Collection engineering, constitute the bedrock fora considering Stalinism Kotkin’s bedrock the engineering, constitute social to in commitment subjectivities the USSR’s continued conjunction (which, with in place by repression and propaganda. In other words, state-society state-society werecharacterized relations words, In other and propaganda. in by repression place paradigm saw society anundistinguishedas atomized, baseof powerless, maintaineda pyramid totalitarian outdated and somewhat Stalin. society during The between state relationship the the of images different construct paradigms) “revisionist” the of case in the overlap some power these “micro-physicsof individual that “ Kritika: Explorations in Russian and Eurasian History integration) social of foci multiple insights of Durkheim and Weber, who conceptualized the state as part of society and one of asstructures) (previously conceptualized “society” to exploring “the everyday”, as well as the deconstruction of “class” or “nationality” the Stalinistpolitical system was notsimply external totherestsociety or of to the 16 15 In “thefocus view, theformationEdele’s on this everyday”specifically and of Stalinist To sum up, the three approaches to the study of Stalinism reviewed in this section section in(with Stalinism this reviewed of study tothe sum approaches three To up, the 14 13 Stalinist soul. the examine to methodologies yet-undeveloped for be reaching to seem they however, sometimes, rituals; and discourses, practices, analyzing anthropologists, like Stalinism approach often cohort new the of previous generations of Western historians alike to be inappropriate objects ofhistorical studies. Historians many too, here secrets real are there of And as culture.[…] themStalinism on focuses Stalinism on scholarship innew “The the realm of everyday life and the private sphere, considered by the Soviet regime and Ibid. 368. Reconsidered," Frameworks Major Life: Everyday and Structure, Social Society, "Soviet Edele, Sheila Fitzpatrick, Reconsidered," Frameworks Major Life: Everyday and Structure, Social Society, "Soviet Edele, Mark ”, that “ it was part andwasit ofboth reproducedtoa becauseconsiderable degree of 14 ” Stalinism : new directions 15 ”. (Nevertheless, in his article, Edele calls for a recovery of the of for arecovery Edele calls in his article, ”. (Nevertheless, 16 . 13 . Or, in Fitzpatrick’s formulation: 8, no. 2(2007). (London; New York: Routledge,1999), 3. 12 civilization ), point out CEU eTD Collection RCP aspolitical organism was producedand(…) overthe meditate institutional responsibility for the catastrophe the report sets as the aim of the document “ Basescu andled by political scientist VladimirTismaneanu, released its (New York: Oxford University Press, 1999), 227. Bertani, Alessandro Fontana, and François Ewald, trans. David Macey (New York: Picador, 2003), 240. by (in Foucault’s terms) the exercise of the dictator’s sovereign power to” take life or let livelet life or take to” power sovereign dictator’s the of exercise the terms) Foucault’s by (in efforts of “coming to terms with the past” terms with of “coming to efforts by state encouraged and entrenched has beenfurther history onrecent totalitarian the perspective Romania in post-socialist beliefs, of system researcher’s the to linked (ultimately) is paradigm inperiod years and on the general andinWhile between 1953, 1945 choice of the particular. by onthe communist inRomanians written scholarship historical approach dominant recent the space)isthe academic in English-speaking its the which contestation model,(despite a model 2.3. The historiography of theearly years of communism in Romania. individuals. by values Stalinist of internalization the through alsobut , coercion merely not through seenasoperating andpower society, with between state interaction mutually-constitutive degree on the a greater to focuses paradigm revisionist” by them. It is as (such practices also one that was a survivor. does not furtherslogans,operator, andmuchmore.Butaboveall,he amoutherof atime-server,freeloader, itself merelyreasons of support for the system and highlightedby how “ coercion. and sources the paradigm less hand, On focused probed “revisionist” other on repression, the the Thirdly, the “post- 19 18 17 The focus of my study myas a The focus of in reductive study the has developed totalitarian reaction part to The Sheila Fitzpatrick, Michel Foucault, Commission for the Analysis of Communist Dictatorship inRomania 18 ” In this case, the power of the state is seen as negotiable through anumberof through negotiable isas seen state of the power the case, ” In this blat/ freeloading)networks (such and as its andkinship) functioningmediated Society mustbe defended : lectures at theCollège de France,1975-76 EverydayStalinism :ordinary life inextraordinary : times Soviet Russia inthe1930s to try tountangle theway which in the complete disorganization ofthe 19 . Such attempts bolster the conclusions of of attempts bolster theconclusions a previous . Such 13 Homo Sovieticus wasHomo Sovieticus a string-puller, an FinalReport - convened by President Traian by President convened - in 2006. inIntroduction The of , ed. Mauro 17 ”. CEU eTD Collection Romania 1948-1950: institutional transformations) Populara Româna 1948-1950 : transformari institutionale (The Stalinization of Romania: The Popular Republic of Péterand Apor (Budapest;New York: CEU Press/Central EuropeanUniversity Press,2007). Narratives unbound : historicalstudies inpost-communist Eastern Europe "Mastering vs. coming to terms with the past: Petrescu, ACriticalDragos and analysis Petrescu of post-communist Cristina see period Romanian communist the historiography,"on historiography in Romanian communist communism (Bucuresti:Humanitas, 1998); Vladimir Tismaneanu, societate :guvernarea Gheorghiu-Dej, 1948-1965 (Elites andsociety: the Gheorghiu-Dej rule, 1948-1965) Gheorghiu-Dej andPolice the State, 1948-1965 http://www.presidency.ro/static/ordine/RAPORT_FINAL_CPADCR.pdf. Communist Dictatorship inRomania), "Raport Final (Final Report),"(2006), Prezidentiala pentru Analiza Dictaturii Comuniste din Romania (The Presidential Commission for Analysis the of under Ceausescu mechanismsof abortion and of social control between1965 1989and (the Ceausescu criminalization Comisia regime).the shortages, food on subchapters with society”, and economy “culture, discussing the evolution of the RomanianCommunist Party, another third to discussing repression and the final third to represented by the totalitarian regime ourcountry. in and the political history of the Romanian Communist Party with beingregime repression topics life”is privileged absent, “theeveryday entirely of history in body from ofGheorghe rule the Gheorghiu-Dej research on of (1945-1965) Romaniawhich faithfully carry out Stalin’s will very concludeto institutionalRomaniaof Communistthe sought to in that Party changes order and legislative of examination an from proceeded have in Romania regimes Stalinist of years notsimply duea favorableto international context (i.e. strong support from the USSR), but inconsolidate itsthe postwar power managed Romania to of Communistthe argues that Party ideathe brutal imposition),of Soviet especiallyin Transylvanian the In context. a 2010 article he (hence regime for the support popular of theabsence questions work Bottoni’s Stefanoinstance, communist rule). (conceived deprived, of and atomized strongly against as state (generally equatedRomania which emerges from availablethe isliterature secondary between dichotomy of the the with the Party and sometimes reduced to the ruling elite) and society 21 20 Some recent works have prompted a rethinking and renewal of mainstream accounts. For On the Sovietization of Romania see Nicoleta Ionescu-Gura, Some of the most oft quoted works on the period are: Dennis Deletant, (Berkeley:University of California Press, 2003). For a(at times superficial) discussion on post- 21 . The general picture of the early years of communism in communism of years early the of picture general The . (New York: St. Martin's (New St. Press, York: 1999).; StelianTanase, (Bucuresti: Editura BIC ALL, 2005). ” The report devotedone of third 666pagesits to discussing Stalinism seasons for all : apolitical historyRomanian of 14 20 . Also, discussions of the imposition , ed. Sorin Antohi, Balázs Trencsényi, Balázs Antohi, Sorin ed. , Stalinizarea României: Republica Communist terrorinRomania: Elite si CEU eTD Collection ex Oriente lux – their sun rose in the East, in Moscow. communists, without exception, Kremlin’s for vied the support andendorsement. Forallof them, itwas amatterof three centersanalyzed chapter in this primarilyarose from personal,subjective hostilities. All theRomanian animosity amongCalifornia Press, 2001). His approachthe can be contrasted to that of Vladimirelite Tismaneanu. The latter stresses personalof the RWP as a main dynamic. According to Tismaneanu, “ in Romania, 1949-1962 UAWR and honorary presidency of the UDWR, for instance). for UDWR, the of presidency honorary and UAWR discuss involvement with Pauker’s issues women’s while founding inpower(through her of the and Moscow Bucharest between and tensions and between leaders highlights conflicts matters on policy Worker’sthe of Party Romanian the Romania between 1945 and1953(such collectivization as and emigration Jewish from Romania) in occurring social leader’s lensthe of processes actions through Ana Party the Paukerexamines revisionists in and post-revisionists USSR.Finally, the caseof Robert Levy’sthe biography of by some asked questions the for of theRomanian thecontext volume poses engineering project, social modern as a collectivization of as conceptualization aswell the inthevillages, activists and center the at officials party between relationship the capture to endeavor the resistance, its multi-disciplinary approach, the attention to local processes, peasants’ tactics of (non-violent) Ethnic Conflict Management," Transforming Peasants class. middle in officers PCRthe acquiescenceof 1945gainedof the after parts Romanian theirthe positions and bureaucrats inter-war maintain to willingness the Finally, minorities. Jewish and Hungarian appealed to functioning ethnicity-based logic than of class-based,rather Transylvania. It's policies, thusbeingalleviate able to ethnic (especially) tensions in multiethnic regions such as also because between it1944 and 1953 acted as a "transnational body"integrative and pursued 24 23 22 Robert Levy, ConstantinIordachi, ed. S. Bottoni, "Reassessing the Communist TakeoverinRomania: Violence, Institutional Continuity, and 22 Another important step forward isstep forward important Another Iordachi, the volume byConstantin edited (Budapest; New York: Central European University 2009).Press, Ana Pauker : the risePauker : andAna the fallofaJewish Communist , which deals with the process of collectivization in Romania in collectivization of process the with deals which , East European Politics & Societies Transforming peasants, propertyand powercollectivization :the of agriculture ” Tismaneanu, ” 24 . Somewhathis surprisingly, biography not does 15 24,no.1 (2010). Stalinism for all seasons (Berkeley, [u.a.]: Calif University of The conflicts between the : 105. 23 . Through CEU eTD Collection authority, astruggle thatinvolvedthe continuous, ifusually indirect, challengestotheperceived “ to beshapedby a processes by individualswhich turn themselves intosubjectsin relation can to state the be seen “ shapedby nevertheless action, individuals’ they the are thatwhile Kotkin “ andargues deCerteau, “ philosopher the argues that Kotkin resistance, of possibility andthe power of delocalization is while butalso notonly both hasrepressive Yet productive. Foucault highlighted the socialisms. state failures and of mechanisms life bureaucratic malfunctions, asfeatures in of coping everyday systemic emphasize I also “post-revisionists”), extent than a greater to (and “revisionists” the Like . citizens by authority of internalization the and language of power constructive the of governance, Stalinistmodern character the emphasizes section- inaprevious discussed congruentor the“post-revisionist which--as studies,a with inSoviet paradigm” paradigm Stalinistfunction. states Ibuildimage such an alternative by on drawing approaches from within made and “the who what inconceptualizing politics of total beyondpresupposes control” going paradigm totalitarian from within ones the between 1945and1953than the Romania never gave resistance the empirical attention itdeserved gaveresistance theempiricalattention never 2.4. State, power and modernity 26 25 In the introduction to Telling amore complex story of of role the communist women’s in organizations Ibid., 37. Kotkin, Magnetic mountain :Stalinism as a civilization two way struggle, however unequal the terms, over the drawing of lines of drawing of theterms,over way unequal struggle,however two Magnetic Mountain the grand strategies of the state grandstrategies of the , Kotkin argues with Foucault that (state) power 16 : 22. little tactics of the habitatlittle tactics of 25 ”. So,drawing on Foucault, Bourdieu ” create fields of ” create ” 26 . Thus, the Thus, . CEU eTD Collection Hoffmann (congruent with Kotkin’s approach, yet less susceptible to misinterpretation), who less to yet susceptible approach, Kotkin’s with Hoffmann (congruent characteristics ofmodernity. Inthisline, Iadopt theperspective onmodernity by proposed David about duty the state’s its providejustifiability intervention citizens for to and state of as defining (Ithaca: Cornell University Press,2003), 7. 18 the modernity, industrial rise stress capitalism which the andliberaldemocracy,beginningof with respond the worldwhoserestof challenged success to uncanny the state mightasthestandard appear single-mindednessLeninism, or of the evilness of Stalin) theUSSRin a narrativethe welfare of War, ideology,long history Civil ofthe the authoritarianism,theexperience ofRussian Marxist the from European normbecause ofthecountry’s backwardness oragrarian social structure, the processes”. power in the USSR and its implicit methodological proposition of looking at “rule articulation it of and women’s reactions, inmy thesis I employ Kotkin’sunderstanding conceptualization of functioningthe of chapters’ local members), Committee Central UDWR and members Politburo daily life practices, suggests Kotkin concentrating on“ and, hand,manipulated other the most on inhabitants city who but often state circumvented in ideals whose welfare of rooted ideas of European Enlightenment the practices were a state rules 27 th . ” In order to capture this two-way struggle between, on the one hand, the norms and norms the hand, one the on between, struggle two-way this capture to order In ” In provocatively arguing that “ arguing In provocatively that 29 28 27 century processes as defining century ”, Kotkin (and most “post-revisionists’”) departs from West-centric accounts of accounts from West-centric departs “post-revisionists’”) most (and Kotkin ”, Ibid., 20. David Ibid., 20. L.Hoffmann, Ibid., 22. Ibid. 28 ”. In analyzing the interaction between the “center”’s vision for the UDWR(of for the vision “center”’s the between interaction ”. In the analyzing Stalinist :the values cultural norms ofSovietmodernity, 1917-1941 rather than beingviewed as a pathologicalcase(deviating 29 . Instead,“post-revisionists” stress ideas adventof the the rule articulation process in the encounters of intheencounters rule articulationprocess the 17 CEU eTD Collection is to be made legible according to a modernist aesthetic (clean lines, grid patterns etc.) patterns grid lines, (clean aesthetic amodernist to according legible bemade to is complex and unwieldy reality” static facts; (…) standardized facts.” They “bring into sharp focus certain limited aspects of anotherwise far more Simplificationis achieved, inScott’s view, through the collectionand aggregation of “interested, utilitarian facts; the classic statefunctions of taxation, conscription, andprevention ofrebellion of populations [were]a state’s attempt to make asociety legible, to arrange the population in ways thatsimplified comes togiving aconcise definition isin the book’s introductionwhere he states that: “ (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998), 89-90. the development modernism”, a lesser greater or politiesEuropean hasbeen shaped (to of“high bytheaspirations degree) In socialist). and modernityEuropean shaping outlook both liberal of as capitalist the and polities (or authoritarian valuesideas of forand seeingthe arguments further statecraft provides techniques modern interventionismmass politics and defines it “ projects to extreme forms. Scott, legibilization “authoritarian high modernist states” pushed questthe forlegibilization and social engineering 32 31 30 the view, Scott’s in underpins, and motivates world the rationalize and order to desire The with scientific understanding of natural laws. commensurate nature) human (including nature over control increasing an least, not of production, the rational design of social order, the growing satisfaction of human needs, and, continued linearprogress, thedevelopment of scientific and technical knowledge, theexpansion America North in and from roughly World1830 until I. AtWar was its centersupreme a Europe self-confidence about Western in industrialization with associated were that progress “a strong version of the beliefs in [rooted Enlightenment thinking-n.n.] in scientific and technical Ibid. AlthoughScott’s conceptualizationof James C. Scott, ———, of statecraft techniques of techniques statecraft of in terms oftwo featurescommonmodern toall political systems-social Stalinist values of administrativeof andthingsfacilitate ordering. people Seeing LikeaState Seeing like astate : how certain schemes to improve the human condition have failed Seeing like astate., : 7. . 30 ” James Scott’s work on the development and functioning of he argues that in the past two centuries the outlook of centuries outlook the two in past the hearguesthat simplification 11. Rationalization refers to a propensity forordering that which 31 legibility 18 and becomes clearer with reading, the closest the author the closest the reading, with clearer becomes rationalization efforts at the sedentarization .” , which make, which possible Seeing like astate, 2. 32 . According to CEU eTD Collection by population the suchadaptative through mechanisms black market”. as“the In context,this black the planning and centralized redistribution systematically produce shortages,which shortages navigatedare central of because systems, socialist state highlighted, has Kornay ofJanos work the as hand, other the On characteristic of all modern states, regardless of guiding ideology. Thus, he states that: On one hand,the asScott has argued, these malfunctions are builtinto the processof legibilization populations and territorieswas hampered malfunctionsby inbuiltin the system and bureaucratic failure. states asmodernizing states is that their vision of transforming, rationally ordering and controlling the Romaniathe of 1930sin the eugenicsconnection to and theprofessionalization of social work wasemergingmorethat (andfurthered ethos in an interventionist madebenign) inmanyways for Romanian improving the andbirth livingpreoccupation rates instance),state’s (for conditions Press, 2002). Hitchins, industrialization) and democracy liberal system, economic with a capitalist to acertain thepredominant conception yearsextent, of linkedmodernity interwar the (which modernity vision supplanted, of This the“new(wo)man”. instrumentalize forge and aspiration to an to due interventionism social to commitment and mobilization political Union) Soviet guided by modernization a viewof beyondentailedthat industrialization, (asin caseof the the rather very much a part of it. In this vein, Isee the Romanian Communist Party once in power as and uniform. and these thin categoriesoperate unavoidably as if all classifiedsimilar caseswere in fact homogenous arbitrary and quality fictional to their categoriesand thatcertain theyhide wealtha of isa problematic variation. however, Once there set, that understand data aggregate input and gather who “Those A final point that needs to be made in connection to my conceptualization of Stalinist socialist 35 33 but modernity”, “outside not were regimes socialist state perspectives, these Based on 34 Rumania, 1866-1947 Scott, Fora discussion of debates onthe meanings of modernization and modernity in Romania, see Keith Maria Bucur, Seeing like a state 35 ” Eugenics and modernization in interwar Romania (Oxford; New York: ClarendonPress ; Oxford University Press, 1994). : 81. 19 (Pittsburgh, Pa.: University of Pittsburgh 33 . On the other hand, 34 . CEU eTD Collection emphasis on the protection of emphasis mother theinstance) protection andchild(forof on ofcertain social andprovision for women’s liberation(itself markedforby women’s liberation(itself contradictions) paidand employment changes in relationsgender they were following blueprint the Bolshevik meaning. On onehand,the by promoting women’s representation,political women’s taking up andchanginghad ambiguous organizations’ an question”) woman of the mission solving (“the these fact, In a blueprint. provided in appearance, had, Kollontai or Bebel Engels, of writings deal meant broadly to woman “solving forspeaking, question”- the with which aquestion the another. policies and institutional practices acomposite[…], ofsubsystems that can be in sync or at odds with one apparatuses, these apparatuses donotwork inunison.She argues that “ general aimstechniques and of themodern may be state applied awide through ofrange bureaucratic the although state, welfare Hungarian the of functioning of the analysis her in out pointed has Haney York: St. Martin's Press, 1999), 12-20. Attwood, Societies Preliminaries War: of to Consequences the Study"Social ofGross, T. Imposition see Jan of CommunistEurope, Regimes Eastern and in EastCentral Central in regimes Europe," of communist installation University of CaliforniaPress, 2002), 8. activists its and of Romania place the activities of Unionthe of Antifascist Women of Romania and Unionthe of Democratic Women Reconsidered," 359. market andrelated practices become offeatures the system and allow its perpetuation Women’s Women’s organizations in the state socialisms of Central and Eastern Europe were, 2.5. Previous Studies on Communist Women’s Organizations 3,no.2(1989). 39 38 37 36 37 Creating theCreating new womanSoviet as :women's engineers magazines of female identity, 1922-53 For a discussion of contradictions in the writing of Bolshevik theorists on the woman question see Lynne Onthe importance of into taking account effects the of WarWorld IIon thepopulation asafactor inthe Lynne A. Haney, A. Lynne Frameworks Major Life: Everyday and Structure, Social Society, "Soviet Edele, in reviewed As ” It is in such a state, and one marked by the trauma of war and social divisions that I wish to 38 Inventing the needy : genderInventing theneedy : andthepolitics ofwelfare inHungary . 20 39 . On the other hand, through their through hand, other the On . states comprise layers ofsocial East EuropeanPolitics & 36 . And, as Lynne (Berkeley: (New CEU eTD Collection (Dissertation, Ohio State University, 2004), 2. Gender, State & Society of home economics courses) of home economics organization the or children and mother of protection the on concentration a (i.e. “philanthropy” terms she what on focus their through organizations, women’s interwar with continuities 1945andbetween discussion Leaguethe between 1989.Her of 1953stresses 1945 and towards an emphasis of their role asstate agents and complete subservience tothe Party onthetopic scholarship influencedpost-socialist has totalitarian paradigm the argues that the modernist social engineering projects of to Stalinist regimes.subordinated extent) a certain (to and by bolstered with, entangled became gender remaking strategies differentiating and gender DAHW, were (in they conjunction with statepolicies)other pursuingbothgender homogenizing inHungarian case of out the the as Govenhaspointed Or, relations. of conception gender aless difference services, they gender and, thus, were emphasizing revolutionary than women]. with to initiatives, signsofdissatisfaction resistance tothepartyandassistance[provided and by “ but emphasizing orover-bureaucratization, character its Party, top-heavy the not by to League’sconnection the against assessments these arguing Polish the on dissertation doctoral In a comprehensive review of studies on communist women’s organizations, Basia Nowak 43 42 41 40 42 Ibid., 31. Ibid., 3. Basia A.Nowak, "Serving womenand the state: the League of Womencommunistin Poland" Joanna Goven, "Gender and modernism in a Stalinist state," ” Her investigation focuses on the different incarnations of the Women’s League Women’s of incarnations the onthedifferent focuses investigation ” Her 9, no. 1 (2002). 43 . Lyga Kobiet 40 . This is because, as I seek to show throughout my thesis, throughout show to seek as I is because, This . (“Women’s League”), Nowak attempts to refine to attempts Nowak League”), (“Women’s 21 differences betweendifferences localandnational Social Politics: International Studies in 41 . In her CEU eTD Collection Period," “enlightenment” womendue totheassumption in that were politicallyinneed general of and unreliable Party policies) industrialization and other “peace”, (suchas topics onpolitical conversations” engage wereinby agitators to “constant She trained League the arguesthat dissertation). out byLeague activistsis (This Stalinistduring period. the alsoatopic inher covered disinterest reactions from the and of responses avariety encountered womenagitators Furthermore, unprepared. feltoften areas) to whom they talked: from (especially therural agitators actual ones the theirwork, excitedenthusiastic about and from polite listening,their experiences, she highlights how in spite ofofficialto representations criticism of such volunteers as or signs of outlook of the state). the fit they because but inertia of out not occurred they that rather but exist, not did continuities rather part but merely of women’s organizations, not of practices activities”previous were continuations and parcel so-called “philanthropic how acertainextentbyhighlighting from her to perspective depart of a modernist were (like I totheParty that heavilyand League)tied bureaucratized. UDWR, organizations the state’s and UAWR Romanian the image of complicating the at my in attempt preparation) lack of interventionist agents’” “state avoidance or listener’s of tactics (suchaspossible factors “onthe ground” on the emphasis Nowak’s integrate to aim I study my In state”. the ethos. of strategies “grand the counter to (This is not to say that In a focuses2005 article, specifically Nowak on the propaganda carried andagitational work Feminist Studies 45 44 Ibid., 503. ———, "Constant Conversations: Agitators in the League of Women in Poland during the Stalinist 45 . Thus, her account highlights for the case of agitators’ work the “little tactics” used “little tactics” the work caseofagitators’ the for highlights her account . Thus, 44 . In her analysis of discourses on agitation and agitators’ own descriptions of 31, (2005):no. 3 490-91. 