Mass Culture Forged on the Party’s Assembly Line Political Festivals in Socialist Romania, 1948-1989 Oancea Constantin Claudiu Thesis submitted for assessment with a view to obtaining the degree of Doctor of History and Civilization of the European University Institute Florence, September 2015 European University Institute Department of History and Civilization Mass Culture Forged on the Party’s Assembly Line Political Festivals in Socialist Romania, 1948-1989 Oancea Constantin Claudiu Thesis submitted for assessment with a view to obtaining the degree of Doctor of History and Civilization of the European University Institute Examining Board Prof. Philipp Ther (University of Vienna/EUI) – Supervisor Prof. Maria Todorova (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) – Co- Supervisor Prof. Pavel Kolář (EUI) Prof. Bogdan Murgescu (University of Bucharest) © Oancea Constantin Claudiu, 2015 No part of this thesis may be copied, reproduced or transmitted without prior permission of the author Table of Contents Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 3 Chapter 1: Political Festivals and Political Rituals. A Conceptual Approach .................. 10 1.1 Preliminaries ........................................................................................................................................10 1.2 Methodological Challenges .................................................................................................................12 1.3 Rituals and Political Rituals ................................................................................................................20 1.4 Festivals and Political Festivals ...........................................................................................................22 1.5 Political Rituals and Political Festivals ...............................................................................................23 1.6 Functions of Political Festivals ............................................................................................................25 1.7. Conclusions ........................................................................................................................................26 Chapter 2: Political Festivals in the 1950s and 1960s ...................................................... 28 2.1. Preliminaries .......................................................................................................................................28 2.2. Historiography ....................................................................................................................................28 2.3. Mass Culture in socialist Romania in the 1950s and 1960s. Institutional Aspects .............................36 2.4. Financial Aspects ................................................................................................................................38 2.5. Ideology and Policies..........................................................................................................................40 2.6. Reactions to Official Cultural Policies. The Case Study of Cornel Chiriac .......................................48 Chapter 3: Forging Culture within Song of Romania (1976-1989) .................................. 53 3.1. Preliminaries .......................................................................................................................................53 3.2. Official Sources ..................................................................................................................................55 3.3. Political Festivals in Socialist Romania: Song of Romania ................................................................58 3.4. The Role of the Masses in Song of Romania ......................................................................................66 3.5. Leader and Commemoration ..............................................................................................................68 3.6. Political Rituals ..................................................................................................................................72 3.7. Concluding Remarks ..........................................................................................................................73 Chapter 4: Oral History: Theoretical and Methodological Considerations ...................... 75 4.1. Preliminaries .......................................................................................................................................75 4.2. Memory and Memories ......................................................................................................................78 4.3. The Usage of Oral History in Construing Memories ..........................................................................84 4.4. Political Festivals in Socialist Romania and their Oral Histories .......................................................88 Chapter 5: The Town Case Study: Câmpina .................................................................... 90 5.1. Preliminaries .......................................................................................................................................90 5.2. Organizers...........................................................................................................................................94 5.3. Organizing Participants ......................................................................................................................98 5.4. Participants .......................................................................................................................................101 5.4.1. Active Participants .....................................................................................................................102 5.4.2. Passive Participants ...................................................................................................................104 5.5. By-Standers ......................................................................................................................................108 5.6. Conclusions ......................................................................................................................................110 5.7. List of Annexes to Chapter 5 ............................................................................................................112 Chapter 6: The Village Case Study: Tâmboieşti ............................................................ 126 6.1. Preliminaries .....................................................................................................................................126 6.2. Organizers.........................................................................................................................................129 6.3. Organizing Participants ....................................................................................................................131 6.4. Participants .......................................................................................................................................134 6.4.1. Active Participants .....................................................................................................................134 6.4.2. Passive Participants ...................................................................................................................137 6.5. By-standers .......................................................................................................................................138 6.6. Conclusions ......................................................................................................................................138 6.7. List of Annexes to Chapter 6 ............................................................................................................141 Chapter 7: Remaining Local in the Center: Political Festivals and Oral Histories in Bucharest ........................................................................................................................ 151 7.1. Preliminaries .....................................................................................................................................151 7.2. Bucharest. A Brief History ...............................................................................................................152 7.3. Interviewees of Bucharest and Their Recollections ..........................................................................159 7.4. Organizing Participants ....................................................................................................................160 7.5. Active Participants ............................................................................................................................163 7.6. Passive Participants ..........................................................................................................................165 7.7. By-Standers ......................................................................................................................................174 7.8. Concluding Remarks ........................................................................................................................177 7.9. Annexes to Chapter 7 .......................................................................................................................181 Conclusions ....................................................................................................................