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Land Reform in Post-Communist Romania

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Land Reform in Post-Communist Romania THE RETURN OF THE PEASANT For Sam and little Milla The Return of the Peasant Land reform in post-Communist Romania A.L. CARTWRIGHT Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology Halle/Saale, Germany First published 2001 by Dartmouth Publishing Company andAshgate Publishing Reissued 2018 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN 711 ThirdAvenue, New York, NY 10017, USA Routledge is an imprint ofthe Taylor & Francis Group, an iriforma business Copyright © A.L. Cartwright 2001 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Publisher's Note The publisher has gone to great lengths to ensure the quality of this reprint but points out that some imperfections in the original copies may be apparent. Disclaimer The publisher has made every effort to trace copyright holders and welcomes correspondence from those they have been unable to contact. ISBN 13: 978-1-138-73425-8 (hbk) ISBN 13: 978-1-315-18734-1 (ebk) Contents Acknowledgements vi Note on Language, Measurements and Romanian Phrases Frequently Used viii List of Abbreviations ix 1 Introduction 1 2 The Land Question in the Formation of Modem Romania 12 3 Halting the Bolsheviks - Land Reform and Economic Development between the Wars 28 4 Laying the Ground - Post-war Land Distribution 48 5 Transformimg Private Property - Collectivising Techniques 1948-62 66 6 Rural Developments during the Golden Age of Multilateral Socialism: Decline and Fall 89 7 Rewriting History - Post-Communist Land Reform 106 8 Short Rulers and Lost Vineyards - Implementing Land Reform in Mir§id 131 9 Moving Boundaries - Implementing Land Reform in Plaie$ti 162 10 Conclusion - The Return of the Peasant? 197 Appendix 209 Bibliography 213 Index 222 Acknowledgements Thanks go to many people in England and Romania for helping me write this. At the University of Warwick, I was fortunate to have Dr Istvan Pogany as supervisor. Apart from having a vast knowledge of the region, he encouraged me to focus on the history of past land reforms as a way to understand the present. I want to convey my sincere thanks for all his help, direction and support. There were many others at Warwick too. The Wednesday Varsity group gave a stimulating and supportive research atmosphere, particular thanks go to Ken Foster for steering, Paul Street, Jayan Nayar and Andy Williams for livening, Reena for good comparisons, Coralie for her take on the world and Ralf Rogowski and Chris Godden for their capacity in general. Friends from earlier times made the passage from Masters to PhD a joint learning curve, so special thanks to Ian Bryan, Pete Langford and Satnam Singh for letting me share his desk space. Finally, I thank Ann Stewart, Andy Clark, Mike McConville, Graham Moffat for their advice and encouragement. The ESRC provided me with a very generous scholarship which enabled me to visit Romania on a number of occasions, the Law School at Warwick also provided me with research funds. I am grateful to both. Finally, for making the whole thing possible, hats off to the very wonderful Margaret Wright. My initial interest in the Romanian land question arose out of conversations with two Romanian friends, Simona Horincar and Ligia Tomayagi. Both taught me different sides of, what I initially thought, was a no-win situation. They helped me in my efforts to learn Romanian and the complexities of Romanian life. Ligia’s late mother, Mica, introduced me to her old colleagues at the Academy library in Cluj. In a way that was repeated time and again, I was put in touch with other friends and colleagues who helped with material, contrasts, accommodation, contacts and research assistance. Particular thanks go to Mihai Gherman for being an excellent, warm guide to Cluj, to Toader Nicoara for helping me gain access to the state archives, to the historians then at the Institute of History and Philosophy in Cluj - Remus Campeanu, Liviu and Virgiliu Tarau, Professors Gheorghe Cipianu and Vasile Vese. Finally I would like to thank Luciana Bal at the offices of the Open Society for her practical advice and encouragement. The fieldwork for this work benefited enormously from the research work conducted by seven students from the Institute of History and Philiosophy in Cluj. With the encouragement of Professor Vasile Vese, they gathered material from state and village archives and from older villagers. They also made many of the practical access and accommodation arrangements. Not only did their work make things more intelligible to me, I think that, at least for some of them, it opened up a new area for their own studies and opinions about peasants and rural life. For their