22 CEU eTD Collection they focused to a much greater degree on the restructuring of private life (by constructing the image of “the new “the of image the (by constructing life ofprivate restructuring the on degree greater much a to because focused they hand, other the on and communism of building the to central was women of emancipation the that insistence their on hand, one the on due, were differences The men’s. of socialist that from distinct was that emancipation through the writings of suchleaders as Alexandra Kollontai andInesa Armand) (especially forged autopianvisionPeasants of and women’sWorkers Women among Work for Department Party’s Communist Zhenodtel-the the that of existence been applied in the USSR at different times across its three decades (at the end of World War II) as Europe markedby selective the adoption modelsof models and may practices; these have inCentral Eastern and regimes of Stalinist the replication conceptualizes paradigm”) revisionist countries. On hand, other the fits JoannaGoven approach loosely (whose within “post- the paradigm notes the transfer of institutions and policies from the USSR to “Sovietizing” women’s functioning in points at differentorganizations Soviet Union. The totalitarian the of tothose practices and their modernity, priorities connect inflection I of Soviet-inspired mobilization women’s conception of own UAWR’s Romanian the partially) least (at as permeating of Isee this, “utopianismthe of Zhenotdel”the duringthe NEP,aswell as some ofits principles alsoBecause but World War II earlier. only not after active USSR inthe women’s organizations discourses produced by UAWRthe and UDWRas incorporating elements from activity the of inof Central some Stalinist andinterpretand Eastern states Europe of practicesthe and Stalinism of genderconservatism greater the with convergent practices NEP,butalso the encouraged USSRduring onesconceivedin the the to similar women” “liberating of policies implemented regime the since in Hungary, question” In analyzing the activity of the UAWR and UDWR as part of processes connected to a 48 47 46 Barbara Evans Clements, "The Utopianism of the Zhenotdel," Ibid., 6. Goven, "Gender and modernism in aStalinist state," 5-6. 48 46 . At the same time, the UAWR and (especially)the UDWR’s attempts at remaking . Such selectivity and syncretism was evident in approaches to the “woman in tothe approaches wasevident and. Such syncretism selectivity 47 . I adopt Goven’s perspective on the construction the on perspective Goven’s adopt I . 23 Slavic Review 51, no. 3(1992). 51,no. She argues CEU eTD Collection Culture Culture of Daily Life, 1934–41," Office. organizations. The Zhenodtel waswomen’s disbanded inits 1933, local agitpropby functions but integrated into state the Party’s Propaganda acentralized by not built be to were cafeterias and crèches kindergartens, as such enough interest inthe issue and the state did not have the resources. Thus, facilities forcommunalization of byt, supportedorganizing , by women’s owninitiative.Women were to theirownmake as revolution, men didnot have important feature of Zhenodtel visionof the liberationof womenin asocialist society was their insistence onlocal woman” as sexually liberated, productive, active and displaying a lot of initiative and enthusiasm). Another itespoused conservatism domesticity hark back “wives movement” tothe active USSRin in the the1930sand the gender socialism points out that the Hungarian Union of Democratic Women did not challenge the challenge not did Women Democratic of Union Hungarian the that out points socialism states”. modernist high “authoritarian of characteristic policies,implicitly working butby create for possibilitiesthe to social engineering projects party implementing explicitly of sense the in merely not state the of agents were Hungary in control social to contributed ultimately group”, ahomogenizing women constituted “corporate Hungarian a move state which as the which through wasoneof techniques the for women specifically creation organizations of of Statistics Office National Hungarian the example, in their encouraging women to monitor household expenses for and remitmanifest, was their books involvement to this legible; domesticity making of process in the involved Democraticin AllianceJoannamodernist of projects transforming the world greater rationality towards isand order) made clear ofGoven’s Hungarian study Women on(the the HungarianHungarian equivalent Stalinist of the genderUDWR) was regime. She argues that the Finally, article bySusan an Zimmermann on regime Hungariangender the state during The association of women’s Stalinistorganizations with “grandstrategies” (essentially, 51 50 49 Éva Fodor, "Smiling Women and Fighting Men," Goven, "Gender and modernism in aStalinist state," 13,18. Rebecca Balmas Neary, "Mothering Socialist Society: The Wife-Activists' Movement and the Soviet the and Movement Wife-Activists' The Society: Socialist "Mothering Neary, Balmas Rebecca 49 . The Russian Review 51 . These arguments highlight how women’s organizations 58,no. 3(1999). 50 . Furthermore, Eva Fodor has argued that the Gender & Society 24 16, no. 2 (2002). no. 16, CEU eTD Collection Târau (Cluj-Napoca:Presa Universitara Clujeana, 2002). studii decaz(Woman's theRomania in condition ofXXththe century: casestudies) communismCentral in and Eastern Europe. caseThe of in Romania)." Centrala si de Est. Cazul Romaniei (From diversity to integration-The "womanquestion" inthe installationof no. 1(2010): 10. mobilize women, although reviewing interesting awealth of archival material,fails provide a to more ingenious and,at the same time, moreways absurd than hadbeen imagineduntil then “ also but women liberate not did only not Romania in system organizations dismantling with a viewto them take olderover women’s to inorder by activists inUAWR 1946 used “salami tactics” subordination of women’s organizations to the goals of the the Party, emphasizes their lack analysis of His popularitymembers. were and the they which in federations international and national Romania devotesregime in of communist of the in installation the context “thequestion” the study woman on an ample space organizations.documenting Tarau’s evolution (especially)Virgiliu institutional these two of the to the evolutionwithin the totalitarian paradigm. Nevertheless, they constitute an importantof starting point for the UAWR, UDWR and the managementof by social modernizing generated logic.tensions states’ the different values andfamily-friendly policieslinked is (partially-Iargue) conscious would to the labor marketthe massive ensuingin gender promotion women’s of state’s wakeof on struggle the the entrance assumption women that a strategywere inchargeofhousehold dueto work the defusing of Luciana Marioara Jinga’s study of structures created by the Communist Party of Romania to The few studies by historiansRomanian onthe UAWR and UDWRapproach the topic from 54 53 52 Ibid., 159. Virgiliu Târau, "De la diversitate la integrare-"Problema femeii" si instaurarea comunismului in Europa Susan Zimmermann, "Gender Regime and Gender Struggle in Hungarian State Socialism," State Hungarian in Struggle Gender and Regime "Gender Zimmermann, Susan 52 . Her study thus highlights how socialist states’ promotion of conservative of promotion states’ socialist how highlights thus study Her . 53 . His general conclusion is that the totalitarian the isthat . Hisconclusion general 25 Conditia femeii înRomâniasecolul în XX : managed womanmanaged to subjugate in , ed. Ghizela Cosma and Virgiliu Aspasia ” 54 . 4, CEU eTD Collection of Communismof in Romania) Investigarea Crimelor Comunismului inRomania(The Yearbook oftheInstitute fortheInvestigation of theCrimes 1954) (Forms of ofOrganization Women" with"Work the WithinRCP (1944-1954))," differentiation” strategies ofrather “genderthrough or (in “genderhomogenization” Goven’s terms) isthen how members top of RWPweredividedthe between “woman the approaching question” was supposed grow.weakened, justasit to willorganization bedisbanded.[…] Asa result therewas a period when thiswork became waswork womenwasan opinionthat with passé [depasita],therewere that rumors the of the leaders of the organization,mobilizing women] havelivedtheirtime Constanta Craciun “ andbecause it isolationism led for since all to women, organization even statedmass a become to UDWR the allowed publicly having of mistake the correct to Party the for time in 1950 that “ instance,itfor In women’s VasileLucainwas 1949, meeting aparty argued organizations. that feasibility separate by logistical of propriety political and the gender)unsurprisingly, over perhaps divided, among (with leaders sides debates party theexistencerecurrent of indicates presents she evidence the of some time, same the At organizations. women’s of centralization with “work herwomen”supports commitment argument of towardsa continuous the increasing terms she what of reorganizations institutional multiple the of discussion Her focused interpretation. It is nevertheless the best source of information on UAWR and UDWR. UDWR are of studyingUDWR for littleframeworks genderand are of helpin conceptual constructing diffusion localof pressurethis towards whileactivists. So, previous studies ontheUAWR and on justify leadersthe of its to organization the approach and and efficiency probable the 57 56 55 Goven, "Gender and modernism in a Stalinist state." a Stalinist in modernism and "Gender Goven, Ibid., 71. Quoted in Luciana Marioara Jinga, "Forme de Organizare ale Muncii cu Femeile in Cadrul P.C.R. (1944- 57 . Furthermore, such debates hint towards the existence of a degree of pressure a degreeof existence of the such hint towards debates . Furthermore, 3(2008): 70. . 55 ” The organization was not disbanded,however.” The wasnot organization One 56 ” What some of the sources cited by Jinga show 26 this method and form [of this methodandform Anuarul Institutului de There CEU eTD Collection (Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 2006), 4. Mass.: Pearson, 2006), 89. to these organizations’ entanglement in a modernizing state’s social engineering projects. Ihave in projects. modernizingsocial engineering a state’s organizations’ entanglement to these varied socialism in due Romania years of state the early interactions during asin well everyday as women’sdiscourses organizations by through official two produced constructions of gender socialisms. state which among settings, social and historical in different power of working the analyze to which through of research character “truthful” scientific or the and of questioning narratives grand of in distrust postmodern sharesis the it that one canbeoutlined, epistemology” a specific “feminist that extentTo the epistemology. in feminist embedded research women’s movements. modernity, are important they nevertheless building in blocks writing histories andof women interactions and socially constructed meanings “ as life social seeing ontology, on stance aninterpretativist adopt also women arepositioned differently difference “ ishowever, an emphasis as on gender a categoryof Accordinganalysis.Kathleen to Canning, gender is a category of social analysissocial isacategoryof thatdenotestherelationalcharacter of gender 2.6. Method and Sources 60 59 58 in my how flesh thesis to out in attempting andconcepts approaches these I integrate Study has been by shaped assumptionsthe aboutthe nature and of purposes social Kathleen Canning, Ibid., 77. William Lawrence Neuman, Lawrence William ” and also, “ a symbolic system ofor signifier relations ofpower inwhich men and Gender history practice in :historical perspectives on bodies, class & citizenship . Socialresearch methods : qualitative and quantitative approaches 60 ” From ” From perspective,this genderbecomes interestingan lens 59 .” Specific tothe feminist approach research,to 27 58 . Many feminist researchers based onsocial (Boston, CEU eTD Collection 1945 and records Its 1947asa“model thus servedasabasisforchapter”. comparison with what between appearing inthemagazine waspresented Turdachapter UAWR,the magazinethe of initially not(although be out as-it turned to serendipitous, emergedfrom planned) analyzing the as Mare county 1953, recordsfrom forthe theSatu year were(again) very choice limited. The chapter of the UAWR.Also, Ilooked at the archives of the UDWR from Cluj county for the year of for the Satu Mare UAWR and FDWR, I also examined the records of the Turda (Cluj county) archival scantthe Because records of between 1948and1953. period to theUDWRcovering UAWR and FDWR with materials1945 and from dedicated 1946and two-mistakenly separated, tothe fonds dedicated (one separate in three classified were Archives National the of Direction and the UDWR. FDWR the UAWR, of the Marechapters Satu of the archives the and UDWR the UAWR and together their effects at the local level. Thus my project relies on printmaterials published by the piece to hand, other the on and, andrepresentations discourses official interpret and reconstitute to be transformed,my Igathered sources with primary beinga view to able, onehand,the on to people the also reached ways in theseplans but different the which engineer and places, people atrecasting gender attempts in women their addressed specifically organizations) dedicated of (suchasthecreation initiatives Party and policies state Hungary, caseof for the argued has Goven as because, approach) chosen as a focus of inquiry two organizations for women (as opposed to a clear relational 61 Couty Mare Satu by the held correspondence some and memos reports, work The sought to thestate notonly capture ways inwhich the my seeksto Because thesis Goven, "Gender and modernism in aStalinist state," 7. 61 . 28 CEU eTD Collection communist Poland," 17. in center-periphery between relations andRomania 1945 1953. constructed activists less than articulate by (often) as used Stalinism of language the in which way the themes) other (among of exploration an entails my study town, Transylvanian particular conduct interviews, being rather than arichlydescriptive study “localof communism” in a not impossible Idid and was Mare county from Satu local newspapers because accessing I applyproduce. framework ofinterpretationa similar for publishedBecause of sources. and this within contained and they them constructions which discourses strategies and the rhetorical character of my archival sources throughout analysisby linguisticpaying attention to narrative the to place a central I grant report). merely than (rather justify or persuade to meant were that asnarratives texts these Iconceptualize in contained reports, accounts of reliability by authors betheir performed ritual to a Stalinist which embellishment of reports was common and the identificationin during sent a period reports produced arefunctional by local chapters degree. Thework texts of problems to be fixed was legislation. relevant as yearsthe Ialso at 1948-1953). look twothe propagandaissuedbrochures by UDWR the as well between 1945and1947 of the of haspartimportantin played shaping an Thematerials this thesis. print analyzed are collections scheduled, not initially although chapters, of other consulting records the UAWR.Therefore, the Marechapter of Satu have anddisoriented to disorganized from the been appears fewrecords the Drumul FemeiiDrumul (Woman’s Road) 62 agreat to shaped focus of thesis the to had materials access I of the The nature This has been noted (among others) by Nowak, "Serving women and the state: the League of Women in Femeia (Woman) magazine (whose issues I have examined for magazine, published as the magazine of theUAWR magazineof the published as magazine, 29 62 . Rather than attempting to establish the establish to attempting than Rather . CEU eTD Collection states were not“outside modernity” they shared specificities, among which the chronic shortages While Stalinist of practices. a range through power negotiate people yetwithin action,them trough tactics which circumvent the system. The “grand strategies of the state” create fields of individuals’ internalization of power. At the same time, power exercised in such a way is resisted on relies but coerce not only does state theStalinist states, likein capitalist Furthermore, underpin state. of Scott, modern rise accordingthe the to which, legibilization of techniques given not by only beliefthe in development progress, and but rationality by application the of is modern character modernity. Their of inflection themas aspecific conceptualize representing I regime), the of installation the accompanied which repression the acknowledging fully (while pathologies political mere as socialisms state Stalinist seeing than Rather mobilization. adoption not only of andinstitutions,buta broader ethos policies intervention of state social and syncretic and selective asthe Stalinization of process the conceptualizes emerges that framework “post-revisionist” organizations. The reviewscommunist women’s on studies previous section fourth while the thesis, inthis Iuse relations state-society of conceptualization the clarifies section third The interpretations. and outlooks alternative of emergence recent (mostly) and the paradigm within ofstudiesfrom totalitarian 1953 whichnotes the predominance the in the study frames Stalinism a of of review Romanianthe historiography periodthe of 1945- main“paradigms” the of discussion Thesections’ firstgeneral framework adopted. interpretative mine. are English into Romanian from translations All records. in archival mentioned This chapter outlines the conceptual framework underpinning my thesis, sources used and used my sources framework thesis, underpinning outlines theconceptual This chapter 2.7.Conclusions Finally,in toensure order confidentiality, Iuseonly surnamethe initial for persons 30 CEU eTD Collection institutional expectations and the reactions of andthereactions institutional expectations women of the they whom addressed. by shaped were actions their while, All the projects. legibilization in state ways in subtle were involved from literature, a review relevant the of apparent and,asbecomes contradictions organizationswomen to dedicated pursuing were agenda on an “woman the markedby question” that section fourth gender on liberation. chapter argues the The equality of and women’s in theory) Marxist (rooted discourse an official also shared They by planning. central produced 31 CEU eTD Collection and anthology of texts (1929-1948) ) feminismului românesc:studiu siantologietexte de (1929-1948) (FromRomanian history of feminism:the study women into polity, the formally-through voting grantingthe and of symbolically-through rights including yet of expansion process uneasy tense, the through driven politicalthe of community inimportant period Romania of occurring processes wasthe this said thatone during mostthe mobilization of women exactlyfor the solving of the "woman question", the RCP and UAWRlinked their callswith for the increased bedrock the theconstituted in theory, properbasis-which, economic the of absence the in performance and regimenting of citizenship. yearsthese fluidity"the Cold of which Warand"post-war preceded increasingideological its In fact, it could be production of citizenship Romaniagendered inpost-war hasbeenin disregarded. Yet, generally emphasized is usually activism) feminist on also or philanthropy strictly focused on (be they organizations of role women's intheolder destabilization governmentwas build, beginning to wasthe Antifascist Union Womenof WhileRomania.of its of a new, Soviet-inspired vision of women's role in a society which the communist-dominatedCITIZENSHIP LOCAL ACTIVISTS ANDTHEPERFORMANCE OFGENDERED ACTORS, CENTRAL ROMANIA, OF WOMEN UNION OFANTIFASCIST 63 Between 1945 and 1947,theorganization coreof the articulationthe at and dissemination 3.1. Introduction THE THE COMMUNITY: 3- CHAPTER POLITICAL EXPANDING See Jinga, "Forms of Organization of Work with Women." Also, Stefania Gáll Mihailescu, (Bucuresti: Polirom, 2006). 32 63 its role in the discursive in the role its Din istoria CEU eTD Collection of of women women’sthrough organizations breakand then down involved women the inshaping looks atthe reasons forward bythe put CommunistforRomanian public the involvement Party I Specifically, oncitizenship. Women of AntifascistRomania Union of of the discourses the in shaping hadapart which Party Communist Romanian the connected to of actors groups three of involvement the Ianalyze section third the in chapter, the of section second in the 1947 and between activists and women to be persuaded . Communist Party,ensued through meanings of diversity a how show to betweenaim I citizenship, of vision Stalinist in the thecorrespondent interactions the central ideaimproving of mass the world through political While mobilization. hadsuch imagery a between organization actors modernity,citizenship movement associated asit functioned of asasignifier andwas with the at the apex of andthe Also,women’s of mobility UAWR. suchasthe the organization within framework a women’s UAWRlocal or the chaptersRomanianenthusiasticas understood and, citizenship of performance the with associated became women of onemancipation the work ground, outside time,period of during Itarguesthat short the relatively this reports. theirwork narrativesthe of the home,negotiation by thetwo local UAWRdisplay organizations1947, articulationthe visioninthis of propaganda andits publications incorporation and (from the countiesof ofa Turdasense and between 1945 ininvolvement anddiscourses theSatu publicsphere onwomen'sand representations Mare) intoof local initiative andwomen’s mobilization Andunderstood? how did these meanings emerge? physical encouragement justof performancecitizenship. women’s of But howwascitizenship and Thus, after offering abrief overview of domesticthe in context Romania between 1945 This chapter analyzes the actors involved in the production at "the center" of new 33 CEU eTD Collection with the Peasants’ Party emerging as a favorite. Administratively, local bureaucracies were in were bureaucracies local Administratively, afavorite. as emerging Party with Peasants’ the mobilizeto parties supporters, all soughtespecially andgain theNovember1946elections) up to organizations of ethnic organizations’ minorities, leftistof intellectuals). Until 1947 (but Liberal and National Peasants’ Party “massand organizations” unions,left-wing(workers’ of factions National the dissident parties, left-leaning of coalitions wereloose These fronts expandcountry, soughtto its membershipthrough clout and creation the fronts”.of “national Party (RCP), monarchywith a “popularto democracy “, Stalinist regime. Politically, aweak Romanian Communist the heavy constitutional of from aperiod an ailing transition Michael inDecember1947,represented backing of the1941 toan aspiringof co-belligerent Alliesthe byAugust abdication 1944)tothe King of Soviet High Command stationingpolitical community inuncertain times troops in the totheirstrategies. reactions of women’s andaccounts their mobilization on discourses of narratives different inactivism of theincorporation their analyzes preserved and inarchival material as reflected scant the Marelocal chapters andSatu activity the Turda the of discusses section fifth The associated. were women which with backwardness political the with mobilityanphysical image constructed of modern “forward-ness” in which opposition stood Road UAWR, the of inthemagazine action local of atrepresentations looks chapter the of section fourth The citizenship. and gender on discourses in their differences the emphasizing intellectuals”, “idealistic and officials” high “state into UAWR central the of priorities the The years between Romania switching sides in World War II (from an ally of Axis since WarII(from an in ally switching of the Romania World between sides The years (Drumul Femeii) arguesthat and discourses the “womanlyon through achievement” 3.2. A modern project after the war, before “high Stalinism”: agreater 34 Woman’s CEU eTD Collection 1950)," in "Remembering thevictims of Second Worldthe WarinRomaniaduring thecommunisationof country(1945- the the feeling of belonging to a political community. 1965 Oradea, 2006), pp.292-354. inhabitantsthe from counties the of North-Western Transylvania year inthe 1945] (Oradea: Editura Universitatii din (Theof morale theinhabitants from the counties ofNorth-Western Transylvania in the year1945) (Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 2009), 117. autonomy in a state which was recovering its interwar nationalizing and centralizing reflexes centralizing interwar and which nationalizing its wasrecovering instate autonomy a territorial for aimed (especially) in Transylvania minorities ethnic of members while disarray less recourse to discourses of reconstruction and the collectively-damaging experience of of war experience discourses and thecollectively-damaging of recourse less to reconstruction and during forto center from refugees conflict Transylvania the Northern asamajor war,wasregrouping of Transylvaniaserving the after Southern during Turda-part of anddemonstrations organized until counter-demonstrations 1946 bycompeting parties. and 1947 that led tofamine, especially in Eastern Romania. Bucharest, the capital, was the scene in be by theUniondroughts and1946 severe paidto posed Soviet to on budgetthe reparations most strains of by Materially, Romania infrastructure, inflation,was affected damaged post-war post-war unity post-war in a hadpolity by“lowwhich been characterized integration” political of sense a promote to meant community- political the of vision a provisional of elaboration the camps. death claimedinthe late 1944,goods fewsurvivorsfrom warbythe the of backafter city’s ghetto the individuallyto confiscateddefend the purchaseof from goods several Jews thousand deported claiming damagedthe city heavy(due to Sovietbombingin for Hungary 1944) Romaniaor only town Mare-inof Satu Northern Hungarian stopped from Romanian inhabitants Transylvania, and (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1971), p.123. Briefly, political integration is defined by Jowitt as 69 68 67 66 65 64 On the factors shaping post-war commemoration (or lack thereof) in Romania see Petru Weber, see Petru Romania in thereof) lack (or commemoration post-war shaping factors the On Kenneth Jowitt, Faur Antonio, Faur Holly Case, Ibid., 535-7. Hitchins, Graduate Conferences in European History 67 With commemoration of war victims problematic for both the new and old elites, Rumania, 1866-1947 Between states :theTransylvanian question and the European idea duringWorld War II Starea despirita locuitorilor din judetele deNord-Vest aleTransilvaniei in anul1945 Revolutionary breakthroughs and national development; the case of Romania, 1944- : 512. (Budapest2007). 35 66 . And, in the border in the And, . [The morale of 68 - made 64 69 65 . . CEU eTD Collection States of Civic Belonging." unprecedented numbers of people. See Alexopoulos, "Soviet Citizenship, More or Less:Rights, Emotions, and groups. Nevertheless, formally, political, civil and social rights were expanded instate socialist systems to witharbitrary coercion replaced was people and/or formal uneducated deprivation un-landed, of or rights of women for other exclusion categories formal suchwhile as kulaks ofclass, and suspicious notions ethnicaround structured (Houndsmills; New York: Macmillan Press ;St. Martin's Press, 2000), p.5. Of course, citizenship did become Century Russia," in history contained conditions ofparliamentary representation, but also in some of themost violent periods of Russian party dictatorship, Stalin’s andin one-person dictatorship. Modernitywas anddebateddisputed notonlyinthe [political participation];same was forthe theRomanovs, under at issueinRussia increasinglyin Bolshevik one- what he terms ‘recongnizable political democracy’-a.n.] participation in politics (voluntary ornot),and integration into alarger whole, then the vote granting of voting for rights all women only shortly thebefore 1946parliamentary elections. mobilization. This type of symbolic inclusion was followed byfull formal inclusion-through the in linking the “solving of womanquestion”the with performancethe of citizenship through years”“transition hadtobeput Thus,forward. between 1947,theUAWR 1945 and was involved provisional for why reasons mobilize had women to andhow dothey to itwere during the forbedrock women’s full inclusion into the polity) would notbeimplemented until 1948, as the seen (and were project modernization socialist state the characterize which changes mobilization civic and polity the into inclusion becomingRCP was involved inone modernity: grandprojectsof the of (Soviet) universal polity discourses. dominant asthe emerge would Instead, the communists’ vision of a non-capitalist road to development and a more inclusive Although marked byinfighting making and claimspublicly moderate of political change, the .” Yanni Kotsonis, "Introduction: aModernParadox-Subject Citizen and Nineteenth- in andTwentieth- 70 According to Yannis Kotsonis, “ Russian modernity : politics, knowledge, practices If weIf understand modernitypursuit astheofmass mobilization, mass is onlyone which oftheways historical in actors pursued it 70 . Because the major legislative and institutional and legislative major the Because . 36 , ed.David, L.HoffmannYanni and Kotsonis [and by extension, CEU eTD Collection community was the Romanian Communist Party. While by no means the only element involved element only the means no by While Party. Communist Romanian the was community political emergent the into integration formal their for implicitly, and socialism future of building outreach. through enlightened be to had women these they meant mostly illiterate,inby backward women, As show will section, of women”. I “backwardness political this general rural or politically 1945wasthe after cause the especially drawn to female intellectuals andof uncertain times, the passive in women. question” “woman the on Party the of vision Far emerging the fromdisseminating and formulating the center of things, women who due to theirin the viewsold activistof the RCP theme common the emerged, picture While acontradictory experiences. different often drew on elites credentials seeking to mobilize becamedefining women’srole intheprovisional in political order Romania between 1945 and 1947 womenstate for officialsstrategic political and were gains, consciously of the Central and Eastern Europe see Goven,"Gender and modernism in aStalinist state." of engineers identity,female 1922-53 fit industrial and agricultural policy, seeAttwood, basis ofand Engels’sMarx writings and the changing officialdiscourses ongenderand representations of womento models Central importEurope the into of and Eastern Soviet down reconstruction fitin gender of the Soviet Union policiesto and entailed the syncretism by of theoretical ambiguities in the writings of Bolsheviksupport women were to construction the anda socialistof state polity were asmuch product the theorists on the woman question, the top- citizenship The institutional actor with most weight in shaping the mobilization of women for the for women of mobilization the in shaping weight most with actor institutional The 71 As in outlined themultiple previousthe chapter, andvisions often how contradictory of 3.3. As far as the center stood: types of actors and different visions for For a review of the different theories on the “woman question” formulated in the Soviet Union on the : pp.1-15. Fora discussion onsyncretism in the adoptionof Soviet models in Creating the newCreating the womanwomen'sSoviet : magazines as 37 71 . The communists involved in involved communists . The CEU eTD Collection her womancombativeness, represents a force,which politically andeconomically, should be both brave and worthy of equal rights and politically ignorant. Thus, it was stated that “ priorities of these organizations but do not point out other factors which may have had some kind of influence on the on of influence organizations. kind some other or had have may workings which factors other out point not do but organizations of these priorities and maturing of the movement for the emancipation of women neighborhoodandvillage the factory, “ the everywhere, reach the masses to sought party the because for forpolitical women, equal rights in equal work pay, and, women’s protection the workplace UDWR such as Marioara Jinga’s, Marioara as UDWR such the an UAWR the on studies Romanian contingency. mere and apparatus state the into integrated producers cultural administrative capacity of the Party-State in governing communist societies and to downplay the role of bureaucrats, “ of women for the war effort, the cleansing of the state apparatus of fascist elements and for the 1944by October The party. the theperiod, RCPalsodismantlesought to co-opt or older political andorganizations.parties this throughout Finally, umbrella-cause. the as served revolution, social than rather antifascism, conclude political becauseother with to groups, it cause.alliances the sought Furthermore, forpreviously attractingstrong interest excluded groups (such aswomen)and intellectuals a to members and some legitimacy among the population led tothe party favoring the inclusion of used strategies rhetorical the and mobilize was increasingly government the dominating influenced decisively whom activists sought to which party of the considerations strategic the between and 1947 1944 totalitarian the paradigm, in the creation new meaningsforby of and gender buildingcitizenship, suggested authors as on creation of the greatestdemocratic freedoms of creation 73 72 callfor the in of issuedThese permeated mobilization of the considerations types women Gáll Mihailescu, As discussed in the previous section, the totalitarian paradigm tends to over-play the power and power the over-play to tends paradigm totalitarian the section, previous the in discussed As From the history of Romanian feminism (1929-1948) Forms oforganization of workwithwomen Project for SpecialProject for Claims forWomen ”. The ”. 72 . Thus, during this period, the need to gainmore need the duringto period, . Thus,this Project forSpecialClaims Project ” 73 . These wouldbegoals achievedby gaining 38 stress the influence of the RCP/RWP over the protection of mother and childin protectionof orStefania Mihailescu’s : 372. called for the mobilization the for called represented women as women represented The Growth The through CEU eTD Collection Peasants Party, the Patriotic Defense and MADOSZ also became members. became also MADOSZ and Defense Patriotic Party, the Peasants National the of sections women’s the and Women Working of Union the Women, Orthodox of suchastheOrganization Federation.women’s organizations, Other memberthis of was main the UAWR The inMarch 1946. wascreated Romania-FDWR Women of Democratic Federation of Federation replicated those of the UAWR, but allowed members to maintain autonomy their to members allowedbut of UAWR, those the Federation replicated Communist Party. The aims of the organization were: was created on 9 the on was created was framework founded inApril 1945. The Union of AntifascistWomen of Romania (UAWR) sections within local party local within structures sections party not mobilization women a special women’sthrough but through of was to occur organization woman received has education reactionary fascist level againstthe Investigarea Crimelor Comunismului inRomania [Forms of Organizationof Women" with "Work withinC.P.R.(1944-1954)] the " activized In order to incorporate other organizations and impose partial unity of impose partialunity incorporate the goals, to organizationsand of other In order women from townswomen from andvillages(…)Protection 4. ofchildren” political levelofwomen cities from andvillages (…). 3.Improving thesanitary state of Yugoslavia, Bulgariaand democratic 2.Improving theculturaland other countries. organizationsantifascist ofwomen fromneighboringcountries: theSovietUnion, internal fascism c) thestruggle equal rights for d)thestrengtheningties with of the A separate organization dedicated to the mobilization of women within a communist within mobilization women of tothe organization dedicated A separate 77 76 75 74 ”. On the other hand, the main priority foractivists was beto “ MADOSZ-MagyarDolgozok Szovetsege/The Unionof HungarianWorkers. Gáll Mihailescu, Marioara Luciana "Forme Jinga, de ale MunciiOrganizare cu FemeileCadrul P.C.R. (1944-1954) in Idem “1.The fight against b)combating the fascismthrougha)support “1.The fight front; for th of of April within with 1945, bywomen the or elite ties to of Romanian the From the history of Romanian feminism (1929-1948) 75 . 3(2008): 54. 39 : 378-9. 76 . raising women’s political ”. Anuarul Institutului de 77 74 The goals of the At this point, this At CEU eTD Collection transnational dimension (a topic which, although important, I leave unexplored in my thesis) a the Australia Union from organization feministsWestern thegranted Soviet and Europe, founded1945 by inDecember organization feminist a left Federation- International Democratic fulfill vision mobilization.nation-wide RCP’s the The of membership Women’s UAWRs in the Pauker Ana were committee initiative UAWRs the of members the Among elite. divided if powerful government or in their functions their andthrough activists party long-time were women These Committee. connectionsstate to officials”the men was made atup of thesome “high Iterm hand, group the one the of On of organizations. the top the at womenactive of groups thetop founders of of thethe UAWR RCP and members hierarchy, of its Central were part of a magazine ( a aplannedfacilitate local Throughits unification women’s planned chapters, of organizations. semenilor (United for the love and health of fellow human beings)," human of fellow health and love the for (United semenilor National Assembly between1946-1951. See CostinAnghel Mihaiand Stirbu,intru "Uniti iubirea sisanatatea Levy, RWP)See of the leadership overseeing the process ofcollectivization, between1948 1952, and whenshe was ousted arrested and from the Workers Party, Minister of Foreign Affairs International Democraticfrom Federation (WIDF)," 1947 until 1948,Paradigms AgricultureinWestern Historiography of Transnational Women’s Organisations: the caseSecretary of the Women’s of the RWP-charged with otherwise. mention of her can be found in Tismaneanu, be found can of her mention justice between1944 and 1948. 80 The UAWR’s vision of mobilization, beyond the Party’s strategy, shapedbytwo Party’s mobilization, the The vision was beyond UAWR’s of 84 80 79 78 81 83 82 , dr. Florica, dr. Bagdasar Ana Toma- Party activist, long-time secretary of Ana Pauker. See Levy, Pauker. Ana of secretary long-time activist, Party Toma- Ana Ana Pauker(1893-1960) - One of three the leaders of the RomanianCommunist Party/Romanian For an interesting discussionpp.63-65. on the creationWomen," with ofof Work the WIDF, see Franciscaof Organization de "Forms Haan, Jinga, "Continuing Cold War Florica Florica Bagdasar (1901-1978)- Doctor,Minister of betweenHealth 1946 and 1948,member in theGreat Constanta Craciun-Party activist since the 1920s, Minister of betweenCulture 1948 and 1956. A brief Elena Patrascanu -Architect, party activist wife and of Lucretiu Patrascanu, who served as ministerof 78 Drumul Femeii Drumul In fact, the FDWR seems to have been an institutional construction meant to - “Woman’s Road”)andbrochures itpublished UAWRaimed to the Ana Pauker 81 , Elena Patrascanu Stalinism for all seasons . Women's History Review 40 82 , Constanta Craciun Jurnalul National : 77. 19, no. 4(2010). 19,no. Ana Pauker , 9December2005. 83 , Ana Toma , : 172;75. 84 , Ofelia , 79 . CEU eTD Collection Anca Dragomir, "Cella Serghi," "Cella Dragomir, Anca song of industrial the plant] (1950) or thememoir Maria," in Maria," volume. She joined the Communist Party after World War II. Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik, "Banus, on Amadis Jamyn, a poet connected to Ronsard. to connected poet a Jamyn, Amadis on members across the country. Tismaneanu, country. the across members to Tismaneanu, on the 23 on the Tismaneanu, to according since tojoin, intellectuals for calls Party’s the RCPand of the re-legalization the following war, of the end “illegality” ofthe (then named) Communist Party of Romania, most otherintellectuals must have joined afterthe Calypso Botez. Gáll Mihailescu, was the speakersfirst atthe “feminist among study group” initiated in1936 by celebratedfeminist Romanian Tismaneanu, detentionRomania in in the late 1930s she had becomesymbol a of communist anti-fascist resistance. See Women’s Anti-Fascist Committee Soviet 1941, the in of probablyconference because founding followingthe at spoke much-publicizedher She also arrest,movement”. trial and revolutionary “women’s on the was 1922, antifascist organizations inRomania. Infact, herfirst speechdelivered to the assembly of the fledgling CPR, in for all seasons promotionmany years for ofequal the war before rights both Ana Paukerand Craciun Constanta had been involved in women organizing and the instance, itthat-for should benoted speeches, of from line insome Party their the disentangle (when mentioned at all) andManole their personal stances on the emancipation of women are hard to likely new(er) to the cause the to new(er) likely most were intellectuals”, UAWR,“the idealistic the of ininvolved central organization the magazine, was a scholar focusing on focusing on a French literature magazine,scholar was views on why women’s mobilization was important and views mobilization which on why important women’s weresupposed was women to and remained involved in UDWRthe atleast until 1953 correspondent aregular became war, 91 90 89 88 87 86 85 Because of their different backgrounds, these two groups put forward slightly groups put different backgrounds, two these Because their different of 8586 Cella Serghi (1907-1992) –Novelist. Titlespublished include Maria Banus (1914-1999)-poet who gained accolades1937 forher The only references I could find to Theodosia Graur are in connection to her authoring, in 1929, a book WhileAnna Pauker joined the Party 1922in Constantaand Craciun was active during periodthe of Throughout 1930s, the Pauker Ana was involvedorganizing in womenworkers and women’srunning Gáll Mihailescu, Ofelia Manole-Member RCP’sof the Propaganda Office between1945 1948.Tismaneanu, and Encyclopaedia Judaica Although the feminist credentials of most of these women are usually questioned usually are women these of most of credentials feminist the Although Stalinism for all seasons : 148. rd of RCP 80 lessAugustmembers had than 1944the Bucharest in and atotalof 1000 From the history of Romanian feminism (1929-1948) Romania Libera From the history of Romanian feminism (1929-1948) 88 (2007). . Thus, Theodosia Graur, the director of the “Woman’s Road” : 51; 76. de : 51; "ContinuingHaan, 76. ColdParadigms," War Constanta 562. Craciun Stalinism for all seasons 90 . Writer Cella Serghi contributed short stories regularly , 28.04.2011 2011. Pe firulde paianjen al memoriei 41 89 91 : 87. . Maria Banus, a known poet before the before poet known a Banus, Maria . . 87 . The other large group of of largewomen group . The other Mirona : 378-80. Tara Fetelor (1950), : 292. [Onmemory’s spiderthread]. Cantecul uzinei (Maiden’s Land) Stalinism [The CEU eTD Collection one shaping the vision for women’s mobilization. However, the discourse on duty owed by all women for rights granted was by no means the party inthe governmentwerepresent women’s towards issues magazine. of duties or all only the peace rights, consolidatinganddefending health ofthepeopleand supporting thePetrewhich Grozawomen governmentgave full woman minister “ that in 1946 Democratic Federation of ofWomen Romania)”, July 1946, 16. 19 1945, September Women),”, Antifascist use their rights inorder tosupport democracy theirfight rightsfor sayingwomen thatsoon will havetheright tovote, she encourages them to womenthe country to who of and callsfor saboteurs hinderthereconstruction andprofiteers against allthe further womenthe fight totake need touniteall aboutthe hate(…) Shethentalks Pauker’s “ speech: were more conservative. Forexample, magazine the publishedAnna followingof report the mobilization with one the the On other officials”hand,“high linking state were,asexpected, women’s through involvementpublic participation. immediatepolitical women’s of question the on politicalintellectuals”) idealistic (“the goals of the party. Also,magazine tothe contributing writers andof the officials” of“high state discourses the between generally, their views mobilize. An analysis of the contents of the Woman’s Road magazine reveals these discrepancies Maria Rosetti, vice-president of the Federation of Democratic Women of Romania, stated 93 92 Drumul Femeii, “Meetingul Federatiei Democrate a Femeilor din Romania (The meeting of the meeting (The Romania din aFemeilor Democrate Federatiei “Meetingul Femeii, Drumul Drumul Femeii, “Marele meeting al Uniunii FemeilorAntifasciste (The great meeting of the Unionof women Federation tosupport withall theirforces the first groupedinthe commit (Florica Bagdasar, Minister of Health-a.n.) She [AnnaPauker]women showed thatthe hateof againstfascism is afruitful . 93 . ” Declarations such as these, which emphasized 92 ” 42 in thegreattask ofimproving the CEU eTD Collection example, in an extensive article on “women and work”, the author stated that: stated author the work”, and “women on article extensive in an example, the writers of the magazine went above and beyond the constraints of the official message. For future, better of timepromisingthe a affairsin and years. at the state describing Nevertheless, strategy during these was RCP’s the intellectuals part of attracting women. Of course, educated and for magazinehopes theconcerns peasant women,mostly future the the of addressed urban, war. afterthe order social provisional Thus, for themagazine envisioned aprominentin writers the like for role the women themselves Romania)”, April 1946, 4-5. din Romania (If only we could understand-from the speech given in front of the Congress of Democratic Women of otherswhoside the for historicaltruths clarify andeventime lost,and must forherself-the certainly theintellectualRomania, who woman her from must gain sisters for the country from “ that: stated magazine making their for public case involvement. Forexample, Graur,the Theodosia director of the seller the price of a kilo of tomatoes . of of akilotomatoes price seller the negotiate with the to in an order article of writing the is pausing Hereshe focusing.(…) is herbrain rest eventhough to right have the not does her hand as meetings, teachers’ literary or materials to her knitting she is transporting Here colleague. a smart from stenographed pages from the ‘boss’s’ office the recipe for economical pancakes obtained the hiding among Heresheis, soup(…) for tomorrow’s vegetables the medical treaties, desk to iron.the Hereshe teacher’s isstoppingher from college way tocram,into the her bag full of from crib, baby’s the to workshop the from kitchen, the to plant the from dustrag, the is to office the runningfrom existence.(sic) (…)Hereshefrom woman’s despiteAlso, the emphasis of RCPthe officials andstate reaching and on working-class 95 94 intellectuals in other to and mostappealed often addressed The “idealistic intellectuals” “ We are witnessing, for the past hundred years the hardest(…) andmost moment heroic the hardest(…) years for pasthundred the “ We are witnessing, Drumul Femeii, “Femeia si munca (Woman and Work)”, July 1945, pp.4-5 Drumul Femeii, “De am putea intelege-dincuvantarea rostita in fata Congresului FemeilorDemocrate If there whoroll up If is someone thatis must her sleeves nowadays, 95 ” 43 . 94 ” CEU eTD Collection communists and connect the solving of the woman question with a vision of modern modern of progress. question avision woman communists solvingwith connect the of the and pursue their professions. For instance, the same article on “women and work” stated that: to them andenable work domestic of drudgery from the women liberate democracy, would by a true harnessed science, and technology an article, According to future. a imagine distant with associated UAWRthe even WWIIdared to authors immediately anditsafter magazine women were the intended audience for the publication, rather than the incidental incidental than one. the rather the for publication, intended audience women were the literate urban, for magazine that the andanimplicitindicates perception a degreeof autonomy material it strayed andfrom intone was published eventhough materials, other the approach (“pausing a of writing the an article..”) connote genuine for preoccupation topic. the Thatthe condition, the level of detail and the reference towhat was probably the authors’ own experience with woman’s magazine from dealing the texts other to collar Compared professionals. doublethe for burden workingthe woman, ultimate emphasis the is onthe situations of white- amusement. adomestic cleaning becomes (…) machines with cooking electric electric light, with distributed scientifically water, running cooling, with warm heating-or central With ina dwelling successfully allthedomestic will personnel. replace which electricity provide acomfortable dwelling, with washable walls, with simple andhygienic furniture, can, a development through of industrial interests, production bypersonal unhindered such easing to her an itextent domestic work can that into itturn an agreeablesport. It Again, the level of detail seems to go beyond the promises made at this time by the 97 96 Zhenotdel Warmirroring Futhermore, the Russian Civil during of the utopianism the of experience the briefly mentions it although is that, excerpt this about striking is What “The developed democratic society can do much more for the woman. It is capable of Drumul Femeii, “Femeia si munca (Woman and Work)”, July 1945, 5. Clements, "The Utopianism of the Zhenotdel." 97 ” 44 96 , CEU eTD Collection antifascist resistance during the war. Joining the Union of Antifascist Women after the end Antifascist the after of Women theUnion Joining of war. the during antifascist resistance label by infailure specifically acquired theiran Romania, through women organize to into a also was it organization the For informed). becoming or politics for interest of lack as (such education a deficient by through women defectsacquired supposed only not with backwardness Poland or Hungary from officials party high-level join summed upin was pages the of magazinethe by Graur: Theodosia Nowak,"Constant Conversations: Agitators in League the of WomenPoland in during Stalinistthe Period." displaying of active, citizenship was associated SovietUnion, the hasarguedfor Alexopolous As women. over-worked massesilliterate, the of not so much with formalenlighten to mobilized forthey thesakewere expected party once luminousthe of utopia, or a rights, as with the practical duty of being fit.quite women and town didn’t small for Peasant acity was imagined dweller. Although notexplicitly thisimageplacing inan urban itsetting,seems quite clear thatthe future Women alsoin were “backward” andby , asa described materials as group, propaganda broad masses of women…” the by led inform Antifascist enlightenWomen Union and fight courage andto energy the with of organizations, Democratic begun. has re-education her of work The house. the by work, stifledspent just byis ignorance, She her. tired of want would always , being consideredinterests thebase most by patientdriven animal some, as of stupid, not is woman women inhumble quiet the dark, overworked, and andunknown.(…)The Romanian Weleft for?’(…) ideagirls have needliteracy of do unfortunate peasant ‘What the becauseintellectuals,with very little, dispel stinginess, wedid nothing or us great to the 100 99 98 to commitment a conscious of join UAWRout the to wereexpected women If educated Drumul Femeii, “Femeia si dreptul de vot (Woman and Voting Rights)”, December 1945, 13. 1945, December Rights)”, Voting and vot(Woman de dreptul si “Femeia Femeii, Drumul Alexopoulos, "Soviet Citizenship, More or Less: Rights, Emotions, and States of Civic Belonging," 523. Fodor, "Smiling Women and Fighting Men."for a discussion on Hungary. For the case of Poland, “Why is the Romanian woman uncultured? Because schools were open to her to open were schools Because uncultured? woman Romanian is the “Why aktivnost 98 . The tasks at hand for the intellectuals who were called upon to upon called were who intellectuals the for hand at tasks The . 99 100 45 .Yet publications the of UAWRlinkedthe CEU eTD Collection peace being forged today.peace beingforged should spread inour houses andaroundus andunflinchingtrustthe absolute inthedemocratic too Unfortunately, us few of followedBut nowwe theirexample. peace. We shouldfightfor theregulararmy partisans. in or as inglorybyfighting themselves countries havecovered magazineformulation of 1945 a September “ article: warthe was one of in ways the inwhich could make women short-coming. this up for Or, the the magazine. Besides depicting the organizations’ success in reaching women everywhere, these everywhere, women in success reaching organizations’ the depicting magazine. Besides the andof 1947,reports activitiesthe of local the of chapters in UAWR the appeared pages the of inIncreasingly,an in the years1946 woman’soppressive relationpast. to condition afterthewar future imaginedcontributed anddefined women the publication distantto the who aradiant citizenship of local action. representations dependedon center the picturecitizenshipactivea morewhat of entailed, to create concrete in problem, broad around“others” a Yet order “backwardness”. fordefined common solutions actors all Nevertheless, mobilization. of discourses different produced extent, a certain to promoted or materials written drew on different types of answers to the “woman question” and , whatend supposed shouldmobilize perform citizenship, those to policies women through 101 As represented in the UAWR’s magazine, the central leadership of the organization and 3.4. Representations of gendered localaction andsyntheses of socialist Drumul Femeii, “Drumul nostrum [Our road]”,September 1945, p.3 All in all, rather than articulating a unified message on which women, how and to and how women, which on message a unified articulating than rather in all, All 101 ” 46 Women! In warsWomen! In oursisters fromother CEU eTD Collection made herself visible and produced tangible results. And, as the reports strove to show, some local prerequisite of Simplycitizenship. beinginformed would suffice. not The femaleworthy citizen stated that: Similarly, according to the beginning with 1948, the activity of the local chapters was always described in positive terms. the proper performance of citizenship by women. By contrast with the tone of many such reports articles-usually inappearing arubric titled “Womanly further servedachievements”, define to Period." become our mirrors. and theignorance Sothat,intheend, clearing. our homes,will souls ourcountryand our hands will beworking whilewe talk. Andso,step by step, wewill seethe cobwebs and the lies physically laboring. So, for instance, an article titled “Let’s talk” stated that: “ meant engaging in political engage conversations” in“constant of politics governmentpolicy on and themes the discussions. These however, were to be carried out while also 102 a became participation ofpolitical realization” “concrete show, the quotes above As the for progress.” energy more order and [illegible] in the household, more devotion inin arena, andconviction [illegible] political the widely. More the gates democracy opens social work (…) more woman new andhappy Butspeakingworld.(…) andencouragementare not enough. Steadfastly,must aimhas theduty spreadaround herto and encouragement realization suggestions for the of a for concrete and personal achievements in all the domains where from Polish the agitators that has argued Basia Nowak 103 “Through each word that flies out of her mouth, through she makes,woman each gesture mouth, herflies through outof that “Through each word Nowak,"Constant Conversations: Agitators in the Leagueof Poland Womenin during the Stalinist Drumul Femeii, “Sa stam de vorba (Let’s talk)”, July 1945, p. 19 103 ”. Also, a September 1945 article discussing post-war reconstruction post-war discussing a September1945article ”. Also, Drumul Femeii magazine, for local UAWR activists, civic activists, UAWR local for magazine, 47 Women’s League were expected to expected were As usual, our As usual, aktivnost 102 . CEU eTD Collection came withup with theinitiative, ourexperience fromeveryday andstarted life on theroad off to and family create ahappylife our children. Noone for imposed thiswork on weus. Byourselves the of ourproblems,we consolidate thebasis can solve wewomen, thatonly alone understood special methods albeit future, with formen abetter alongside emphasizewomen struggled that to continued also leadership central the that the fact despite initiative, local UAWR praised andwomen’s action ingetinitiative to women andwomen’s things onother reliance order done women’sof were preoccupations, realized due to their commitment inwork The article stated that: “ and membershad rebuilding creation of to the whose the of contributed chapters, roads a dike. the sake of thechapters were commonpraised for their members’ willingness to go beyond traditional gendergood. roles for for program around maternalist organizations’constructed childprotection,local the some The magazine of the UAWR praised the work of two local improvement of the institutions’ situation more, together with other organizations, they submitted a memoir tothe City Hall for the general is What in for ancity.the orphanage crockery have andcollected to clothes mended reported were county Cluj from UWAR the of members the instance, For vision. this fulfill did activists January January 1947, 22. Women)”, August 1946, 10. 