enthusiasm, tirelessness and adaptability I would like to thank Florin Abraham, Janos Vajmar and Szilard in Mirsid, Attila Hunyadi and Silviu Taras in Plaiesti and in Pincota, despite its difficulties, Lucian Tol and Calin Morar. For her ability to translate, interpret, fix, gauge and still smile, special thanks go to Alina Gherga, for their hospitality, Maria Cheregi and the Mate family, and for their special witness, thanks to loan Roman, Miklos Szasz, Mate and Piroschaka Endre and the Mayor of Moldovenesti.Spor la treaba. In the final writing up stage, my father-in-law, Stephen Lycett gave enormous help. I am grateful for his patience on long week-ends, his stamina and his ability to transform some very lumpy clay. Any mistakes that might remain in the text are mine. Finally, for her insights, patience and all round soundness, my biggest thanks go to my wife, Sam. Te pup, draga. Note on Language, Measurements and Romanian Phrases Frequently Used Where I use the original Romanian words, I place them in italics. On the whole, the translations from Romanian to English were either mine or those of my interpreter in Romania, Alina Gherga. Although I translated Law 18/1991, I asked her to make the necessary corrections, and these were further checked with English speaking Romanian lawyers. In terms of the land measurements, there were various different units, and to make matters more complicated, there appeared to be regional and historical variations in the size of the units. Following David Mitrany, for onejugar, I take this to be equal to 57.54 square metres, while for one ar, I take this to be ten square metres. Glossary of Romanian Phrases Frequently Used Tar an - peasant Chiaburi - the derogative name given to richer peasants by the Communist Party. Although originally based on the amount of land owned by a peasant, in time, it was used more loosely to denote opponents of collectivisation Mijlocagi - those peasants who owned between five and fifteen hectares of land, the ‘natural allies of the working class’ Sdraci - The poorest group of peasants, that is those owning less than three hectares of land Boieri - Those landowners who owned the largest estates, over 500 hectares and usually encompassing a number of villages Mosieri - Landowners with estates of between 100-500 hectares Cartea Funciara - The Land Register Ar - 10 square metre Jugar -57.54 square metres Pile - influence over others, particularly those in authority Sistematizare - The planning programme introduced in the early 1960s that sought to reduce the differences between rural and urban life Comuna - a group of between six and seven villages making a single administrative area Intravilan - land situated within the central part of the village Extravilan - land used by villagers situated away from the central areas List of Abbreviations B.O. - Buletinul Oficial - Official Bulletin D. - Decret - Decree D.C.M. - Dispozifia Consiliului de Miniçtri - Provisions of the Council of Ministers D.M.A.D. Dispozifia Ministerului Agriculturii si Domeniilor - Provisions of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Provinces D.L. - Decret-Lege - Decree-Law H.C.M. - Hotarîre de Consiliului de Miniçtri - Decisions of the Council of Ministers L. - Lege - Law M. O.- Monitorul Oficial - Official Gazette 1 Introduction Every revolution has to deal with the past. Former rulers may be tried and forced to publicly confess to hitherto unsuspected crimes. If the struggle leading to the revolt was long or bitter, the new government may try to thwart acts of revenge by way of amnesties and truth commissions. Present needs often determine the way that governments confront past events: former leaders may have to be appeased, and their security forces incorporated into the structures of the new state. The speed of the collapse of Communist power in eastern and central Europe surprised many commentators, not least the fact that it was relatively bloodless.1 One by one the old leaders fell, and with them, the ‘leading role’ of the Communist Party. The opposition movements demanded many different things. Throughout the region, borders opened to allow the free movement of people on a scale not witnessed since 1945. In cities, towns and villages, the offices of the security services were sacked, in the process burning thousands of personal files along with heavy books of Party doctrine. And, for a couple of months at least, the empty shelves of the shops were filled with affordable produce. In the words of one historian, the events of 1989-90 represented a ‘return to diversity’ (Rothschild 1989). Not only was each country now free to determine its own alliances, economic systems and political institutions; it was also free to acknowledge its own distinctive past.
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