104 107 106 105 Drumul Femeii, “Popasuri incateva orase din Transilvania (Stops severalin Transylvanian towns)”, Drumul Femeii, “Meetingul Uniunii FemeilorAntifasciste (The meeting of the Unionof Antifascist Clements, "The Utopianism of the Zhenotdel." 9. 1947, April achieved)“, have (Women aurealizat “Femeile Femeii, Drumul As discussed by Barbara Evans Clements, the Zhenotdel emphasized local emphasized Zhenotdel the Clements, Evans Barbara by discussed As 107 . For example, writer and RCP member Elisabeta Luca stated that “ that Lucastated member Elisabeta andRCP writer example, . For City works, which in different times would have never madeobjects the wouldhave never times which indifferent City works, 104 . While this is an example of involvement of example is an this While . 48 . 105 ” 106 .Similarly, the .Similarly, Us, CEU eTD Collection preparing being decided ontheir onthe fate, offate theirchildren, ofthefuture generationwhich theyare everyone. Theyhavebegun for to be wantpresent and where tobepresenteverywhere itis happierlife fuller, abetter, must aimtoensure motherhood, but andtothedomainof the family higher regimeand activitycannot belimited purpose inthedemocratic understand thattheir to that:” stated It organization. central the in by of formulated asense of expectation chapters the ubiquity region the Transylvania gives of local on backwards. An most article areasconsidered the especially to with travelling, associated UAWR the was Mobilization through work. accompanied which thephysicalmobility stressed organizationit: “ put organization relied on members’ dues and donations forits limited funds. Or, as one leader of The the state. the by financially supported not was UAWR the because also mentioned been have January January 1947, 22. questionablewere (many children results andits operation Romania. massive Eastern The from Poland sentto Hungary) anddrought-stricken were temporarily of whom of children (some achievements. Thisiswhatpractical means democracy houses the first kindergartens ofandmaternity creation the rest untiltheysaw some had no and of and malevolence and shookupthepassivity the owners of offices union representatives, inthe “ how mentioned UAWR the of vicepresident . 109 Finally, when representing the work of local of Finally,the chapters, when representing the work 111 Drumul Femeii, “Popasuri incateva orase din Transilvania (Stops severalin Transylvanian towns)”, 110 109 108 Ibid. Drumul Femeii, “Muncim de doi ani (We have been working for two years)”, April Drumul Femeii, “Dreptul1947, nostru de 3.vot (Ourright to vote)”, September1945,7. ” It should be mentioned however that local initiative and a degree of autonomy may autonomy of degree a and initiative local that however mentioned be should ” It 111 . ” In fact, one of the mostimportant activities of the UAWR entailed the evacuation We have no funds, butweWe have nofunds, thepower have topersuade More and more women are becoming aware of their womenMore and of more arebecomingaware in factories,ourwent, UAWRwomen togetherwith 49 . 108 ” Also, Alexandra Sidorovici, Alexandra Also, ” Drumul Femeii . 110 ” journalists CEU eTD Collection Hungary),”September 3. 1947, regime has upontheir status the countryside women and clarifiedfor theimportance thestrengtheningthe democratic of our teamsRomania. Thousands of visited each homeinturn in thecities sometimesand evenin democracy in of thevictory meant toentrench campaign was electoral the oftheUAWR force which,serious same time,provedtheorganizationalmaturity,skilland politicalexam atthe UAWR. In her review of two communists,years elections weretobe the by andvoting procedures amongpopularized women the of UAWR activity, Alexandra 1946Parliamentarythe elections. Considered crucial for final the of by takeover power the Sidorovici stated that: “ but also followed some of the children all the way to their homes. only meet thereporter did the children in station thetrain interviewedand themwhile travelling, as diserable.Not movement travel and presented disappeared) simply or displaced permanently and portrayed their workinorganizations a also shapedcertain thewayin localway, activists which perceived themselves in reports sent to the central committee. Some,performing mobilizationlike the Turda (Cluj citizenshipmobilization. through formal citizenship rights was exactlycountered by steppingperform women forward to 113 112 Drumul Femeii, “Se intorc copiii dinPolonia siUngaria (The childrenare returning from Poland and Of course, the greatest feat of mobility for the mobilization of the population was prior to The centrally-published materials of the UAWR, by depicting the activity local of activity by the depicting materials of UAWR, the The centrally-published 3.5. “They would not collaborate”: local chapters representing and Drumul Femeii, “Muncim de doi ani [We have been working for two years]”, April 1947, 3. . 113 ” In this case, the “backwardness” of women concerning their concerning women of “backwardness” the case, ” Inthis 50 112 A CEU eTD Collection reported that the Red Cross, the Prince Mircea organization and the Reunion of St. Maryhadnot of St. Reunion andthe organization Mircea thePrince RedCross, thatthe reported chapter Turda the organizations, women’s with other collaboration the encouraged officially this point at UAWR central the Because celebration. tree Christmas anda student” poor widows and orphans war of for benefit the party atea itorganized 1945, In October regularly. reports comprehensive children children’s toys, collectedfunds to in buy order clothes and school supplies for orphan infor ofchapter: it abazaar had Turda the a factory, achievements akindergarten opened engagement. of civic narratives these into andmobility local initiative action, energetic backwardness, integration on focues onthe especially discourses of the subchapter of chapters, these image activity lessthan a energetic create general While often it of the seeks to county archives. Marecounty andplanspreservedintheSatu and Turda based chapter, work fewreports on the Mare Satu struggling andthe “model chapter” Turda the of sketches theactivity subchapter uneasily.local fit This citizenship context local,their of center’s engaged the representation because especially struggled, chapter, Mare like embattled Satu seemingly Others, the reports. county) fared both chapter, better in citizenshipperforming inand it portrayingin official January January 1947, 22. Archives of Romania-Cluj Napoca direction (Cluj Napoca,Romania). report for the interval 20December1945 to 25January 1945)”, UFAR, 2, 3/1945: County Direction of National the 114 the the UAWR listed activity tothe in of from An Transylvania 1947 dedicated article 115 114 Drumul Femeii, “Popasuri incateva orase din Transilvania (Stops severalin Transylvanian towns)”, UAWR“Raport Turda, deactivitate pe intervalul 20decembrie 1945la25 Ianuarie 1945(Activity . One of the first local chapters of the UAWR to be created, the Turda chapter sent 115 . In December 1945, it reported that it had organized the “Week of it the the“Weekof had that it organized reported . In December 1945, 51 CEU eTD Collection Romania). Mare, 1/1945:21, County ofDirection National Archivesthe ofRomania-Satu Mare direction(Satu Mare, (Raport on the movementantifascist of women fromtheSatu Mareregion initiative. Ms. Z’sunsuccessful performance attempts of perfectly fits the UAWRs image of “womanlyat achievements”. Nevertheless,organizing the listing of several creates that ishardly one Z’s narrative Ms. women, mobilizing at attempts on unsuccessful its emphasis the image of a tenacious,way: “ iffollowing the in solitary organization the of achievement important most the mention to on goes then Z. spirit of local the basis whichweof begantoorganize theUnion with the following statement : “ beginsmost It candid. included) the among examined as out (UDWR records all archival the degree of confusion itandconfront. disorganization Thehad to from report, June 29,1945stands and committed. Women of Democratic Federation In of Romania. this itway, membersas its portrayed active the for committee founding in the involved became which UAWR the only was it that mentioned neighboringholdin work ithadtrips to to madetwo alsotowns, meetings. political order It that reported chapter 1946, the of was expected them. In graspof what havehada good seem to front common of creation a for the totheir offer been responsive Archives of Romania-Cluj Napoca direction (ClujNapoca,Romania). report for the interval 20December1945 to 25January 1945)”, UFAR, 2. 3/1945: County Direction of National the “ since members areHungarians, most of that the mentions then She position. the accept not would initially nominated president the how discuss Not onlydowewe nothave any funds, alsoarranged ateaparty onthe1 116 By contrast, the only preserved report of the UAWR chapter from Satu Mare revealed the 117 UAWR“Raport Turda, deactivitate pe intervalul 20decembrie 1945la25 Ianuarie 1945 (Activity UAWR Satu Mare, “ Raport despre miscareaUniunii Femeilor Antifascistein Regiunea Satu Mare By theendofMay we received someinstructions fromCluj, on aktivnost , then, was less about enthusiasm and more about more and enthusiasm about less was , then, we closetotheRomanians couldnotget 52 . 117 “ The author, Maria Z. then goes on to )”, 29June 1945, UFAR-Filiala Satu 116 . The authors of the reports st of July.” of .” Ms. .” With CEU eTD Collection Mare. writing reportsby work activistsfrom local such chapters, the as one in orthe onein Turda Satu and physical mobility. citizenship Communist wasgiven further meanings in processof the mostly intellectuals other towards and the production of whichstresseddiscourses local initiative involvement of appeals their directing UAWR in the involved intellectuals’ communist instance, from import view this citizenship Sovietinterpretationsthe for Union, by, of wasgiven domestic .Ratherthan perform involvedneed beingastraight-forward emotions work while incivic to a Sovietwomen also inbut to citizenship vision only thatemphasized 1946), –inspired of the (awarded all vote to to only their andexercise right the of becameto possession linked not a women’sin citizenship government years” communistargued that “transition towards the have I mobilization. political mass goals: political immediate its pursuing while to, contributing in the definition of a quintessentially moderna women’s organization, join preferring to MADOSZ- TheUnion of Hungarian Workers. project UAWRforin the joining womenat becausethe meetingwereuninterested the present organized the Romanianmembersrecruit membersof wereunableto thethat neighboring town travelledCarei, to they Communist Ms. Z’s despite fact mobilityaccording Thus, the toreport, through thwarted. citizens were also Partybeing at MareUAWR’s Satu the worthy attempts touchupon.Furthermore, not didinstance, was inbattlingpersistence local the issues ethnic (such that as for UAWR’smagazine,tensions) the This chapter discussed the involvement of the Union of Antifascist Women of Romania of Women Antifascist of Union the of involvement the discussed chapter This 3.6. Conclusions 53 CEU eTD Collection of Romania (the women’s organization that replaced the UAWR in 1948) changed its statutes in statutes its in 1948)changed the UAWR replaced that women’s organization (the of Romania Women when Democratic Union of So, the for theirhomes cared offspring. and organized their andfor caring children future the (“children, of country”)the alter waysin the which they as onesin the work of domestic incharge making constructed consisted women, thispart of task everyday life, of forging a newneeds. Yet, kindfollowing the example of the Soviet Union,ofit also entailedpeople the aspiration of remaking in the process ofliving standard” entail? Certainly,it promiseencompassed the provision of material forstate reordering the world. A good workingcountry forthe and ensuringahighlivingstandard masses economic backwardness, thetransformationof Romania inanadvanced industrial-agrarian our democratic regime, ourdemocratic forceshavetakenuponthemselves: theliquidationofour Gheorghiu-Dej speaking in February 1948, “ industry optimisticmore ofCPRleaderagriculture, Gheorghe in and words the …people. Or, engineer in of began Party unambiguously Romania bytheCommunist- progress to ruled of“ordinary representations state-now asthe propaganda with1948, beginning women” ANDMOTHERING TO CHANGEDOMESTICITY Tanase, Elites and Society and Elites 118 UDWR inmost woman-citizen replaced woman-housewife and Woman-mother 4.1. Introduction CHAPTER 4- THE UDWR’S INTERVENTIONISM: ATTEMPTING Gheorghe Gheorgiu-Dej, The Political Report of the Central Committee of the RWP, 1948 qted. in : 30. wewe haveall need thehistoric to fulfill mission 54 .” 118 Butwhat“higher did a CEU eTD Collection and “rationalization”. This flawed process met, within concrete communities, with types of with communities, types within concrete met, flawed process This and“rationalization”. of familyprocess “legibilization” andregulatingdisciplining the women techniquesthrough of flawed itwas a sphere” “private the into practices coercive expanding of atomising process socially- consisting and a quasi-perfect, rather of than 2)that and order control bureaucratic to securemeant intervention social of vision modernist” “high Soviet) simply than andrather (European, broad improve a of werepart at transformation attempts how1)these show aim I to the practices, housewifery strength of importingmodels Soviet as an overwhelmingly successful case ofimposing mothering and of the populationexamination theprocess dismissingwithout Union. thethan Soviet Rather based model onthe of in a specificmodernand domesticity practices vision of relating motherhood rational, of to proper an industrializingflesh out how the UDWR contributed to the state’s project of engineering people by constructing state to inattempting and discourses practices local UDWR and central organization more coherent as well as village andtheneighborhood ofthe andforthecivic political life housewives, cultural,tasks and of mobilize them for to women villages gospodaresc)of from level(ridicareanivelului cultural andhousewifely/civic UDWR stated that: “ local organizational practices since 1948. Thus, a1950 memofrom the Central Committee of the 1950, itwas codifying a set post-facto of centralpriorities thathadstructured and discourses (Satu Mare, Romania). Mare, (Satu Raionala UFDR Satu Mare, 1/1950:181, County Direction of the National Archives of Romania-Satu Mare directionUFDR (Guidelines concerning the dissemination of the preliminary project for the UDWR statutes) 119 This interplay examines chapter between discourses of the much official a(by the 1948) UDWR Central Committee, 1950, “ The UDWR hasthetask tobeespecially preoccupied with raising the 119 . ” Indrumar inlegatura cu prelucrareaanteproiectuluistatutal de 55 ”, Organizatia ”, CEU eTD Collection mothers. change theeatingandhygiene habits of by population the appealing towomen as andwives process of and torationalreconstructing genderinconnection motherhood the campaign to in the toreproduction ofspaces connected representations of importance the teachers inschools, family bymothers one by inthe relationship between education provided and the provided the atreconstituting attempts examine thus materials), I centrally-published propaganda most salient themes the from Building “remade”. be to women the respectively, and, activists local UDWR in the recordsimplemented and to locally the familythese by andhow reproducing were reacted projects of the meaning andexperience of caringfor childrenand, generally, of physically Satuand socially the Mare transform to sought UDWR the which through practices and discourses the chapter discuss to on of the attempts in forging SovietUnion the values andof Ithenmove distinctively Bolshevik practices. UDWR (rather shapedby vision intervention, decisively modernist” albeitone “high state of fit a broader within than from policies of Romanian the Popular priorities Republicand the of UDWRbeginningthe with 1948 the to processes of internalization, avoidance or accommodation reactions that usually did notheroically pit women and activists against each other, but rather led satisfaction of human needs and (…) an increasing control over nature…” See Scott, See nature…” over control increasing (…) an and needs ofhuman satisfaction scientificof and technical development the knowledge,progress, the expansionlinear of continued production, about the rational design self-confidence of supreme social a was order, the center growingits At (…). America beliefs inscientific and technical progress that were associated with industrialization inWestern Europe and North I proceed by showing, in the second subsection of the chapter, how how pronatalist the of chapter, in the subsection second byshowing,the I proceed 120 James Scott, the proponent of the concept, defines “high modernism” as “a strong version (…) of the 56 120 . Seeing like astate : 90-1. CEU eTD Collection capacity, the increasing control exercised by the Romanian Worker’s Party (WRP) and (due to a (dueto and (WRP) Worker’s Party by Romanian the increasingexercised control capacity, the differed administrative its greater UAWR from the (discussed chapter).It inthe previous through illegitimate children illegitimate and legitimate in eyesof the from equality lawbetween areas andwomen full the rural child, for obtaining women equal inrights field and the men law,improving of lives the of and mother of protection the illiteracy, combating level”, cultural women’s “raising family, January UDWR’s1948, the stated priorities were: improvement living of conditions for the 3rdof on the Created population”. “welfarethe of improve the to in order motheringpractices, domesticityfostering healthy public inmore proper and participation connection and to yet lessindefined techniques, their and women’scitizenship encouraging activity of terms women’s functioningorganizations still between1945and 1947,employed similar mobilization Romania organization (UDWR)-the which absorbed in 1948 the the UAWRand few older Women of Democratic Union of the home, especially, the andaction outside movement women akind mobilization representations and encouraged it)revolved of (or of that around population organizations see Târau, "From diversity to integration." tacticsthe organizations absorbed and prioritiesused olderUnionand women’s organizations that been had taken UAWR.by overa more detailed discussion the For of of the UDWR see Jinga, Forms ofunions, organization, the Women’sby Organization from the Plowmen’s 68. Front, ForOrganization an of account theWomenfrom the Magyar Patriotic of the UAWR or the RCP in order to “hollow out” or forbid so-called “burgeois” women’s 121 If the Union of Antifascist4.2.1. A“unified” communist women’s organization andthereproduction ofthe Women of Romania4.2. High-modernism and rational, legible, Soviet domesticity focused on defining citizenship for Organizations that were absorbed into the UDWR were the UAWR, women’s sections from labor from sections women’s UAWR, the UDWRwere the into absorbed were that Organizations 121 .The objectives of the UDWR were similar to those of the UAWR 57 CEU eTD Collection state began awarding “state family assistance"-aid in money for the children under 5 years of years in 5 forchildren under the money family assistance"-aid “state began state awarding rhetoric Union, anti-American pro-Soviet strong increasingly the context) international changed Resources, Journal of Social History Europe, see Hoffmann,David L. "Mothers in theMotherland: Stalinist Pronatalism Its Pan-Europeanin Context," California Press, 1998), 22. Also, fora comparative discussionof pronatalist legislation in the USSR and the rest of 72. ofOrganization, Forms Jinga, See organizations. these by applied being RWPwere the of Committee Central of the decisions the which way in the and etc. Youth Working which controlled the naming of personnel across theand country the in suchsubordination organizations as workers’ unions, Romanianin Communistthe 1950 Union Party in late 1947, of meant to to“bolster the the activity” of the UAWRSection (and from 1948 the UDWR) of Leading Party Organs ( children upto18years ofage,enjoy special protection established through law intheir the reproduction“ that rolein bystating population the of art.26 in state the of terms to women’s men,relationship between women and codified full equality as resource measuresby Union, in partof similar Soviet the are population with increasing preoccupation the the health and foster the efficiency of the population. The pronatalist policies of thebolsterimprove numbers, the practices meantto plans it andencouraged population,created the era, inspired of living standards actual improve the invest to to few had state resources the factthat the despite moreand,exampleUnion”, specifically, bright“the industrializingstates of Soviet the rapidly encouragementandliving higher theFollowing in of promise reproduction of atrend standards. of state’s the UDWRbecame thepopulation, living for the part of improvement conditions Kligman, of everydaystructures life was organizing the a primary and objectiverelations of of social the development alteration strategiesradical The […] promulgated bytransformation. communist planners.”of socialist project Gail 122 124 123 the and mother childand Through protection the increasedemphasisthe on of 122 The politics of duplicity :controlling reproduction inCeausescu's Romania http://legislatie.resurse-pentru-democratie.org/const_1948.php The increased control over the UDWR is obvious from the creation of a Women’s Section within the InGail Kligman’s formulation, “The control of societal reproductionwas fundamental to the enormous . The Constitution ofthe RomanianPopular Republic 123 . Because of . Because besides the in stating of specifically the 1948Constitution, this, art.21 34, no. 1 (2000). no. 34, 58 (1948), Pro Democracy Association-Legislative Democracy Pro (1948), Sectia Organelor Conducatoare de Partid), (accessed 13June 2011). The mother,well as as (Berkeley: University of . 124 ” In1950, the CEU eTD Collection implement them were much clearer. Instead, “the center” was involved in the state’s attempts of attempts in involved “the state’s was the center” Instead, much clearer. them were implement to means the and policies central since chapters, local of work the visible very making by mockery be harsh by praised, and continuedof equal doses butpraise wasaccompanied to criticism activists or local instance,chapters For activists. andregular leadership central between the topics. these concerning actually active UDWR the was that indication little provide haveexamined, I county) which Napoca Cluj (and also Marecounty of Satu the records deal with women as laborersrearing, cooking andcleaning. importantly,if More magazines the organization published did or discussed genderfrom numbers asevidentdomestic publishedchild- great prescriptive articles practices, the of on relations with dedicationa view to changing them, and the energy revolved around the remaking of the aforementionedto women whohad given birth firstto their child families whohadover4children, award whilein began it Mother” “Heroine the awarding 1952 mothering and local activists, inactive local chapters etc. magazine (a type which of appearedrubric intermittently theperiodthroughout discussed ofincompetent here) approximatelyupon touched was once theme the a year. However, wife.” his to man proletarian of a “Letter to her” help must “I from ranged 1952. Femeia (Woman) chapters labor and devoted ample space toletters from readers and to chronicling the activities localof household division touchedof the women’s upon gender and experiences relations asworkers, 125 of relationship is type to theUAWR adifferent change compared a notable Finally, 127 126 to relating aspects discuss did magazines) its in (especially UDWR the Certainly, 126 127 Valeria Melega, “Grija pentru mama si copii in RPR (The care for the mother and children in PRR)”, One instance of the change of tone is the representation in the comics on the “Humor” pages of pages “Humor” the on comics the in representation the is oftone change ofthe instance One Several articles in . Nevertheless, the types of activities the UDWR was involved in with most . It can be concluded, therefore, that the organization no longer needed to definelonger itself noneeded to theorganization that . Itcanbe therefore, concluded, , May 1950, 14-5.The “Heroine Mother” award was instituted throughDecree 226of 1 August Woman magazine encouraged men to help their socially-engaged wives. The titles The wives. socially-engaged their help to men encouraged magazine 125 . 59 Woman CEU eTD Collection Scott’s more concrete formulation: more concrete Scott’s subsistence and lodging-the entire space of existence in European countries existence inEuropean of entirespace andlodging-the subsistence as“ he defines which dimension”, biopolitical “the terms Foucault, drawing on Donzelot, what of of proliferation the were part administrator (and thus rational owner) of the population thefamilyinstilling as with the andstrengthening ideatechniques of regulatory state the by modern state the relations to specific of power transformation ininvolved the century were 18 the with beginning themselves) families in client women (and charities women’s French in especially popular their 19 becoming the colonies, block across Eastern the Union in and counterparts had Soviet precedents the certainly interventionism policy with “legible”by insistingmaking practices the population uniform, andcompliance standardized on grid of its observations.” Scott, chaotic, disorderly, the constantly to reduce is state changing modern reality ofthe goal beneath itto frustrated something morecontinually and closely immanent resembling utopian, the “the administrativesince manage” and asses preoccupationwith creating and imposing “those standardized characteristics that will be easiest to monitor, count, Liga Kobiet in Poland”. Kobiet Liga sphere of influence. In Hungary, the organization was titled the Poland, the organization was named the 129 was quite novel. There was,of course, adirect connection between theold conception of thestate society-their health, theireducation, skills and longevity, productivity,morals, andfamily life- “ The ideaone that of the central purposes ofthe state was the improvement of allthemembersof 128 The intertwining domesticmobilization,of ideologies gendered and social 4.2.2. Soviet models, European ideasonmothering anddomesticity 129 130 131 . Yet the combination could be found in European liberal andin inbe combination some of . Yetthe democracies found could European James Scott identifies legibilization as one of the purposes of all modern states and characterizes it as a The UDWR had counterparts in most countries which by 1948 were considered to be under the Soviet Jacques Donzelot, Jacques Ibid., 6. 128 . The policing of families Seeing like a state Women’s League technologies thatinvested thebody,health,modesoftechnologies : 82. (New York: PantheonBooks, 1979),18-20. . See Goven, “Gender and Modernism” and Nowak, “The Nowak, and Modernism” and “Gender See Goven, . 60 th century. In fact, as Donzelot has argued, fact, asDonzelot In century. 130 Democratic AllianceHungarian of Women . In this sense, women’s organizations . 131 ” Or, in James ” Or, . In . th CEU eTD Collection clean lines, order andpattern clean lines,order other systems, in the Soviet Union during Stalin the emphasis on individualism was replaced was individualism on emphasis the Stalin during Union Soviet in the systems, other unlikesocialbe in aboutthrough Yet, brought rational) necessary to (because reform. thus and disorder public health of asthreats to and sources instill in perceived classes, sought to working the hygiene. According to Hoffmann, these values were the ones social reformers in Western and Europe order punctuality, neatness, of those were large at population in the instilled be to habits and Hoffmann, was especially evident inwas especially evident long-windedthe processof remaking revolution within oneselflanguage of a specifically(especially socialist culture if one was in asmuch language of cultural werecouched the revolution”) an activist or Party member) letter “small terms DavidFox (which and drunkness illiteracy medical combating care, access to and upon others, Bolshevik socialist one a specifically increasingly with but “civilization”, with merely wasnot associated and progress progress in different ways vision modern Union ispopulation with welfareassociated example)inflectedtheirof an at different times. In the case of the Soviet Union, belief in science 137 136 135 134 133 132 increasingly to be seen, notmerely as a means to national strength, but as an end in itself. sovereign mightAnd, pursue. yet,in nineteenththe century, thewelfare of the camepopulation habits would increase its taxbase and field better armies; itwas apolicy that any enlightened and this newone. Astate improvedthat its population’s vigor,skills, morals, civic and work Yet, what Scott terms “authoritarian high modernist states” (among Soviet the which highmodernist states” whatScottterms “authoritarian Yet, 136 Scott, Hoffmann, David-Fox, "What Is Cultural Revolution?," 187. Michael David-Fox, "WhatIs CulturalRevolution?," Kotkin, Scott, Stalinist values . They were also the qualities associated with a modernist aesthetic which treasured which aesthetic modernist with a associated qualities the . They were also Seeing like a state Seeing like a state Magnetic mountain :Stalinism as a civilization Stalinist values : 7-10. 133 . Social engineering projects relating to improving relatingliving conditions, . Socialto engineeringprojects 137 : 4. : : 91. : 18. : . Implicitly, they were part of a certain idea of what was good 134 . The Bolshevik double project of of enacting doubleproject . The Bolshevik 61 : 14. The Russian Review byt progress - everyday life everyday - , sui in, sui generis, as the 58, no. 2(1999). 58, Also, 135 . The values 132 ” CEU eTD Collection Hoffmann, ideology Marxist functioningemanation an in ansimply authoritarian not therefore political is system. regulation and intervention for spaces ever-increasing creating apparently paradoxical process of strengthening familythe by aid,forproviding instance, weakeningand by it ratherthan “of the family” is a process specific to modern state-building ina liberal ideological framework. The values these instill to them mobilize to meant organizations the and with values touphold within thehomewas encouraged, parentsexpected these figuresauthority of well as other teachers as towards in anddeference schools 1930s, discipline strengthen health.to summertheirthe being Beginning orcampsin to with colonies order sent remove insiststate reservedfamiliesto on from children unfit deemed to the rightchildren or The Soviet teachers. forge aclosewith expected children’s connection their to parents were both medical professionals,maintain clean homes- decorated in line with the tastes of party elites, and give in andbirth, with accordance encouraged to adviceof doctors raisethe their children intervention of state asite became Block) Eastern the throughout Hungary, systems, the family in the Soviet Union (and as hinted at previously when discussing the casestate socialistunique which becamewas notto In modernism a development acentral priority. of high Stalinist in values of the with education line children of proper the its sheersize, and imbuedhousehold with political consciousness. with an emphasis on collectivism and duty towards the state, as well as on the construction of a Soviet industrial managers. They, like the upper-class housewives active in the “masaie rurali” “masaie in the active housewives upper-class the like They, managers. industrial Soviet the were female facesof mobilization celebrated the 140 139 138 BuchliAs Viktor and DavidHoffmannhaveout, itwas especially pointed women up to In the context of a system that placed ahigh premium on the strength of its population VictorBuchli, Hoffmann, Donzelot’s Stalinist values Stalinist values Policing the Family : 23. An archaeologysocialism of : 105-13. highlights how the achievement of “government through the family”, , Materializing culture (Oxford [u.a.]: Berg, 2000),81. 62 obshchestvennitsa, 140 . In the late 1930s, in fact,late. In 1930s, the the wife activists of 139 138 . . Women were CEU eTD Collection : Italy, 1922-1945 would reinforcethatculture culture ofdailylife (kul’tura byta) in the 1930s, and todevise a system ofgender roles which revolutionary, toformulateanew the(…)movement illustrated uniquely Soviet the attempt and designing cities followedwhich a pattern grid street imaginingor communal housing and public Western (such Europe Ernstas LeCorbusier May) or restructure everyday to aimed life by like from architects urban and Hoffmann, modernist According architects, to Soviet planners practices. andspatial spaces of types of incertain stake creation the was at legibilization intervention state to more amenable andthus “legible” make domesticity by led attempted DAHW to state the savings)the as theonesfor(such domestic encouraging transforming people byinstilling new values for their own sake. Rather,through campaignsthe of notof a project part only change were practices domestic to organizations women’s dormitories of steel plants expanded the role of the “wife-activist” beyond her own home. in the and farms collective on workers for homes beautiful also but hygienic, only not for work tireless their Nevertheless, labor. formal with men and domesticity and motherhood with women Great Retreat movement owned husbands their farms state the on working women inorganizationsinstillfascist to Italy, their andsought codified domestic practices them upon 141 of attempts Hungarian DAHW, for the has shown Goven asJoanna Importantly, 143 142 Neary, "Mothering socialist society." On Goven, "Gender and modernism in aStalinist state," 13;17. Neary, "Mothering socialist society," 397. ” was associated byhistorians” wasassociated such Sheila Fitzpatrick and as Susan Reid with the of the1930s of (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993), 102. , Balmas-Neary argues that “ 142 . ” The gender theysought roles toreproducestrongly linked massaismo 63 see Victoria De Grazia, seeVictoria rather than indicating a retreat from rather the indicating aretreatfrom than 141 . Although the “ the Although . 143 How fascism ruled women . A similar attempt at obschestvennitsa CEU eTD Collection Road) states “ that stated house, good use put to in inandunderstanding participating formal politics by published housewives women’s that UAWRarguedthe mothers knowledge could as and be womenappealed mothersto in and,as 1946,the andcollectivity sense of instill order a meant all to as cafeterias), (such facilities brochure titled “ and raisingchildren upon bestowed them motherhood by tothemorality appealing and specific knowledge the experience of givingbirth 19 in the women certain shown, has Koven As Seth professionals. medical and of educational advice the accepting and seeking counsel the to performance with proper learning linkedmothering andits was a process discourses which of through of inprogress which, quite possibly, activists the believed. actually UDWR,however, the organization did try navigateto these difficulties in order to fulfill visiona Marechapter of from 1948 and1956.As Satu the of archives itbecomes apparent the they only remained foran aspiration thegovernment of Romanian the Popularbetween Republic as Union, in Soviet the become real not did plans mostthese of that meant failure bureaucratic largedisproportionately in investments heavyindustry, and urbanization rapid overall (New York: Routledge, 1993), 10. , September 1945, 14. 146 145 144 One of the mostimportant ways in which the UDWR sought to modernize motherhood 4.3. Mothering discourses “Rolul femeiistatul in democrat (Woman’s role in the democratic state)”, Michel, Sonya and Koven Seth Hoffmann, What the young mother should know Stalinist values Without guidance, withoutWithout guidance, the knowledgeable, listeningtotheadvice of itis : 49-50. Mothers of a new world :maternalist politics and the origins of welfare 145 . Some feminist in organizations interwar Romania Drumul Femeii 64 ”, published bythe UDWR’s publishing (“Woman’s magazine Road”) 146 . In . In 1950, however, the th century politicized century Drumul femeii(Woman’s 144 . Of course, CEU eTD Collection children, whilechildren, who onthem themother, doesnothaveanyeffect istheirnatural educator, family, claimingthatintheUSSRitisonlyschoolthe education thatisincharge of of thatalthough stated “ authors in fact-the author pointed out- both mothers and fathers played an important part in furthering the furthering in part important an played fathers and mothers both out- pointed author fact-the in of teachers efforts the complemented that in away thestate toward andresponsibility values collectivist of teaching both parents andthe of attitude the in stressed crucial of needfor mother the butfirm children, agentle of the role education the excerpts from books excerpts Makarenko’s inby and in Union textswritten republished thepedagogical Soviet welfare. forand education children’s were principally be responsible assumed still those to motherhood instilled by in children women, who although tonotconsidered have born been qualified for adviceproviding for forcaring specific childrenand for defining be especially the valuesto between 1948and 1953the crèche or the School Mother’s the kindergarten, given in and theadvice wewho willlisten raise aregivinghere totheadvice ishealthybothinbodyandsoul achild parents. with Nomother born why toraisewantswhois theskills achild.Thisis the mother to the impossibleyoung mother] [for nottomake the mistakes committed inthetimes before by her know), (Bucharest : UDWR 1950),Publishing, 59. USSR)”, through labor)”, At the height of the Cold War, the normative framework for educating children was given 147 149 148 150 Femeia (Woman), Cartea Gospodinei-Ce trebuie sa stie tanara mama (The Housewife’s book-What the young mother must mother young the book-What Housewife’s (The mama tanara stie sa trebuie Gospodinei-Ce Cartea N. Alexandrova,”Educatia in familie si in scoala in URSS (Education in the family and the school in the in school the and family the in (Education URSS in scoala in si familie in Alexandrova,”Educatia N. A.S. Macarenco, “Probleme pedagogice- Educatia prin munca (Pedagogical problems-Education (Pedagogical munca prin Educatia pedagogice- “Probleme Macarenco, A.S. Idem. Femeia(Woman) November1948, 20. , January 1950, 12. the enemies of the USSR make up lies on account of our Soviet of onaccount USSR makeuplies the the enemiesof Woman 148 and reports on the education of children in the USSR magazine of focused on andthe activists UDWR the 149 65 . Thus,a byaRussian 1950 article stressed Woman 147 . ” And,indeed, magazine. The 150 ”, CEU eTD Collection imparted in school and the parents’ correct attitude towards educationalmade inschool. towards attitude in gains imparted and the parents’ correct school children increased attention primacythe to heavy-handedly asserted ofthe knowledge andvalues more involved awareof UDWR grant need implied), the inmaking the parents activists to had story in the teacher the (as family the of environment the replicated lovingly school the how even andor school the parents betweenthe partnership idea of acomplimentary the conveying than Rather andmeetings. committees parents’ organized Marechapter Satu local level, the the renewed strengthshe will beginschool againandwe, bothher willmothers, bepleased “ return, daughter’s the upon that, stated teachers the conceded, mother the before argument colony and the impression of independence which athome she colony andtheimpressioncan barelyfeel of youth,-is the that fact she will havearesponsibility towards thecollective intheworkthe of theway later-this future, wasfor life shewillseelife that openingofthe up todayfreein front mentioned“ in teacher story the the Furthermore, persuade herher by ofthehealthfor benefitsreminding the who daughter had been sick. attempted to health. child’steacher The sickly recovery thestrengtheningfor of children’s the or be taken for the entire summer to one of the seaside colonies organized by the Ministry of Health her to allow child to herunwillingness teacher,expressed in herdaughter’s ameeting with who, amother of story the recounted Calin, Coralia Education, of Ministry of the General Inspector by instance, authored a1948article For educators”. as“natural upon roles encroach parents’ not would project educational state’s the that pointout to careful less were writers by Romanian written articles parents, and teachers between equalpartnership afairly animageof constructed in education received children articlesschool. If the from by Russia published magazine the 152 151 Idem. Coralia Calin,“ Mame si educatoare(Mothers andteachers)”, educatoare(Mothers si Mame Calin,“ Coralia how how itwasimportant forher [the daughter’s] 66 Femeia (Woman) , June 1950, 7. . 151 ” Asfinal a . 152 ” At ” with CEU eTD Collection since “ him “ somehow emotionally damaged, although the loving mother, help willing to lackswhatcould be havingparents no learnhowto“ as had opportunity to by the writer Claudia Milian Claudia writer the by Central Committee of the UDWR sent a memo by tolerated family.the in Thus, February 1952, “on occasionthe containing of Stalin’sV.I. birthday”, the the summary of a shortbe hadto hischildren with relate storyto inability father whose a peasant image the of constructed written Marechapter, Satu the to UDWR of the Committee Central bythe distributed materials the trips), on them taking as (such activities specific through children of education in the fathers what they [the children] have learnedinschool what children]have they[the work among theothermothers showing how children mustbeeducated sothattheydon’t destroy persuasion in theirturndo women, “ele”] they[the followingexample oftheSovietmothers the by spirit mustbeeducatedinthenew children as tohow weekly meetings have educational month we organized committee havingtotally8 a parents’ withparents committees them we “ that: MareUDWR stated theSatu Assistance of of section the report Thus, a1950 County Direction of the National Archives of Romania-Satu Mare direction (Satu Mare, Romania). Mare, (Satu direction Mare Romania-Satu of Archives National of the Direction County 1950 (Report for theinterval between30 November and 6 January),” 10 January UFDR1949, Satu Mare,1/1950, of much better knownpoet Ion Minulescu. direction (Satu Mare, Romania). February 1950, UFDR Satu Mare, 1/1951:13, County ofDirection Nationalthe Archives ofRomania-Satu Mare the mother of the boy,the motherof ahard-workingwoman, lovesher son buthasno helping possibility of 155 . the father of father the theboy the from story hadgrown upbeaten,humiliatedandexploited ” As can be inferred from the story, while the father of the boy is presented as having been Furthermore, although the articles about the USSR did mention the involvement of involvement the mention did USSR the about articles the although Furthermore, 153 154 155 UDWR Satu Mare-Assistance Section, “Raport pe interval de timp de la 30 Noembrie pana la 6 Ianuarie 6 la pana 30 Noembrie dela de timp pe interval “Raport Section, Mare-Assistance Satu UDWR Claudia Milian Claudia (1887-1961) is commemorated assymbolist poet,playwright and,especially, thewife as Central Committee of the UDWR-Section for Protection and Health, “Circulara nr.58 (Memo no. 58”), 2 58”), no. (Memo nr.58 “Circulara Health, and Protection for UDWR-Section ofthe Committee Central 154 . The story, titled “ ”(sic) Tuti, thetroublemaker 67 153 . teach, respectandeducate their child ”, presented the child’s the ”, presented During this During ”, while ”, ”, CEU eTD Collection whatwomenregards the school, invery took mother’s low part numbers andintheendwe even activist responsible for the Protection and Health section of the UDWR reported in 1949 activiststhatfor knowledge the andmothering practices the already women of applied.Thus, the “ disregard keep utter of the listening, perhaps becauseof were notpersuaded on to butinitially, interest acertain may have displayed from reports, the be inferred Marecounty, ascan Satu The motherslamurire”-persuasion in “munca work). conversations so-called de (representing UDWR had in alsosetup, and meetings face-to-face, house-to-house through community the which committees theparents’ of meetings the at Schools, Mother’s so-called through portrayal the infathersof discussing texts the Union. Soviet the from was quite different that one “absent presences”, fathers as image of an UDWR developed and eliteworker in TimisoaradecoratedIlsa factory with 3 theOrderofLabor reads “ of Also, caption the photograph the text. the throughout man any father mention no or other the with of andtheteacher, between mother the interaction pictured with both parents on either side. Yet, the article which it accompanies portrays only the is girl a smiling [Annex1], In thephotograph above. article discussed andTeachers” “Mothers addressed and onlymothersischarged with task this givenby accompanying photograph the the it that rather but of children, development the fostering asaway of by UDWR the promoted one the not was ideal Sovietco-parenting the of that proof so. Further do to “the expertise” termed 156 The new ideas on mothering (rather than parenting) were meant tobe imparted to women Coralia Calin,“ Mame si educatoare(Mothers and teachers)”, and sieducatoare(Mothers Mame Calin,“ Coralia . 156 ” The entire set-up of the page seems to exemplify the way in which the which in way the exemplify to seems page the of set-up entire ” The 68 Femeia (Woman) rd class, goodmother, goodwife Grodiskay Iulia, workerGrodiskay Iulia, at the , June 1950,, 7. in CEU eTD Collection food andfood its procurement, thestate and UDWR activists (whoby 1948 werepledging“ of preparation the of in charge be to continue to needed who ones the as women constructing By rationsfood children to women pregnantand/or inmilk centers,diet kitchens kindergartens.or of distribution the andthrough eating concerning householdpractices alter to meant campaigns UDWR food activists wereinvolved in consumption remaking habits level micro at the through planting, harvesting, collection food staples.and redistribution of Between 1948 and1953 plannerslevel macro this andissueby was food at the eating.the State regulating with engaged masses”for toensure working the interveningRomania inorder a“higherlivingstandard was strategies. state’s the resisting thus transform and midwife womeninSatuMarebeganavoidingthe them, supposed to them, the from incident, having change failed to this interaction minimal of terms the their with doctor the shorten andintheenddidnot come back to hold theconferences did notcomeback,althoughwe mentionedthisandthey[thedoctor and themidwife] didnot “ “sanitary that about conferences” reported samesection the stages, in leastinitial at the improvedhave to seems theattendance although fourwomenopen withwas threeor keep it had toclosethere nopointto as 2/1949:33, County Direction of the National Archives of Romania-Satu Mare direction (Satu Mare, 12 maiRomania). 1949(Activity report of the sectionfor protection and health from 1April to 12 May),” UFDR Satu Mare, Direction of the National Archives of Romania-Satu Mare direction (Satu Mare, Romania). Mare, (Satu direction Mare ofRomania-Satu Archives National of the Direction activity months ofthe forreport July, August,September1952)” UFDR Raionul SatuMare,1/1952:87, County 157 of Republic Popular the of government the inwhich areas important most the of One 4.4. Improving “the people” through better food andeating 158 UDWR Satu Mare, “Raport de activitate al sectiei de ocrotire si sanatate dela data de 1 Aprilie pana la pana Aprilie 1 de data dela sanatate si ocrotire de sectiei al activitate de “Raport Mare, Satu UDWR UDWR“Raport Satu Mare, general deactivitate de pe lunile iulie, august,septemvrie 1952(General they were too longandbored thewomen, sothatthey 69 158 .” As it becomes .” Asitapparent becomes 157 ”. In1952, to dotheir CEU eTD Collection planning“scrimping for the winter, andsaving”wasless health a priority than the of family,the asidebe guestsof set the for tobe family.the Although in housewifewassupposed thrifty the maintaining for health five members. The dried or boiled vegetables, ifpreserve vegetablesabout 75kilogramsfamily 150 fruit, and around of had kilograms of the the pickles, the jams were ” (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1991). The “ winter. for the fruit and vegetables of preservation leastcampaign until at women1953. The ofthe UDWR magazine plan exhorted to the would this continue that more UDWR centralized thelarger, itwas 1947. Nevertheless, of for UAWRin the summer the becameapreoccupation women preserves indeed, prepare that of vegetables for preservation it the hadactivity asuccessful mentioned that organized Woman’s Road UDWR activists modified the patterns of emotional unchallenged, attachment left state the within large- and the family.)which-by families nuclear the feed they what and food of the family important way through which women’s cooking work contributes to the emotionalis an reproduction setting familial in a meals of consumption and preparation the shown, has deVault feedinglaboringmen of and the children, country’sfuture”.(Furthermore, whowere“the as include “natural proper laborresponsibilities” withinhouseholdto women’s expanded the and best tobecomepartthe of greatwork government ofthe 160 159 in UAWR the of chapter Mare Satu the of successes any of mention brief only The “Femeile au realizat (Women have achieved),” have (Women realizat au “Femeile DeVault, L. Marjorie 159 . It could be said, then, that by trying to intervene on how women cook, obtain cook, women how on intervene to by trying that then, said, be could It . magazine in 1947,whenthe “Women haveachieved”October briefly section ”. Readers were warned, however, that separate quantities of fruit of were to quantities separate however, were warned, that ”. Readers Feeding the: the familysocial organization ofcaring as genderedwork Drumul Femeii (Woman’s Road) 70 ”) entrenched the gendered division of division gendered the entrenched ”) conscious housewife absolutely necessary , October1947, 16. ” wassupposedto 160 . And, CEU eTD Collection representatives of the organization wrote to request that the organization pay of perdiems organization the the that to request wrote of organization the representatives the of One wasconcerned. Mare district) Satu of the time part the at which was town a success from it certainly asfar receivednot Center Seini by theAgricultural was (a women, as their preserves. it Although notis clear just howwell from canningthe activity July 1949 was person” committee,street supporting itwith work persuasion (“munca delamurire”)from person to from andlevel the last County “down tothe villageand disseminate campaign the Bureau, the of homesteads preserves inindividual included “ year Plan that for State asthe Agriculture, of Ministry By drivefor1949 the “popular preserves”( which could bemaintained through a minimum consumption of 125 grams offruitper day. of the of the National Archives of Romania-Satu Mare direction(Satu Mare, Romania). campaignpreservation forthe of vegetables andfruit) campaniaconservare de si alegumelor fructelor (Memo concerningwork the ofUDWRorganizations county inthe Romania). Mare, (Satu direction Mare ofRomania-Satu Archives National theentirefamily for necessary “ of the servetheeducation were to centers be inthe“ members were to from ofmembers inJuly Committee Central of the 1949, received organization UDWR the the organization simplyor inhabitants of villagesthe theyvisited tothis end.According amemo to National Archives of Romania-Satu Mare direction (Satu Mare, Romania). Mare, (Satu direction Mare ofRomania-Satu Archives National ” in organizing these centers ” in these organizing 162 161 165 164 163 Diligently, Satu Mare activists made efforts each year to mobilize members of the 164 Ministry Ministry of Agriculture Memo, 1July 1949, UFDR Satu Mare, 4/1949:16, County ofDirection the “Pregatirile de iarna (Preparations for thewinter),” Ministry of Agriculture Memo, 1 July 1949, UFDR Satu Mare, 4/1949:7, County Direction of the idem UDWR Central Committee, “ . According to the detailed instructions sent by centers the sent instructions Ministry Agriculture, detailedthe of tothe . According ” Commission for the creation and organization of conservation thecreationandorganization of Commission for 165 . Importanly, (“chiaburi”)not tobe assistedwith kulaks were 162 working sothatit(sic) peasantry, canmake its own preserves 163 Circulara inlegatura cu munca organizatiilor judetene UFDR in ”. . They . They tomobilize instructed were “the massesof women” conserve populare ,” 6 July ,” 4/1949:9,1949, UFDR Mare, County Satu Direction 71 Femeia (Woman) ) had become a campaign of the the achievement of 4500 tonsof achievement of the , Septmeber1950, 32. 161 CEU eTD Collection hence could be trusted more. Thus, “they [the women] have become convinced that the methods the that convinced become have women] [the “they Thus, more. trusted be could hence more inclusiveof“working (while women” places excludingkulaks),the more were modern and year had no preserves, now preparedby ensuring 50 kilograms the of tomatoes.maintenance housewives becomematerial better lack, to due from practice to been this previously excluded ofhad who women, theirworking allowed Centers The expected. be to families’ was as enthusiastic, particularly health. For example, as expertise from Center’s the benefitting women the magazineportrayed The canning center. “Maria Militaru,markets who last of thein the werepresent activists UDWR centers actual the help at besides Capital: of the cities,Committee adivising the women who shopped for vegetables to take them to the inA 1950aswell. 1950 UDWR. vegetableswasthe of preservation institutionsthat matters were left at that. What this shows, however, is that at least in the eyes of other the organization which was de facto responsible for the campaign for the organization “ scribbled organization appreciated/became distinguished (‘s-a evidentiat inin munca’) herwork” evidentiat distinguished (‘s-a appreciated/became even “was and Center Conservation the with activists the assisted had who C., Marioara Romania). Satu Mare, 3/1949:15, County Direction of the National Archives of Romania-Satu Mare direction (Satu Mare, Femeia(Woman) The action for vegetable preserves seems to have been among the priorities of UDWR the of have priorities been the among to seems preserves for vegetable The action 166 168 167 SeiniAgricultural Center, letterto UDWR Satu Marecounty organization, 08Janaury 1949, UFDR Maria Galis, “Un centru de conservare a legumelor (A center for the preservation of vegetables),” of preservation the for center (A legumelor a conservare de centru “Un Galis, Maria Idem. , October, 1950, 30-31. this has already been passed ontoBucharest passed been this hasalready Femeia article showed how UDWR members assisted the Provisional UDWR the how membersassisted article showed 72 168 ” Not only were the Centers the ” Notonly were 167 ” and it is to be assumed 166 . A member of the CEU eTD Collection County Direction of the National Archives of Romania-Satu Mare direction (Satu Mare, Romania). Mare, (Satu direction Mare Romania-Satu of Archives National of the Direction County pe lunile iulie, august,septembrie 1952) (Satu Mare,General activity report for themonths of July, August,September 1952 Raport general deactivitate de transform to aiming hand, other the on and sphere public in the them bringing hand, one the possibility theseprivate merchants tostock thismerchandise comes to privateallis merchants possible quantities, asking inlarge how do theyhavethe and theCooperatives not capable are supplying of the townwith whereas tieingpaper, when it whodifficulties among housewives raisedrelentlesslythe thatthestateshopsAlimentara issue “ report, the to According enthusiastic. less than were also items made this initiative impossible. In the frank formulation of basic the report: of scarcity the and administrators town from willingness no was there Centers Preservation Councils as effective Provisional (which replaced city Committees halls in 1951)organize ishealth. is which that to harmful asubstance salicilat, with cheaper procedure muchof than andpreserving better, dated used herearethe easier 171 170 169 alterAlthough meant of domesticone to by,on campaigns practices most sustained the By in1952 women Marewhom Satu conservation the was center supposed tobenefit suitable for preservation. any paper for tieing neitherand did [illegible] ensure in a timely manner fruit and vegetables at the kindergartens because we were not distributed small bottles, similarly we could not find We preserved commission. for thekindergartens from the raion town a quantity of the 800 kilograms, butwe had form difficulties not could we so and present was organization or institution than the preservation, thecommission was called times,several but with our exception no other that they don’t have wood, that they don’t have tubs, and that there moreare important problems “ We called upon the Popular Council several times, but it (sic) always found different reasons , althoughinsisted Popularthe had that that UDWR Marethey reported Satu In the 1952 Idem. Comitetul Raional UFDR, “ Idem. 170 ” Raport general deactivitate depelunileiulie,septembrie august, 1952 ,” 27September1952, Comitetul Raional UFDR Satu Mare, 1/1952:85, 73 169 ” . 171 withwe the preservation alsohad ” CEU eTD Collection room. How were these innovative spaces tied tothe improvement of motherhood? What does an child’s suchasthe places, domestic ofspecialized miniature representations be Or, they could houses. maternity or kitchens diet nurseries, such as kindergartens, state, welfare fledgling the of institutions be of the those spacescould children These anddomesticity. to spaces connected of maintenance creation and wasthe byUDWRlocal chapters taken one up conscientiously useful, of considering that one main the importantly, of and, central the preoccupations UDWR is practices caring and motherhood of domain in the Romania Stalinist early in interventionism extension, of population.the Thinkingin of terms spaces in untangletrying to state orderingthe to contributed UDWR the reproduction, emotional and physical with and associated places rationalization of providingnew spacesandencouragingrepresentations domestic certain in spatial practices of and motherhood familial modern By relationships. spaces linkedwith representation of the physicaland creation the through children and mother between relationship the and motherhood and emotional reproductiondomesticity of children and by with vegetable such institutions andorphanages. associated educational gardens as kindergartens and milkcenters of creation the were these Among eating. better mothers (especially)through involvedUDWR inanumberwas programs of promote other healththe to meant of children and implementedBeginning with through government1948, the people’s UDWR. the the dietsthat fruit was by no means the only major initiative meant to improve the population and transform women’s homemakingin behavior their own the homes, campaign for preserving vegetablesand The records and publications of the UDWR also testify to attempts at redefiningattempts at to alsotestify UDWR the of andpublications The records 4.5. (Re)making spaces, redefining motherhood, constructing proper 74 CEU eTD Collection up the children, the cloak room was to be with “ decorated to cloak room children,was up the the for caring for children. For instance, based on the assumption that it would be mothers picking allowto mothers towork, they still were as considered only the in chargeones of and reponisble meant were although institutions the that clearly quite show offered Theinstructions decorated. the Satu Mare chapter of the UDWR received a memo about how kindergartens mansions former private innationalized organized many times were they Interestingly, were to be small towns. invillagesor especially institutions, novel wererather crèches and Kindergartens country. the a well-organizedacross into reality totransform them andsought kindergartens seems less the successful.By1948,however, theywere ideathe tierstop UDWRtook of the consultations and, preferably a special room for mothers for room who wishedspecial a to breastfeedhave to were they pollution, prevent to trees by surrounded be to were central very organization sent specific instructions astohow they should be organized. Creches in manner,the andbe fora proper in repurposed appropriated these perhaps to places order also organized nursery schools and creches shaped by a number factors? of unforeseen was local material existence atthe of level, newtypes their these spaces meanings where rooms sayassumptions about andhopes for remaking the of Andgender? whatwerethe analysisinstructions of for and organizing decorating kindergartens, forcaring for children’s Femeilor Muncitoare"Uniunea din RomaniaIonita, See Elisabeta (U.F.M.R.)," ofBucharst. area Veseliei Parcul in the kindergarten a opened Party Democratic of the of the National Archives of Romania-Satu Mare direction(Satu Mare, Romania). creselor (Norms forthe organization of crèches) 172 least) had (at Bucharest ininterwar andwomen’s Social organizations democratic 173 174 The Union of Working Women of Romania, the women’s organization associated with the Social- the with associated organization women’s the of Romania, Women of Working Union The Ministry of Health-The Department for the Protection of Mother and Child, “ “Grija statului pentru familie (The state’s care for the family)”, Femeia (Woman), 172 Revista de Istorie ,” date ,” missing, UFDR Satu Mare, 3/1949:39-43, County Direction .The UAWR sought to do the same after the war, but it but war, the after same do the to sought UAWR .The 75 33, no. 10 (1980): 1917. sanitary andeducational advicefor Normele de organizareNormele de a October1950, 20-1. 174 . In . In 1948, 173 . Thus, . CEU eTD Collection activist responsible with the assistance section of the Satu Mare UDWR reported that “ that Mare UDWRreported theSatu of section assistance with the responsible activist the example, For mother. new the of bedside the at present were UDWR activists By contrast, superstition in and their space of rational, presence maternity the sanitary the unwelcomed. house July 1945, 7. female relatives of assistance the insistencethe of abandoning togiving traditional connected practices children, birth to suchas houses in with areas wascoupled rural maternity creation of the needed.However, were badly every 100 children born high European formortality the infant20 deaths represented of and In infants. where a country spaces created by the UDWR in order to displace or remake the mothering establishments. these of new born babies organization still in practically remained ofthe endowment charge and functioningmany of of UDWRthe hadsetup were taken over by enterprisesstate orthe Ministry of inHealth 1949, the firewood or food or that sanitation conditions were appalling close duetolackof neededto someinjured kindergartens children that occasion, one got that on between 1948and opposite 1953the seems tohavebeen The true. Satu Mare UDWR reported of inby beingcollectivity and theirdevelopment children promoting and well-aired, well-lit love a fostering fields, the on or in factories working were mothers when safe children keeping 1/1948:12, County Direction of the National Archives of Romania-Satu Mare direction (Satu Mare, caminelor (MemoRomania). no22- Guidelines forthe decoration ofkindergartens) the mothers 178 of types two were stations in train rooms waiting interestingly, and, houses Maternity 177 176 175 “What the young mother should know”, 62. know”, should mother young the “What “Problema mortalitatii infantile (The problem of infant mortality)”, sources Primary Central Committee of the UDWR- Cultural Section,” 175 ”. Although kindergartens (especially) wereportrayed”. Althoughnew kindergartens (especially) as of kinds places, 177 , maternity , houses and healthcare, improved especially in rural areas, 178 . Their knowledgewasdismissedbeingbased as on 76 Circulara nr. 22-Indrumari pentru decorarea 176 . Although formally kindergartens ,” 10 October,” 1948, UFDR Satu Mare, Drumul Femeii(Woman’s Road) support , CEU eTD Collection because the support committee because thesupport of provide UDWRcouldnotthe furniture all requiredthe intentions waiting be bestthe localnotthe opened, chapter, Transylvanian of room could room in a different them by segregating state, the of wards mothers, conditions for children to do their school work. Thus, a 1950 article stated “ that Thus, stated dotheir a1950article work. forconditions school childrento bestcreate the to children” of rolein education havethe important an werepeat, “who, calleduponmothers, magazine of organization children home.designed for The the the within war the after in Poland when waitingup by alone. by similartravelling Inspired set rooms the perhaps in town of mothers inthefor train station the room 3/1949:57, County Direction of the National Archives of Romania-Satu Mare direction (Satu Mare, Romania). Romania). Mare, 2/1949:40, County ofDirection National Archivesthe ofRomania-Satu Mare direction(Satu Mare, 5 august1949 (Activityreport from 11 Julyto 5August 1949), women.cultural levelofthe the toraise )magazines inorder No Woman(Dolgozo the Woman(Femeia) andWorking explaining brochures different reading tothemand during the spendatthematernity, time they women who give birth and their babies.Theyespecially dealwith thenew mothers [lehuza], the committees UDWR]offer work[from great support in and are preoccupied withthe intensely direction (Satu Mare, Romania). Comitetul Judetean UFDR Satu Mare, 2/1949:31, County Direction of the National Archives of Romania-Satu Mare Mai 1949(Activity sectionforprotection ofthe report and from healthto missing, May 1Aprildate 1949)”, Femeia The UDWR and its publications also promoted the creation of specifically- of spaces creation the promoted also its publications The UDWRand (Activity fromreport 28March to 1 May 3 May 1949),” 1949, Comitetul JudeteanUFDR SatuMare, 183 180 179 182 181 UDWR Satu Mare, “Raport de activitate de la data de 28 martie pana la data de 1 mai 1949 1mai de ladata pana 28martie de data la de activitate de “Raport Mare, Satu UDWR UDWR Satu Mare, “Raport de activitate al sectiei de ocrotire si sanatate dela data de 1 Aprilie pana in pana Aprilie 1 de data dela sisanatate ocrotire de sectiei al de activitate “Raport Mare, Satu UDWR “ Section, Protection and Health Mare- Satu UDWR “Camera de asteptare la gara (Waiting room at the train station)”, train the at room (Waiting gara la asteptare de “Camera Nowak, "Serving women and the state: the League of Women in communist Poland," 31. magazine, were special areas where mothers could breastfeed, change children rest or children breastfeed, change could mothers areaswhere special magazine, were 181 , they nevertheless served a different purpose: to protect infants and 179 ” In 1949, the Satu Mare chapter also planned to open awaiting open alsoplanned to Satu Mare chapter ” In1949,the 180 . The waiting rooms, featured in. Thewaitingfeatured rooms, a 1953report 77 Raport activitatede data la data de11 iulie la de ” 4August1949, Comitetul JudeteanUFDR Satu Femeia(Woman) 182 . Unfortunately, despite , April 1953,, April 24 Women’s League the mothercan 183 . CEU eTD Collection development spoke loudly “with herfriends neighbors” in or same the room, shewashampering the child’s a smallshelf onwhich tokeephis books, notebooks, pencilcase with his atable,anappropriate everyheight, chairfor cornercanbefound, roomachild’sown In air (…). in clean in silence, himtostudy proper conditionsfor creatingthe help thechildby work of bringing up my children with the work forthe UDWR)”, order, their perfect through static, in space,were exhibition the which child’s room the –like space failed,highmodernist urban planners soughtrefuge inminiaturization, models, scale salient when Jamesconsidering argumentthat Scott’s mastering whenthe andremakingof urban instructionsmodernist within high processes legibilization of and ordering becomes moreeven article by above-quoted the provided ideal room the shelves infor found school-age same showcase the of childthe description the and pencils table, space the that instructed was The organization child”. school-age the of “corner andthe corner” preschooler’s “the the were however, centerpieces, The cut-outs. press and slogans officials, International Children’s Day. The included exhibition photographs of Romanian and WIDF of “ the organization by highlighted very the detailed instructions received by UDWRin the May 1950 for the how importantit was thethat proper set up for children’s rooms beinternalized bymothers is children, and especially livesthe ofmothers, through practices domestic to relating spaces. Just mothers’ appropriate behaviorin this area, the UDWR sought to order and rationalize the lives of Mare, Romania). Mare, UFDR SatuMare, 1/1950:61, County ofDirectionNational the Archives ofRomania-Satu Mare direction(Satu amenajarea expozitiei (Memo no.70-Guidelines fororganizing the exhibition)”,22 May 1950, Comitetul Judetean 184 185 Stela Radulescu, “Munca pentru cresterea copiilor o impletesc cu munca pentru UFDR (I intertwine the intertwine (I UFDR pentru cu munca oimpletesc copiilor cresterea pentru “Munca Radulescu, Stela UDWRCommittee-Section Central Protectionforand Health, “Circulara nr.70- Instructiuni pentru 184 . By attempting to standardize the set up of space andcodify standardizeset upof own a child’s the . By attempting to How How I raisemychild ” exhibition in Satu Mare county, on the occasion of occasion the on county, Mare in Satu ” exhibition 78 Femeia (Woman) 185 . The inscription of . Theinscription exhibition the of .” At the same time, if the mother , May 1950, 8. CEU eTD Collection completely legible completely success, havingsuccess, beenvisited by 800 people tremendous enjoyed exhibition Mare UDWR reportthat the happy Satu was to organization, the hampered, at least temporarily, the state’s capacity of intervening to transform women. transform to intervening capacity of state’s leastthe temporarily, at hampered, unwillingness of local authorities to cooperate, I highlight how small tactics and contingencies interventionorganizations’ ofstate vision and washampered bywomen’sdisinterest of the central the implement to sought UDWR the of chapter Mare Satu the how tracing In mothers. conservation centers and changingmotherhood, within eating the habits family organizationthe through food of the creation of spaces thatthe strongly Romanian linked women init Union, wayswas inflected in in by inspired specific Soviet practices the was interventionism with context.their roles as transformationthe motheringof andargued domesticity. I althoughthat typethis of The chapter inwas involved modernist high furthering thestate’s improving goal thepopulation of through has focused on the UDWR’s attempts at rationalizing logic state. of the the and,thus, standard to the mothers change to theirit and, was homes hoped, the behavior of children, bringing them closer 186 In this chapter I have sought to show how the Union of Democratic Women of Romania of Women Democratic of Union the how show to sought have I chapter this In 4.6. Conclusions Scott, Seeing like astate 186 . Although it. Although ishow manyjust clear not familiesthis adopted spatial : 57. 187 . The UDWR therefore did its best in appealing to 79 CEU eTD Collection from the city party members joinedactivists other local notables mobilized of cadres, Militia, the and students for these purposesrevenues penetratedrural its thelivesof communities control over productionand institutionalized and relations in theruralworld. Withthe goal of building asocialist economy, theparty-state meansother of “ agrarian production) but “collectivization”was notfull-out the institutinglandharvest requisitioning and the of of agriculture”. As Iordachi and Dobrincu have thisargued, transformation main(whose component from inin its 1953, the“socialist process disbandment1949, until of of transformation Up Their Land," 1949-1962 underit the were, as wasoccurring, project of agriculture sidethe transforming on state’s the of primarily to women. In the case of Satu Mare county, specifically, the work of drawing women wereharvest handed quotas that in by peasants support of process the meant organizationthe was to invillagesandensure creating cooperatives which discussed the activity of the UDWR, set new priorities for the organization. From then on 1952) (1949- COUNTY MARE IN SATU ON COLLECTIVIZATION REPORTS 190 189 188 In February 1949, a meeting of 5.1. Introduction the Sectretariat of the Central Committee of the RWP CHAPTER 5- HARDSHIPS ANDMODERATESUCCESS:UDWR 189 , 1. Katherine Verdery and Gail Kligman, "How Communist Cadres Persuaded Romanian Peasants to Give Iordachi, Jinga, "Forms of Organization of Work with Women," 69. . ” In carrying out the “persuasion work” for collectivization“persuasion for ” In the work” carrying UDWR out among peasants, East European Politics & Societies Transforming peasants, propertyand powercollectivization :the of agriculture in Romania, 190 . UDWR activists, of course, were expected to reach out to were expected of course, UDWR activists, . led totherestructuringsocial, political of and economic 25, (2011):no. 2 368. 188 80 . Thus, this discussion involved theUDWR CEU eTD Collection strategies used by members of the Satu Mare UDWR in order to portray their problems and on “persuasion ground andrhetorical the encountered reactions theirwork” obstacles and typebetween 1949 of 1952, the of inand collectivization the process chapter UDWR the of definitions of achievement? in image successMariabut the inconnection toother not of relation and story rather Zidaru,to was Satu Mare county to the forefront of the “debate” on collectivization or did they define their tenuous position of the UDWR and criticism received from members of the Central Committee, Central the membersof from received criticism theUDWR and position of tenuous negotiating the terms on which the peasants eventually joined eventually peasants the which on terms the negotiating withopposition work from but attempts also with women)(especially peasants overt of of Iordachi et al, that because of the extent of the envisioned transformation, activists metin their work the argues, drawing on It Zidaru. Maria imageof the through in collectivization of women successful involvement of type organization, aspecific promoting washeavily an that organism themselves look successful in the work reports to be sent to the Central Committee of the allat for activists ground centralthe on that propaganda hadpushed the relative Zidaru, intoan example of women’s participation in this social engineering project? Did itmatter imageofMaria SatuMarecounty,the had of Committee turned UDWRwhich through the And didhow a Central in involved they successful to collectivization? make themselves appear become activists MareUDWR howdid Satu context, this In Paulesti. Marevillageof Satu the Agricultural Farm and thefemale face of propaganda for collectivization-lived andin worked eyes of the rest of the country, since Maria Zidaru- the first woman president of a Collective In seeking toanswer these questions, this subchapter focuses on the role of the Satu Mare 191 Ibid. 81 191 . Furthermore, because of the hinterland make that CEU eTD Collection periods of increased coercion of middle peasants andso-called middle peasants of coercion increased of periods spanning theyears 1949-1953and between theother occurring 1957 and 1962.Both waves knew “first wave”ofcollectivization thechapter. made throughout main the arguments conclude I by restating work”. “persuasion successful instances of as results intermediary these represent to attempted they way the and negotiated were these how work, in their confront to had Central Committee by the Satu Mare UDWR during this period. Iflesh out the obstacles activists exemplary woman. The last analytical section of this chapter focuses on the reports issued for the collective farm” with a focus on the terms in which her story was constructed to portray her as an of inMaria Zidaru,aspublished titled booklet propaganda Zidarujoinedthe “WhyMaria the and of the interactions between peasants and activists in the process. I then analyze the biography wave of collectivization”) so-called “first 1948and 1953(the between in Romania agriculture of transformation socialist of of process the bysketching contours the I proceed deliver. could they what and them of expected state the what peasants) the (like negotiate to sought local activists wayinwhich underscore the of activists reports in success work the moderate of andportrayals “work obstacles” of narratives fact,the In activists. draw onfor the to resource negotiate situations servenot ground,thestory Zidaru didto adhoc,on the of as Maria a well as detailsin of obstaclesthe encountered work revolvedtheir around portraying thecapacity asinstances of thisground as of activism successful successful representation Because activism. local engaged activists inattempts theless idealof portraying than results on achieved the The process of collectivizing land in Romania occurred in two major waves, the first the waves, major in two occurred in Romania land collectivizing of process The 5.2. Intense, uneven dialogues: Activists and peasants negotiating the 82 chiaburi (the Romanian CEU eTD Collection Land," 362. Land," Land," 362. Land," 1949-1962 face-to-faceof in villageswas Romanian that class war to instigations and and petition-writing letter- denunciations, contests, socialist materials, films andwritten through Gospodarii AgricoleColective inarrest 1953 following againstPauker opposition brought tocoercion) accusations the her of would beone for equivalent from the archival research and oral history interviews conducted by Verdery, Kligman and byVerdery,their conducted interviews history from research and oral archival the village workers and notables or students broughtin from cities of individuals,from from memberscadres brought party villagesor outside the to of Militia the Verdery and Kligman have shown, this type of work was carried out by very different categories possible get tosign hoped land peasants to (especially Ana Pauker) leaders peacefully their away as for although speeding“advisors” werepushing Soviet paceof upthe RWPcollectivization, their initiative”) own andavoiding coercion, andland deportations confiscations peasants tojoin “of their own free will” (aformulation later changed to the more ambiguous “of was involved) the top-level emphasis havebeen seems on to persuadinggradual changes, 195 196 193 194 192 joining of ofbelief” benefits in anthe state “inner create to in order The used techniques 193 , 27;33-34. Verdery and Kligman, "How Communist Cadres Persuaded Romanian Peasants to Give Up Their Ibid., 368. Verdery and Kligman, "How Communist Cadres Persuaded Romanian Peasants to Give Up Their Levy, Iordachi, . In fact, this “right deviation” (the gradualist approach to collectivization and collectivization to approach gradualist (the deviation” “right fact, this . In 194 kulaks Ana Pauker . Transforming peasants, propertyand power the collectivization agriculture : of in Romania, ), but by and large, during the first wave (in whose promotion by firstwave (inwhosepromotion large, UDWR the the and ), but during . 195 . Nevertheless, the technique that was employed most prominently (“Collective Agricultural included Agricultural Farms”-GAC) (“Collective propaganda munca de lamurire ( 83 196 . Importantly, as itemerged as . Importantly, “persuasion work”). As 192 . In fact, CEU eTD Collection Specifically, men would argue that their wives did not allow them to join the farms or thatsign. formen not some to somemotivation the joinfarms provided to collective “requests” the sign family the of members adult all that policy party’s the though, Interestingly, husbands. hand,making to sometimes activists resorted signfor women both themselves and their alcohol food) or offering (through encounter the of formality the subverting by counter would peasants homes, villageagainst customs byvisiting hours at households odd ornot waiting beinvited to within reduce food requisitioning quotas households inorderto signed upfor GACs, peasantsmanipulated kinship by ties splitting upmulti-generational persuade Thus,iflieing joinpeasants activiststorelatives thatother by sought hadalready to in sought which peasantsthe targeted tonegotiate, stall and avoidjoining their Collectives process interactive “intensely dialogic”, an term Verdery and what Kligman into space andtime at manipulating kinship ties relevance and (of greater here) for discussion the gender, aswell theirincompetence of attempts cadres transformed the of Furthermore, persuasion. performance mere peasants’ encouraging even and accepting of also and failed else all when coercion appealing made This lackto status theirthemmoreconfidence and (often) to of outsider prone Land," 374. Land," 382. Land," imagine lives farmsfor bright collective the on their peasantstothe task of future, enabling oflittleand practical ideological training) theactivists (because wereill-prepared collaborators, Gender hierarchies and gender relations were manipulated on both on sides.both On manipulated one were relations the hierarchiesGender andgender 200 Verdery 200 Verdery Kligman,and "How Communist Cadres Persuaded Romanian Peasants to Give Up Their 199 Ibid, 373. 198 Ibid., 368-73. 197 Verdery Kligman,and "How Communist Cadres Persuaded Romanian Peasants to Give Up Their 200 . 84 199 . When teams of persuaders went persuaders of teams . When 198 197 . . CEU eTD Collection mentioned her (albeit mentioning the name of the farm she led) and Zidaru’s presence in the presence Zidaru’s and led) she farm the of name the mentioning (albeit her mentioned “Lenin’s Flag”, lived“Lenin’s Flag”,in Marecounty Satu villagethe of Paulesti named of president model although the GAC Zidaru, Maria inthe GACs.Yet role decisive land their back claiming when husbands irresponsible blamingtheir their futures, and namesdowries of daughter’s their children’s seems mountedquite staunchcollectivization, thatwomen genuinely inopposition to the arguing it negotiation, and stalling of strategies beyond And, husbands. their of absence in the joining sign hand,other for would powerlessness invoke within askedto their family women when the of the land belonged exclusively to a woman in their family, who was reluctant tojoin brochures and articles from they were beingby sent a county raion)whichin chapter (and later, was associated propaganda of their work. What is surprisingin the presence of consistent reports of “work hardships”is that own lack of preparation were some of the ways in which they justified the less than stellar results hardships”, in mounted which by opposition the from villages,women issues logistical and their work of “narratives like extent a certain to read topic on the of UDWR the reports the In fact, ones discussedbyKligman tothe tactics andfacedlikereactions and Verdery. employed similar they on), later show detail (andasIwill reports As their work agriculture. would transform persuadingvillagers (and support especially policiesthe women) toof governmentthe which 202 201 The Satu Mare chapter of Marechapter involvedinThe Satu UDWRthe of ever1949 since became work the Idem. Idem. Femeia (“Woman”) magazine with women’s enthusiasm for and for enthusiasm women’s with magazine (“Woman”) 202 . 85 , UDWR never activists 201 . On the CEU eTD Collection Collective Agricultural Farm”)(Bucuresti: Editura Partidului Muncitoresc Roman, 1950), 6. merchants. and landowners different of houses in the servant escape from and movebeyond the hardships whichhad childhood she marked the spentas a to desire her is in collectivization involved becoming for motivation concrete only the which that it dwelled on the the model farmsreasons created early on, in 1949. While the title of brochurethe would seem indicateto for Maria joining, of one a running GAC, of woman president first because wasthe she andRWP UDWR by the it is in fact a enthusiasmpresentation womenin amongcaused great the Bucharest present of her UDWRCongress life whoseat the speech bluein1950 scarf”, a herhead wrapped eyes, with bright story in “ by and titled A booklet UDWR the magazine distributed 1950 articles. in special brochures and story the image in through of andcollectivization discourse gender and the on Zidaru Maria aspecific of type UDWRof promoted transformingpropaganda the agriculture, central the in of aiding she represent? process Charged did the with andbetween collectivization women Maria Zidaru the county chapter of the UDWR and the organizations’ Central Committee between complicating relationship the a factor as seem tohavebeen perceived not county does Mare direction (Satu Mare, Romania). Mare, (Satu direction Mare monththe ofJune1950) reports other dealing and withthis collectivization.in absent UDWR conspicuously is Satu Mare, name “ Zidaru’s Maria celebration.” a with harvesting the finished they evenfinished as forexample at the Lenin’s Flag Collective Agricultural Farm from the village of Paulesti where Why Maria Zidaru joined the collective farm Why MariaZidarujoinedthecollective 203 link kind of what and of Marevillage Paulesti Satu from the whowas Maria But Zidaru 5.3. The Center’s rhetorics of triumphing overhardships: The Story of 204 A report from June 1950 states that “Wheat harvesting was made with great celebration in some places it places some in celebration great with made was harvesting “Wheat that states 1950 June from Areport De ceaintrat Maria Zidaru inGospodaria Agricola Colectiva ”, 3July 1950, 1/1950:264, County ofDirection Nationalthe Archives ofRomania-Satu ” described her as a “ small, dark woman with Raport Generalluna Iunie1950 (General pe reportfor 86 204 . Maria Zidaruwascelebrated . Maria (“Why Maria Zidaru joined the 203 . CEU eTD Collection is presented as saying that : assayingthat is presented For example, Ana Costan, a woman working on the GAC under from beingactivists andof instilling of capable belief into initiallythis other, villagers.reluctant the leadership of Maria Zidaru, she was also shown as having an unquestioning beliefinthe advice instructions and received other auxiliaries (acareturi) much the help ofthepartymeans. Ceaseless organizational support,with endowments landand party andthegovernment helpedus,ohtheyussowhenwe much.Thatis saw just how as isadvicesupport of Forinstance,andsaying :“ the quoted government. she and party the is as mentioning priceless Zidaru the isrepeatedly presented brochure subordination. of one within the Zidaru family. hadtooccur a negotiation mayhave fact thatroles of the gender a way de-emphasized that propaganda tractunderscored reasons why husband very the was not muchin present inher work goopportunity beyondto traditional norms familial regardlessgender of obligation, this worker. So,factory and invalid ratherwar a he was that fact the and offered had husband her than support the mentions merely promoting thewomen power. rote-that a great inthecollectivefarmare image of a woman for she remembered butthat she wasnominated, “ whom the GAC was an me tojoin. I told them I cannot take the step before I discuss this with my son, because he entreat me to to came party from the comrades other and back Maria were then. rumors 206 205 inthe andcadres asrepresented woman this RWP between exemplary The relationship when president of role the of unworthy felt she that stating as is presented Zidaru Maria Ibid,26. Ibid, 19. “About the collective I did not think many good thoughts, because that’s what the what that’s because thoughts, good many think not did I collective the “About . 206 ” Not Zidaru only was Maria grateful for support the of party,the the words Comradethe of Stalin-which Iknow by 87 205 ” Nevertheless, the brochure also brochure the ” Nevertheless, The CEU eTD Collection increasing numbers by increasing villagers the model farm had acinema Sovietfilms whichshowed and a small frequented in library, cultural through teams whichorganizeda dance achoir, Also, team andtroupe. atheatre the mind of our comrades.mind of our be farm asite under her “food the of leadership was to by the for the promoted values state, the marriage and their the policies compliancepresident)village with totransform rituals towards and women. Thus, the brochure narrates how: presented as becoming involved in matchmakingthe process and the weddings youngof men is she example, For village. the into celebration of forms new introducing also and rituals economically and culturally. and economically politically, itwas aresounding was success, Marearea that in Satu the collectivization about showing indirectly was it what and collectivization about show to wanted Party 210 209 208 207 But notonly indidMaria Zidaruleast act(at propagandathe depictions of GAC this lazies…No! Only after the dedicated, who like to work. Otherwise, no! collective!...Otherwise, we pana inpod’ when ….’Well, farm. agricultural bigmarriedmade girls spring, themgreat, this we three weddings (‘ collective the from women of marriage the with I don’t marry oursince there is no other way towards happiness. girlsis more knowledgeable than we are. When I asked him,he said it was a must that we join, after bad boys, or drunkards or The president of of The is “Lenin’s Flag”model the as president GAC presented also over certain taking Idem. Ibid, 33. Ibid, 11. Ibid, 23. “Maria Zidaru likes to tell how it was with her own marriage and how it is now it how and marriage own her with was it how tell to likes Zidaru “Maria ). Because itis a great honorin the village to be married after the boys in the 209 ” This transformation was being achieved, according to the brochure, tothe according beingachieved, was ” Thistransformation 210 . Thus, what the Central Committee of the UDWR and the 88 207 ” le-am facut onunta le-am facut 208 ” CEU eTD Collection of collective farms by stating that: “ that: by stating farms of collective leadership in involved briefly number the of reported women on the of Mare chapter UDWR the elected as president of a collective farm in a different village than Paulesti. In July 1950, the Satu woman to have in concerns another organization’s attempt the reports manipulated activists’ by putforward of UDWR and Central the were the Committee discourses the contradicted bereactions villagersto persuaded. among the reinterpret andmultiple and them local based on the to requirements discourses attempts agriculture” andwomen’s init inclusion bein as seen betweencentral unfolding could of transformation of “socialist process the this, the Basedon intermediary results. achieve negotiate complicatedin ability their but situations and to surpassingtargets, their relation to of of tasks achievementthe or the in connection to not intheir work sought toredefine ”success” reports the authoring UDWRmembers context, Inthis andobstacles. ofinsuccesses by accounts markedby are activists UDWR out carried “persuasion work” the on reports work UDWR) the triumph over hardships (as well as devoid in its turn of references to the Satu Mare chapter of the of isone GAC Paulesti the over presidency Zidaru’s Maria of if narrative the fact, In negative. to be more diligent at or least try appearto as such for UDWR activists? The answer seems tobe incentive pressan Mareinto national the area ofSatu remote rather of the presence this sudden And success? was of localizedrepresentations very these agriculture drawon of transforming attempts to drawwomen onthe side of collectivization in Satu Mare county One of the most telling examples of the ways in which realities on the ground the on realities which in ways the of examples telling most the of One could Yet, soldiers”-theinvolved“foot someparty in of the UDWRactivists- process the 5.4. Languages of hardship and mentions of success: Reporting onUDWR In our county 2 new Collective Agricultural wereFarms 89 CEU eTD Collection Direction of the National Archives of Romania-Satu Mare direction (Satu Mare, Romania). Mare, (Satu direction Mare ofRomania-Satu Archives National of the Direction was misfiled inthe folder numbered 1/1949. National Archives ofRomania-Satu Mare direction (Satu Mare, Romania). NB: although the report is from 1950, it created andwe have7women intheleadership involving celebrations organized for children or fundraisers for the kindergartens. the for fundraisers or children for organized celebrations involving report from the 1 which it wasactually committed an to activity mentioning than rather organization, central the from information for demand a fulfilling merely local in the was init includingUDWR indicate report the that seem to topic, an would unrelated ( document. wasachieved,the Committee- wasaddedto in best nextresult-Leadership the that election the mention the incompetent, ascompletely appear lest activists the have”. Yet, not they did reasons “other that mentioning by situation the at annoyance her showed discreetly report the of author the Interestingly, positions. leadership in women allow to reluctance men’s with deal to had Zidaru from meninthe hervillage (which propagandabrochurethe mentions), UDWR activists mentioned that: farm. report The collective mentioned that the organization did try to get a woman elected to be president of a new Activity report from the 1 212 211 Leadership Committtee. nothave confidence. Other reasons they did nothave.-But the comrade was elected in the 213 were not persuaded/clarified (“ persuaded/clarified not were farm, but we had difficulties because of the men who didnot want toaccept because they beof collective president the the to nominated This comrade was village committee. district. In this village we have a good comrade who is the secretary of the UDWR This brief type of mentions stands incontrast with the sometimes extensive, detailed reports on activities UDWR Satu Mare-Cadre Section, “Raport de activitate de la data de 1 Iunie la data de 1 Iulie ( UDWR Satu Mare-OrganizationalSection, “Raport de activitate de la data de 1 Iulie la datade 1 August st As it becomes clear from the report, in contrast with the support enjoyed by Maria “During this month a collective farm was created in the village of village of Somes Lazuri, in the farm was created a collective month “During this ofJune to the1 st of July to the 1 st of July of 213 ” st )”, 1July 1950, UFDR Satu Mare, 1/1949:62, County Direction of the of August nu erau lamuriti nu )”, 29 July 1950 (sic),UFDR 3/1950:62, Satu Mare, County . 211 ” The brief mention, followed by reporting on reporting by followed mention, brief ” The 90 212 . Nevertheless, another report from July from report another Nevertheless, . ”) with regard to women’s work andwomen’s work did with ”) regard to Activity CEU eTD Collection the farm farm the in aspecific older orhadjust village was (Unfortunately, instructions beencreated. the whether on based methods work their taylor to expected were and women with work persuasion from in Also,activists face-to-face Romania).were barred words” using “pompous their (in Southern in county Ialomita hadoccurred which ones similartothe riots of generation the Specifically, the UDWR was to grant more and describedattention what the failings theof organization had been, across the country, uptothat point.to the collection of food quotasgave more detailed instructionsand on how the work promotingavoid collectivization was to be carried out from county each local of chapters UDWRwith of representatives the Central Committee of the Archives of Romania-Satu Mare direction (Satu Mare, Romania). Mare, (Satu direction Mare ofRomania-Satu Archives Collective Agricultural Farms) our organization will lead persuasion work which inthosevillages havesubmittedrequests forthe creationof new acele comuni careau inaintat cereripentru a lua fiinta noi Gospodarii Agricole Colective.(Work on plan waythe persuasion work carry out to thefarms joined had men already who of wives the totrain supposed UDWR were bureauthe of from county-level the activists Also, infor women cities. letter-writing and encourage wall gazettes create USSR, inthe kolhozez on discuss were supposedtoorganize inwhich the meetings brochures,of to content groups reading deploy into35 villagesactivists where collective were farms scheduled for opening. Theactivists to set asits target from Work plan 1950 andVerdery. Kligman a by Thus onesmentioned to the in similar techniques byusing villages, work” conducting “persuasion importance wasgivento Fargreater collectivization. with in connection UDWR Mare Satu for the a major priority not 214 UDWR Satu Mare, “ The promotion of women in the leadership of collective farms was nevertheless farms of incollective of The promotion women leadership the ”, 23 ”, January 1950, UFDR Satu Mare, 1/1950:9-10, County ofDirection Nationalthe Plan de munca defelul cum duceva organizatia noastra munca de lamurire in 91 214 . Furthermore, a meeting . Furthermore, CEU eTD Collection order to ensure the production of enough harvests the state couldfollowingensure harvests state the gavethe to redistribute) order the enough production of andso calledwere alsoin but justified different recounted reports. un-maskings) degrees to work different kinds and of arguments ready-made strategies( such blamingas the kulaks,performing to byappealing theground, on concretely, with weredealt difficulties These work. the out peasants, the unwillingnessother and women offrom theirchallenges direct own were often activistsmore ground the on to respond toto had join the GAC and lack of resources to carry laterjustified in reports. Based on the reports of the Satu Mare chapter, the obstacles the activists in formalized an overt, but manner very much formthe took local of improvisation which was wascarried andnot out guidelines occurred thatwhateverof requirements negotiation therefore members charged with supervising the fulfillment of guidelines the of fulfillment supervisingmembers the with charged nominated simply present members Instead, guidelines. the of contents the on debate of kind phrases around structured the syntagm “we must”,alengthy list which not followedwas by any entire the Thus, Committee. Central the with local established activists clues rapport the to important provide members Bureau totheCounty wereimparted Committee of Central the instructions which the farms. womenjoinedwere UDWRmembers also make sure collective who that did not mention just what was meant by this kind of adaptation). And, the County Bureau was to Archives of Romania-Satu Mare direction (Satu Mare, Romania). Mare, (Satu direction Mare ofRomania-Satu Archives secretaries was presented)”, 23July 1950, UFDR Satu Mare, 1/1950:66-69, County ofDirection Nationalthe the 23 on created minutes (Meeting judetene cusecretarele conferinta in CC-ului Conferinta la primite instructiunile rd of July the bureau1950, in meeting, inwhich the instructions received CC Conferencethe at countywith Thus, in 1949 UDWR activists dispatched to encourage peasants to sow encourage peasants tosow landtheir(in in to Thus, dispatched activists 1949UDWR 215 The way in which an activist put down the minutes of the meeting from Satu Mare in 216 UDWR “ProcesSatu Mare, in ziua Verbaldresat de23 Iulie 1950, insedinta debirou, unde s-a prelucrat Ibid, 69. Proces Verbal ( “meeting minutes”) is in formulated minutes”) “meeting mode, imperative the with 92 216 .It can be concluded be can .It 215 CEU eTD Collection attempt to define successful accomplishment of peacefullyhow situation in tasks to of definethe relation accomplishment attempt successful to did not one in thevillageof 1950 asimilarincidenttothe of Batarci, author report the the fault). woman’s really,the itwasn’t, that speakers other of the insisting oncombating the drunk woman, they seemhave to accepted the conciliatory conclusion way even though they were obviously aiming towards appeasementin the village (i.e. rather than in this This wasdescribed appear competent. make found “the persuaders” awayto report the authoring activist the meeting), Committee of a Village organization (the theconflict deal with class enemy intoxicating the peasant, yet by mentioning this as well as the formal steps taken to chiabur of the chiabur of village. by some thatshewasgivenliquour women theconclusion number other spokereaching of wherethe UDWR], Village discussedthe entireCommittee [of a intheplenarymeetingof that:” mention the with continues therefore The report war”. “class findingchallenged to for woman” the“poor an excuse by appealing tothe argumentconnected to situation from one in whichis incidentthe from evident she vividdescription the she provides, transform on moves to the the legitimacy of the activists’ intervention was perhaps rightfully Satu Mare direction (Satu Mare, Romania). Mare, (Satu direction Mare Satu 1949)”, was activists realized that shedrunk. whenknow tosow their landand do notneed their advice. Goingcloser tothewoman, the charged towards ouractivistswords, usingvery serious drivingthemaway thatthepeasants “ in Batarci: villageof incident of the an account 31October1949, UFDR SatuMare, 2/1949:11, County ofDirection National the Archives ofRomania- If in 1949theUDWR downplayingactivists aimed towards in tensions, in recounting 218 217 Idem Mare, Satu UDWR 218 ” Of course, there seems to have been no basis for stating that it was the was it that stating for basis no been have to seems there course, ” Of “Raport de activitate pe lunaOct. 1949 (Activityreport fortheof month Oct. 217 “Although the report’s author’s sense of outrage about sense of author’s outrage “Although report’s the A poorwoman by butinfluenced the chiaburi 93 The attitude of this womanThe attitudeofthis as CEU eTD Collection forced to call the Securitate for a tocallthe Securitatefor few because thechiaburithereweremakingbadagitation forced days the villages of Mediesulin mentions that in report also instance, aUDWR 1950, coercion. For to tactics negotiation from Aurit and Tarsolt,handle, switching complicated to thus too when became Securitate situations appealed tothe “ fulfillment spontaneouslyof the ritual challenged withdrawalthe of of membershipthe Alsoalthoughit booklet. victim wasthe herself who “unmasking the UDWR activists,isbe from whichfollowed what assumed exclusion to the procedure UDWR,signified the was enemies in the report of thethe incident people”. was portrayed Of course, as the the UDWR also Romania). Mare, 1/1950: 26, County Directionof the National Archives of Romania-Satu Mare direction(Satu Mare, challenged the for UDWR’s definition simple members (not the “County delegates”) who rose against the woman who, essentially, 1950 (Activity report ofthe cadre section from January 1 dissenters. The report from February 1950 narrated the incident in the following way: following in the incident the narrated 1950 February from report The dissenters. from village aviolentkindresponse whichwouldgenerate women of commitment against the garner ithad to managed because successful specifically appear madeto organization was the tension, of escalation by the instance-marked in this contrary, the On handled. was The women almost beat her, her member’s booklet was taken away. eventhat saying her she against is agitation a an began women the moment in that and same the are 219 no are there in district there their not toblameCounty saying that the chiabur 400 about women inattended villagethe of Negresti districtthe of Oas we unmasked a decisions of the WIDF councils from Moscow and Peking in the great meeting where UDWR Satu Mare- Cadre Section, “ In instance,this author thereport seems toremarkproudly how iton was the “On the occasion of the conference where we imparted (“s-a prelucrat”) the (“s-aprelucrat”) imparted we where conference the of occasion “On the [kulak] T. Irina who interrupted the conference held by the delegates from from by interrupted the delegates conferencethe the held who Irina [kulak] T. chiabura and she was the one who did not pay the salary of the farm help. farm the of salary the pay not did who one the was she and Raport de activitatesectiei cadre 1Ianuaria 1Februarie dela la chiaburs chiaburi chiaburi where great we hardships arefacing st to February to 1 not even poor people because all the people 94 . The activists “from simply County” “from the activists . The so much because arehonest so people and they st 1950) ”, 2February 1950, UDWR Satu 219 ” ”, “ we were CEU eTD Collection Romania). Mare, 3/1950: 38, County Directionof the National Archives of Romania-Satu Mare direction(Satu Mare, Ianuarie 1950 (Activity report from December 31 National Archives of Romania-Satu Mare direction (Satu Mare, Romania). Mare, (Satu direction Mare ofRomania-Satu Archives National Land," 374. Land," refusing to sign.Verdery Kligman, "Howand Communist Cadres Persuaded RomanianPeasants toGiveUp Their pressured to join the collective farms, leaving the womento deal with the activists and invoke patriarchal norms in remain intheirproperty. farm “ collective the if joined they women that home-telling home to wentfrom activists, the who-like “reactionary”, leaving homestheir to policethe notin dealing with women, butmostlikely in dealingwith menthe were who appealed organization the note that to interesting is it Nevertheless, work. persuasion abandoned and committed tochanging. and committed was deficient as well, a situation level yet by political of persuaders the the UDWR activists; of work” countered “persuasion the for which the County Commission assumed some of the guilt onestobelievethem. the first in “ manifest women, of unreliability hardships we hadwithwomen in the village of Dara “ on instance, report For one collectivization. concerning fulfilling their objectives not fled), the activists appealed gender also to stereotyping account when intrying to for their reports had husband the while family the within power of lack their overemphasizing sometimes women so thatthepeopleran inthe forests report of July 1 223 221 222 220 If misrepresented genderpeasants relations inavoiding the activists (suchasthrough Ibid, f. 39. As Verdery and Kligman have noted, it was most often the men who fled in order to avoid being UDWR Satu Mare- Cultural Section,“ UDWR Satu Mare- Organizational Section,“ st to August 1 221 their children willaway children andnoteven betakenwilltheir thehouseor pots . st 223 1950) ” The political backwardness of women, the report noted, was to be to was noted, report the women, of backwardness political ” The ”, 29 July ”, UDWR1950 (sic), SatuMare, County 3/1950: 19, of Direction the 222 220 ” The rumours the women believed werespread by a the launching of rumours, of becausethe launching they[‘ourwomen’] are . ” Faced with peasants’ strategy of fleeing, the UDWR thus Raport deactivitate de deladata 31Decembrie 1949 panala31 st 1949 to January 31 Raport de activitatedela 1Iuliela 1August 1950 (Activity 95 ” assigns these difficulties to the political the to difficulties these assigns ” st 1950) ”, 2 February 1950, UDWR Satu the great CEU eTD Collection back at the County Committee. Following short-notice instructions from Bucharest, the UDWR the Bucharest, from instructions short-notice Following back County Committee. atthe areawasneeded the to activistassigned bebecause the achieved not could something which villagers there, the among “persuasion morework” for need the recognized collectivization) nuns combating thepresenceof (owing to village Beltiug inof atmosphere” the “unhealthy which mentioned the instance, areport For UDWR. of the from Central Committee the received tasks of it multitude by placedon strains the andthe organization weakness numerical the the of collective farm. On otherhand,the organization the justified failings in their by work mentioning were waiting for situation the approval of thereported Central to have fullyCommittee changedsolution foundbring wasto aUDWRfrom activist the villages,outside a tactic which not was the ofstate the of affairs,RWP for but the rather opening to have “ of the National Archives of Romania-Satu Mare direction (Satu Mare, Romania). Mare, (Satu direction Mare ofRomania-Satu Archives National Mediesul Aurit village committee “ committee Auritvillage Mediesul of the secretary the and village committee Ratesti membersthe of thattwo UDWR reported benefits brought by collectivization fully Mareregions,were not UDWR’sownactivistspersuaded the by Satu themselves the in other situation the to similarly Thus, members. of indiscipline the and weakness institutional Land," 364. Land," report of July 1 226 224 Besides thepeasants’ opposition, “hardships” UDWR the reported its connected to own 225 226 Idem. Verdery and Kligman, "How Communist Cadres Persuaded Romanian Peasants to Give Up Their UDWR Satu Mare- Organizational Section,“ ”. The result was deemed good enough however for the author to mention that they st to August 1 st 1950) ”, 29 July ”, UDWR1950 (sic), SatuMare, County 3/1950: 22, of Direction the 224 are not persuaded and are giving us hardships andaregivingus are notpersuaded . In connection to this the County Committee of the Raport de activitatedela 1Iuliela 1August1950 (Activity 96 somewhat improved the 225 ”. The ”. CEU eTD Collection women. Instead, it seems they were trying point out in their reports how their init competence, out own tryingseemswomen.their point reports were they Instead, of peasant among persuasion effects observe genuine the to few opportunities hadvery activists Mare because by Satu scaleof of peace. Yet, the collectivization, wrought upheaval the belief,forbut visible inchanges women’s from emotions, loveuncertainty andtowards inner the of performance merely for the not looking were activists’ reports, these from inferred be lives in “ the about of people kolhozez, tocomply would have “ meals served eat to have would farm they in collective the Negresti, “ Negresti, of village in the that mentioning After intervention. activists’ the after beliefs in women’s change wasroused. common goodofeveryone, women have put inaroundstate farmswe canseethattheirlove forthegoodofstate, “ that: stated monthMarch for of the report instance, work for the In May 1949, in of belief” “aninner collectivization. state of creation forthe others portrayed and themselves formentionssuccess“persuasion to theway These point intheiractivists understood work”. tasks other entailed neglecting focuswas on to popularizing the1950Congressof UDWR; oflimited because resources, this 1 Romania). Mare, (Satu direction Mare ofRomania-Satu Archives National on the villages where GACs were created)”, 5 May 1950, UDWR Satu Mare, 3/1950:19, County Direction of the Mare direction (Satu Mare, Romania) Mare, (Satu direction Mare Romania). Mare, (Satu direction Mare Romania-Satu December 1 December st of 3 MayMay 1949)”, UDWR1949, 3/1949:27,Satu Mare, County of DirectionNational the Archives of 227 unqualified of situations dodiscuss reports UDWR the instances, in some Nevertheless, 228 229 UDWR Satu Mare, “Raport de activitate pe langa comunile unde s-au infiintat GAC-uri (Activity report UDWR Mare,Satu “Raport dela 28 martie la 1mai1949 (Activity fromreport the 28 UDWR Satu Mare, “Raport de activitate de la 1Decembrie la 31 Decembrie 1949 (Activity report from st the womenthe kolhoz arerestlessabouttheproblemof the to December 31 229 ”. Yet, after they discussed with the UDWR activists and were told and were activists UDWR the with discussed after they ”. Yet, st 1948)”, 1/1949:88, County Directionof Nationalthe Archivesof Romania-Satu 227 . we couldnoticepeacesettingwomen’s in souls. 228 ” In December 1949, one report described positivethe report ” InDecember1949,one 97 from a cauldron, and everyone acauldron,and from ”, since they had been told that In thework the th of March to the ” As can CEU eTD Collection through discoursesthrough and acting over meaningsthe in of gender a Stalinist state. mounted of UDWR) the Committee Central andthe activists UDWR local between activists, and by local (between marked, therefore, peasants struggles unequal collectivization was (ultimately) was that engineering social of strategy grand the deportations, (later) and coercion revolts, peasant beingof Beyond redefine successful. the meaning to andsought represented Presidentthe of GACthe (to pointthe of mentioning never herin andtheir the reports) ideal she narrativestriumphin overhardships, through created reportsactivists the their work disregarded GACs created by the Central Committee of the UDWR revolved around Maria Zidaru’s story of “rearticulation of rules”.opposition If the definitiontheirjoiningfor instance, GACs, andactivists’ dueto own incompetence. Faced with the of success mounted concerning stalling of tactics through peasants’ thestate” of “grand strategies the of wasathwarting instead the participation by Whatstate). occurred modernist fora theagentsof fitting (as was upon theiract subjectivities women, of women in to wereexpected UDWRactivists In otherwords, project. the of skeptical were generally who UDWR activists’ women, belief” among of state “inner elicit toan were expected campaign and ininvolved this organized amassive Marecounty campaign UDWRactivistsfrom of Satu persuasion. became employedland, state the togiveup their persuade peasants to order agriculture”.In of transformation their was the“socialistin that massive of country) involved social became engineering project the own tactics through a partial negotiation. constant by notdefined butby over difficulties triumph unquestionable unlike Mariatheir was Zidaru’s, Beginning with 1949, the Satu Mare chapter of the UDWR (like others across Mare across (likethe chapterof 1949,theSatu others Beginning UDWR the with 5.5. Conclusions 98 CEU eTD Collection disengagement. such control.Through the Atwork of thethe UAWR and thesame UDWR, social control made bureaucratic possible procedures through of legibilization and simplification.women weretime, meant to become the objectsthey as Romaniannotgoverning state primarily ofthrough subtlecoercion, butthrough mechanisms of resisted through “little forcollectivization. “persuasion work” UAWR conducted tactics”constructing such as avoidance reliedimplied and schools between parents and habits relationship dietary the practices, womenmothering remaking for intervention Their asor population”. the “improve to meant theintervention ones in charge chainmodernistbutvaluesas visionof dissemination ofStalinist in ofsocial of part a Romania, of householdSecondly, I look at how the activism. Unionwork. social of in terms of rather Democratic but rights, voting formal of Womenterms in primarily of RomaniaFinally,citizenship was not merely part of a I examineRomania toinclude worked in women political post-war the not by community conceptualizing how thecharacteristic of a high modernist gender of in social engineering they with projects connection the promoted, reconstructed state. Thus, I show how the Romaniabetweenargues 1945and that through the discourses 1953.It andpracticesUnion they of Antifascist Women of Drawing on the “post-revisionist paradigm” in Soviet history, I conceptualize the Stalinist the conceptualize I history, Soviet in paradigm” “post-revisionist the on Drawing My thesis focuses on the activities6- CHAPTER CONCLUSIONS of two communist women’s organizations active in 99 CEU eTD Collection Drumul Femeii, “De am putea intelege-din cuvantarea rostita in fata Congresului Femeilor Congresului fata in rostita cuvantarea intelege-din putea am “De Femeii, Drumul Drumul Femeii,“Femeia si dreptul de vot (Woman and Voting Rights)”, December 1945, 13. Union the of meeting great (The Antifasciste Femeilor Uniunii al meeting “Marele Femeii, Drumul state)”, democratic the in role (Woman’s democrat statul in femeii “Rolul Drumul Femeii,“Dreptul de nostru vot (Ourright tovote)”, September7. 1945, Drumul Femeii, “Drumul nostrum (Our road)”, September 1945,3. Drumul Femeii,“Sa stam de vorba (Let’s talk)”, July 1945, 19. Drumul Femeii,“Femeia simunca (Woman and Work)”, July 1945, 4-5. Antifasciste Femeilor Uniunii Meetingul Femeii, Drumul UDWR, UDWR Primary Sources BIBLIOGRAPHY Democrate din Romania (If only we could understand-from the speech given in front of the of Congress front of in Democratic Women of Romania)”, April 1946, 4-5. given speech the understand-from could we only (If Romania din Democrate of Antifascist Women),”, September 1945,19. Road) Drumul Femeii (Woman’s Road) 1950),House, 6. The Worker’s CollectiveParty the Farm”)(Bucuresti: Romanian Publishing Agricultural youngmother must (Bucharest know), :UDWR59. Publishing, 1950), , De ce a intrat Maria Zidaru in Gospodaria Agricola Colectiva inGospodaria ce aintratMariaZidaru , De Cartea trebuie Gospodinei-Ce satanara mama stie , September 1945,14. Brochures Magazine 100 (The Housewife’s book-What the (“Why Maria Zidaru joined (“WhyMaria Zidaru Drumul femeii(Woman’s CEU eTD Collection ______“Camera de asteptare la gara (Waiting room at the train train the station)”, at la room (Waiting gara deasteptare ______“Camera Femeia(Woman), the family)”, ______“Grija statului familie(Thestate’scarefor pentru of vegetables),” (A the preservation for center legumelor a de conservare “Un centru Maria Galis, andteachers)”, Mamesi Calin,“ Coralia educatoare(Mothers in children and mother the for care (The RPR in copii si mama pentru “Grija Melega, Valeria “Pregatirile de iarna (Preparations for thewinter),” iarna (Preparations de “Pregatirile munca “ProblemeA.S. Macarenco, Educatia (Pedagogical prin pedagogice- problems-Education N. Alexandrova,”Educatia in familie si in scoala in URSS (Education in the family and the school the and family the in (Education in URSS scoala in si familie in Alexandrova,”Educatia N. Drumul “SeFemeii, copiii intorc Poloniadin si (The Ungaria children are returning from Poland and Drumul Femeii,“Femeile au realizat (Women have achieved)“, April 1947, 9. Drumul Femeii,“Muncim de doi ani (We have been forworking years)”,two April 1947, 3. Drumul in“Popasuri incateva Femeii, orase Transilvaniadin several (Stops Transylvanian towns)”, the of meeting Romania(The din aFemeilor Democrate Federatiei “Meetingul Femeii, Drumul UAWR Turda, “Raport de activitate“Raport peintervalul UAWR 1945 1945la 25Ianuarie Turda, 20 decembrie Femeia (Woman) magazine Femeia 1950, 20-1. Femeia(Woman) Decree 226 through of 1 August1952. PRR)”, 1953, 24. through labor)”, in USSR)”, the 3. Hungary)” September 1947, January 1947, 22. Democratic Federation Womenof of Romania)”, July 1946, 16. Napoca, Romania). Napoca, 2. County Direction (Activity for theinterval report 1945 to25January 20 December 3/1945: 1945)”, UFAR, of the National Archives of Romania-Cluj Napoca direction (Cluj Archival Material Femeia (Woman) Femeia (Woman), , October 1950,30-31. , October Femeia(Woman) , May 1950, 14-5. The “Heroine Mother” award was instituted awardwas Mother” The “Heroine , May 1950, 14-5. , January 1950, 12. November 1948,20. Femeia (Woman) 101 Femeia (Woman) , Septmeber 1950,32. Femeia(Woman) , June1950,7. October , April , CEU eTD Collection UDWR Satu Mare-Cadre activitate dela Mare-Cadre de Section, de1Iuniela “Raport UDWR Satu de1 data Iulie data UDWR Central Committee, AgricultureMinistry of 1July Mare,4/1949:16, Memo, County 1949, UFDRSatu Direction of the “ pana dela de1Aprilie data si sanatate deocrotire alsectiei deactivitate Mare,“Raport UDWR Satu “ Mare, UDWR Satu UDWR Satu Mare, “ Ministry of for Department the Health-The Protection of andMother “ Child, MareUFDR toUDWR letter 08Janaury 1949, Satu county organization, Agricultural Seini Center, Section,” Cultural theUDWR- of Committee Central UAWR Satu Mare,“ UAWR Satu 1/1949:62, County Direction of Archives of National the Maredirection Romania-Satu (Satu the 1 ( Mare,Romania). (Satu Mare direction Satu Mare,4/1949:9,1949, UFDR County Satu Direction of Archives National the of Romania- fruit) thepreservationvegetables and of campaignfor inthe county organizations (MemoUDWR campania deconservarealegumelorsifructelor concerningtheworkof National Archives of MareRomania-Satu direction Mare, (Satu Romania). the National Archives of Romania-Satu Mare direction (Satu Mare, Romania). date missing, Mare,2/1949:31,County 1949)”, Judetean UFDRSatu Comitetul of Direction in Mai 1949 (Activity report Mare,Romania). Maredirection (Satu Romania-Satu of the section12 May) for protectionpana la12mai1949(Activity report ofthesectionforprotectionand 1 health from April to and health from 1 AprilNational Archives of MareRomania-Satu direction Mare, (Satu Romania). to May Mare, Romania). (Satu Maredirection County Romania-Satu Archives of National 3/1949:39-43, the of Direction crèches) a creselor (Normsfortheorganization of Romania). Mare, (Satu direction Mare, County 3/1949:15, Satu Direction Mare of Archives National of the Romania-Satu Mare direction (Satu Mare, Romania). County Mare, UFDRof 1/1948:12, Archives Satu Direction National the of Romania-Satu kindergartens) of thedecoration for caminelor (Memono22-Guidelines Activity report from the1 reportfrom Activity Archives of Romania-Satu Mare direction (Satu Mare, Maredirection Romania). Archives (Satu Romania-Satu of National the of Direction County Mare,1/1945:21, Satu June 1945,UFAR-Filiala women fromtheSatuMareregion antifascist Mare (Raporton themovementof st of May 1949) of ,” UFDR Satu Mare, 2/1949:33, County Direction of the National Archives of Raport dela28martie la 1 mai 1949(Activity report the28 from Raport de activitate al sectiei de ocrotire Raport deactivitatealsectieiocrotire si sanatatedela datade1Aprilie Raport despre miscarea UniuniiFemeilor Antifasciste inRegiuneaSatu ”, 3 May 1949, UDWR Satu Mare, 3/1949:27, County County the SatuMare,3/1949:27, Direction of ”, 3May1949,UDWR Circulara inlegaturacu munca organizatiilor judetene UFDRin st of June tothe1 of 102 Circulara nr. 22-Indrumari pentruCirculara decorarea nr.22-Indrumari st of July ,” date missing, UFDR Satu Mare, Satu missing, UFDR ,” date )”, 1 July 1950, UFDR Satu Mare, 1 July Satu UFDR )”, 1950, Normele deorganizare ,” 10 October 1948, ,” 10October th of March to ,” 6July )”, 29 CEU eTD Collection UDWR Satu Mare- Organizational “ Section, Mare- Organizational UDWR Satu UDWR Satu Mare- Cultural Section,“ UDWR Satu Mare, UDWR Satu “ Section, andProtection Mare-Health UDWR Satu UDWR Satu Mare-Organizational Section, “Raport de activitate de la data de 1 Iulie la data de1 la data deactivitate deladata1Iulie “Raport Section, Mare-Organizational UDWR Satu report (Activity la 1949 31Decembrie Decembrie de activitate dela “Raport 1 Mare, UDWR Satu UDWR Satu Mare, “ Mare, UDWR Satu UDWR Satu Mare, “ UDWR Satu Mare- Cadre Section, “ (Activity report of July 1 reportof (Activity Mare,Romania). Mare direction (Satu Romania-Satu Archives of National the Mare,3/1950:38,County Direction of February 1950, UDWR Satu 31 1950(Activity reportfromDecember 31 Ianuarie Romania). Mare, (Satu direction Mare, County 3/1950:62, Satu Direction Mare of Archives National of the Romania-Satu of Romania-Satu Mare direction (Satu Mare,Romania). Maredirection of (Satu Romania-Satu Archives of National County the Direction Mare,2/1949:40, UFDR Satu Comitetul Judetean (Activity reportdata de5august from11Julyto5August1949), 1949 numbered 1/1949. Mare, Romania). NB:although reportisthe from it1950, wasmisfiled in folderthe August ( Mare,Romania). Maredirection (Satu Romania-Satu 1950, UDWRMare, Satu 1/1950: 26, County Direction Nationalthe of Archives of 1 December from Mare, Maredirection Romania). Archives (Satu Romania-Satu of 1949)”, (Meeting minutes 23 created onthe prelucrat instructiunile primite la ConferintaCC-ului cu inconferinta secretarele judetene Mare,Romania). Maredirection (Satu Romania-Satu Mare,1/1950:9-10,County January Satu Direction 1950, UFDR National of the Archives of which havesubmittedrequests forthecreationnew of AgriculturalCollective Farms) Colective.(Work planontheway our organization willwork leadpersuasion in those villages acele comuni care noiGospodarii aluafiinta auinaintatcereripentru Agricole Mare, Maredirection Romania) Archives (Satu Romania-Satu of 1950 (Activity reportcadresection1950 (Activity ofthe fromJanuary 1 Mare,Romania). Maredirection (Satu Romania-Satu 1950, UFDRMare,1/1950:66-69,County Satu Direction of Archives of National the was presented) with secretaries instructions receivedattheCC Conference county 31October 1949,UFDRSatuMare, 2/1949:11,County Direction National the of Activity report from the1 reportfrom Activity “Raport deactivitate peluna Oct. 1949(Activityreport themonth for Oct. of Plan de munca de felul cum va duce organizatia noastra munca de lamurire in munca delamurire noastraorganizatia cumvaduce defelul Plan demunca Proces Verbal dresat in ziua de23Iulie1950,insedinta undes-a debirou, Proces Verbaldresatinziua st to December 31 st toAugust1 Raport deactivitatesectieicadre dela 1IanuarialaFebruarie Raport de activitate de ladatade31Decembrie1949pana Raport deactivitate st of July to the ofJulytothe 1 st rd 1948)”, 1/1949:88, County County National the 1948)”,1/1949:88, Direction of of July 1950,inthebureau ofwhich meeting, in the Raport deactivitatedela1 Iulie la1 Raport August 1950 st 1950) 103 la datade11iulie Raport deactivitate ”, 29July Mare, Satu UDWR 1950 (sic), st of August of st st 1949toJanuary 31 toFebruary 1 )”, 29July 1950 (sic), UFDR st 1950) ” 4August 1949, ”, 2February st 1950) ”, 23 July ”, 23 ”, 2 CEU eTD Collection UDWR Satu Mare, “ ( nr.58 “Circulara Health, and for Protection of UDWR-Section the Central Committee “ Mare, UDWR Satu Instructiuni fornr.70- andpentru Protection “Circulara Health, UDWR Central Committee-Section UDWR Satu Mare, UDWR Satu Central Committee, 1950, “ UDWR Satu Mare-Assistance Section, “ Section, Mare-Assistance UDWR Satu Antonio, Faur. Antonio, Alexopoulos, Golfo. "Soviet Citizenship, More or Less: Rights, Emotions, and States of Civic Belonging." Mare, Romania). 1/1952 :87,County Direction of Archives of National the MaredirectionRomania-Satu (Satu September 1952)” July, August, themonthsof for activity report Mare, Maredirection Romania). Archives (Satu Romania-Satu of 58”) Mare,Romania). (Satu Mare direction Satu 1950) Mare, Maredirection Romania). Archives (Satu Romania-Satu of County 1950, Comitetul SatuMare,1/1950:61, National Judetean UFDR Direction of the amenajareano.70-Guidelines expozitiei for exhibition)”, organizingthe 22May (Memo Mare, Romania). 3/1950:19, County Direction of Archives of National the Maredirection Romania-Satu (Satu report on thevillageswhereGACswere created)”, National Archives of MareRomania-Satu direction Mare, (Satu Romania). statutes) (Guidelines concerning thedisseminationthe preliminary of theUDWRproject for Mare direction (Satu Mare, Romania). Mare, 1949, UFDR Satu 1/1950, County of Nationalthe Direction Archives of Romania-Satu Ianuarie 1950 Mare, Romania). 3/1950: 19,County Direction of Archives of National the MaredirectionRomania-Satu (Satu 1945) (the Morale of the Inhabitants from the Counties of North-Western Transylvania inthe Year Kritika: Explorations in Russian and Eurasian History Secondary Sources , 2February Mare, 1/1951:13,1950, UFDRSatu County Direction of National the ”, 3 July 1950, 1/1950:264, County Direction of the National Archives of Archives of of Romania-”, 3July1950,1/1950:264,County Direction National the ”, Organizatia Raionala UFDR Satu Mare, 1/1950:181, County Direction of County the of Mare,1/1950:181, Direction Satu Raionala UFDR ”, Organizatia . Oradea: Editura Universitatii din Oradea, 2006. Oradea, din Universitatii Editura . Oradea: Starea De Spirit a Locuitorilor Din Judetele De Nord-Vest Ale Transilvaniei in Anul 1945 “Raport deactivitate pe langacomunile GAC-uri(Activity undes-au infiintat Raport general de activitate de pe lunile iulie, august, septemvrie 1952(General depelunileiulie, Raport generaldeactivitate Raport General pe luna Iunie 1950 (General report for the month of June report themonth 1950 (General of for Generalpe lunaIunie Raport (Report for theinterval (Report between for 30November and 6January) Indrumar in legaturacu prelucrarea anteproiectului destatut alUFDR Raport pe interval de timp de la 30 Noembrie pana la 6 la30Noembriepana interval detimp Raport pe 104 7, no. 3 (2006): 487-528. 3 (2006): 7, no. 5 May 1950 UFDR Raionul Satu Mare, , UDWR Satu Mare, Satu UDWR ,” 10January Memo no. CEU eTD Collection ———. "Revisionism in Soviet History." Soviet in "Revisionism ———. Fitzpatrick, Sheila. Edele, Mark. "SovietSociety, Major Social Life: FrameworksReconsidered."Structure, andEveryday Donzelot, Jacques. Dragomir, Anca. "Cella Serghi." DeVault, Marjorie L. Deletant, Dennis. de Haan, Francisca.de Haan, "ContinuingCold War ParadigmsWestern in Historiography of Transnational De Grazia,Victoria. David-Fox, Michael. "What Is Cultural Revolution?" Costin, Anghel, and Mihai Stirbu. "Uniti Intru Iubirea Si Sanatatea Semenilor (United fortheLoveand (United Sanatatea Semenilor Si Iubirea Intru "Uniti Stirbu. andMihai Anghel, Costin, Clements, Barbara Evans. "The Utopianism of the Zhenotdel." of the Utopianism "The Evans. Barbara Clements, Case, Holly. Kathleen. Canning, Bucur, Maria. Buchli, Victor. Bottoni, S. "Reassessing the Communist Takeover in Romania: Violence, Institutional Continuity, and Takeover Continuity, theCommunist in Romania:Violence, Institutional Bottoni, S."Reassessing Berenbaum, Michael , and Fred Skolnik. "Banus, Maria." In Maria." "Banus, Michael,and Berenbaum, Fred Skolnik. Attwood, Lynne. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. Press, University Oxford York: New University of Chicago Press, 1991. Press, Chicago of University Kritika: Explorations in Russian and Eurasian History York: St. Martin's Press, 1999. Press, Martin's St. York: Press, 1993. Press, Women's HistoryReview DemocraticFederation(Widf)." TheCaseoftheWomen’sInternational Women’s Organisations: Health of Fellow Human ofBeings)." Fellow Health Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 2009.Stanford, Press, Stanford Calif.: University Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 2006. Press, University Cornell N.Y.: Ithaca, 2002. Press, Ethnic Conflict Management." Conflict Ethnic 1922-53 Between States :The Transylvanian Question and the European Idea During World War Ii Eugenics and Modernization in Interwar Romania An Archaeology ofSocialism . New York: St. Martin's Press, 1999. Press, Martin's St. York: New . Creating the New Soviet Woman :Women's Magazines as Engineers ofFemale Identity, Communist Terror in Romania :Gheorghiu-Dej and the Police State, 1948-1965 Everyday Stalinism : Ordinary Life in Extraordinary Times : Soviet Russia in the 1930s The Policing of Families of Policing The Gender History in Practice : Historical Perspectives onBodies, Class & Citizenship Feeding the Family :The Social Organization of Caring asGendered Work How Fascism Ruled Women : Italy, 1922-1945 : Italy, Women Ruled Fascism How Romania Libera 19, no. 4 (2010): 547 - 73. 547 4 (2010): 19, no. East European Politics & Societies Politics European East History and Theory and History Jurnalul National . New York: Pantheon Books, 1979. Books, Pantheon York: . New , Materializing Culture. Oxford [u.a.]: Berg, 2000. Berg, [u.a.]: Oxford Culture. , Materializing , 28.04.20112011. The RussianReview 105 Encyclopaedia Judaica 46, no. 4 (2007): 77-91. 46, no.4(2007): , 9 December 2005. , 9December 8, no. 2 (2007): 349-73. 2 (2007): 8, no. Slavic Review . Pittsburgh, Pa.: University Pittsburgh,. ofPittsburgh Pa.: University . Berkeley: University of California 58, no. 2 (1999): 181-201. 58, no.2(1999): 24, no. 1 (2010): 59-89. 24, no.1(2010): 51, no. 3 (1992): 485-96. 51, no.3(1992): , 2007. . Chicago: . New . . . CEU eTD Collection ———. "Forme De OrganizareJinga, Luciana Marioara. "Forme De Organizare Ale Muncii Cu Femeile in Cadrul P.C.R. (1944-1954) Ale Constantin,ed. Iordachi, Muncii Cu Femeile in Cadrul P.C.R. (1944-1954) [Forms of Brzezinski. K. J., andZbigniew Carl Friedrich, Foucault, Michel. Men." andFighting Women "Smiling Éva. Fodor, ———. Goven, Joanna. "Gender and Modernism Goven, Joanna. Stalinist State."in a Mihailescu,Gáll Stefania. Ionita, Elisabeta. "Uniunea Femeilor Muncitoare Din Romania (U.F.M.R.)." Ionescu-Gura, Nicoleta. ———. Keith. Hitchins, Lynne A. Haney, Hoffmann, David L. "Mothers in the Motherland: Stalinist Pronatalism in Its Pan-EuropeanContext." Pronatalism inIts "Mothers DavidL. intheMotherland:Stalinist Hoffmann, Gross, JanT."SocialConsequencesofWar:Preliminariesto the Studyof Imposition ofCommunist Stalinism : New Directions :New Stalinism Investigare a Crimelor Comunismului in Romania in Comunismului Crimelor a Investigare Organization of "WorkRomania) in Communism of Crimes with the of Investigation the Women"for Institute the of Yearbook (The Romania in Comunismului Crimelor a Investigare de Institutului within (Formsthe C.P.R. (1944-1954)] of Organization 1949-1962 Romania, in " of "Work with Women" within the Rcp (1944-1954))." 2003. Picador, Macey.EditedDavid byMauroBertani, Alessandro Ewald. NewYork: Fontana andFrançois (1980): 1905-25. (1980): Polirom, 2006. Polirom, (from the History of Romanian Feminism: Study and Anthology of Texts (1929-1948) ) Harvard Univ. Press, 1956. Press, Univ. Harvard Gender, State &Society State Gender, Institutional Transformations) Institutional Institutionale (the Stalinization of Romania: The Popular Republic of Romania 1948-1950: 2003. Press, 2002.University ofCaliforniaPress, Journal ofSocial History Europe." Central East in Regimes Stalinist Values : The Cultural Norms of Soviet Modernity, 1917-1941 Rumania, 1866-1947 Rumania, Society Must BeDefended :Lectures at theCollège DeFrance, 1975-76 Inventing the Needy :Gender and the Politics of Welfare in Hungary Stalinizarea României : Republica Populara Româna 1948-1950 : Transformari Transforming Peasants, Property andPower : The Collectivization of Agriculture Din Istoria Feminismului Românesc : Studiu Si Antologie De Texte (1929-1948) . Budapest; New York: Central European University Press, 2009. Press, University European Central York: New Budapest; . 9, no. 1 (2002): 3-28. 1 (2002): 9, no. 34, no. 1 (2000): 35-54. (2000): 1 34, no. . London; New York: Routledge, 1999. Routledge, York: New . London; . Oxford; New York: Clarendon Press ; Oxford University Press, 1994. Press, University ; Oxford Press Clarendon York: New Oxford; . . Bucuresti: Editura BIC ALL, 2005. ALL, BIC Editura . Bucuresti: East European Politics &Societies Politics European East Totalitarian Dictatorship and Autocracy Gender &Society Gender 106 3 (2008). Social Politics: International Studies in 16, no. 2 (2002): 240-63. 2 (2002): 16, no. 3 (2008). 3, no. 2 (1989): 198-214. 2 (1989): 3, no. Revista deIstorie . Ithaca: Cornell University Anuarul Institutului de . Cambridge,Mass.: . Translated by . Translated . Bucuresti: . Berkeley: 33, no. 10 33, no. Anuarul CEU eTD Collection Romania), Comisia Prezidentiala pentru Analiza Dictaturii Comuniste din Romania (The Presidential to Terms thePetrescu, and with Past:ACritical DragosPetrescu.Vs. Coming Cristina, "Mastering Patrikeeff, Felix. "Stalinism, Totalitarian Society and the Politics of "Perfect Control"." In Ohio Dissertation, "Serving WomenandtheState: TheLeagueof in Communist Poland." Women ———. of A. "ConstantConversations: Women Nowak, Basia Agitators in theLeague PolandDuring the Neuman, William Lawrence. "MotheringNeary, Rebecca Society:TheSocialist Balmas.Movementand Wife-Activists' theSoviet Levy, Robert. Koven, Seth,andSonyaMichel. Koven, andTwentieth- Nineteenth- in Citizen and Paradox-Subject A Modern "Introduction: Yanni. Kotsonis, Kotkin, Stephen. Tanase, Stelian. Gail.Kligman, Scott, James C. Kenneth. Jowitt, http://www.presidency.ro/static/ordine/RAPORT_FINAL_CPADCR.pdf fortheCommission Analysisof Communist Dictatorship "RaportFinal(FinalReport)." (2006), in. 2007. Press, University European Press/Central CEU York: New Budapest; 311-408. Apor, Studies inPost-Communist Eastern Europe of Analysis Post-Communist Romanian Historiography." In Stalinism 2004. University, State Stalinist Period." 1934–41." Life, of Daily Culture 2001.California Press, Boston, Mass.:Pearson, 2006. States 2000. Press;St. Martin'sPress, NewYork:Macmillan Kotsonis. Houndsmills; Hoffmann andYanni Russia."In Century 1995. University of California Press, 1998.University ofCaliforniaPress, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998. Press, University Yale Haven: New 1965 Gheorghiu-Dej Rule, 1948-1965) . Berkeley: University of California Press, 1971. Press, California of University Berkeley: . Ana Pauker : The Rise and Fall ofaJewish Communist . New York: Routledge, 1993. Routledge, York: New . The Politics of Duplicity :Controlling Reproduction in Ceausescu's Romania Seeing Like a State : How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed Magnetic Mountain : Stalinism as aCivilization , edited by Harold Shukman, 23-46. London: Frank Cass, 2003. Cass, Frank 23-46.London: Shukman, Harold by , edited Revolutionary Breakthroughs and National Development; the Case of Romania, 1944- Elite Si Societate : Guvernarea Gheorghiu-Dej, 1948-1965 (Elites andSociety: The Feminist Studies Feminist Russian Modernity :Politics, Knowledge, Practices Social Research Methods : Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches Mothers of a New World : Maternalist Politics and the Origins of Welfare The Russian ReviewThe Russian . Bucuresti: Humanitas, 1998. Humanitas, Bucuresti: . 31, no. 3 (2005): 488-518. 3 (2005): 31, no. , edited by Sorin Antohi, Balázs Trencsényi and Péter Trencsényi Balázs Sorin Antohi, , editedby 107 58, no. 3 (1999): 396-412. 58, no.3(1999): . Berkeley: University ofCaliforniaPress, . Berkeley, Calif [u.a.]: University of Narratives Unbound :Historical Unbound Narratives . , edited by David L. . Berkeley: Redefining . . CEU eTD Collection Zimmermann, Susan. "Gender Regime and Gender Struggle in Hungarian StateSocialism." in Hungarian andGenderStruggle Susan."Gender Regime Zimmermann, the During in Romania oftheSecondWorldWar theVictims "Remembering Petru. Weber, Verdery, Katherine, andGailVerdery, Katherine, Kligman."How Communist CadresPersuaded Romanian PeasantstoGive Tismaneanu, Vladimir. Târau, Virgiliu. "De La Diversitate La Integrare-"Problema Femeii" Si Instaurarea Comunismului inEuropa 1 (2010): 1-24. 1 (2010): Budapest, 2007. In the Country(1945-1950)." of Communisation University of California Press, 2003.University ofCaliforniaPress, up Their Land." up Their Universitara Clujeana,2002. CaseCentury: Studies) Femeii În România În Secolul In andEastern ofCommunism Europe. TheCaseofRomania)." in Central Installation XX : Studii De Caz (Woman'sCentrala Si De Est.Condition Cazul Romaniei (from Diversity to Integration-the in "Woman Question"the in the Romania of the Xxth Stalinism for All Seasons : A Political History of Romanian Communism East European Politics & Societies Politics European East , edited by Ghizela Cosma and Virgiliu Târau, 135-59. Cluj-Napoca: Presa Târau, 135-59. Cluj-Napoca: and Virgiliu Cosma , editedbyGhizela 108 25, no. 2 (2011): 361-87. 2 (2011): 25, no. Graduate Conferences in European History Aspasia . Berkeley: Conditia 4, no. .