| 18 YEARS ON FROM THE ROMANIAN ANTI-COMMUNIST REVOLUTION 20/12/2007 |
| (2007-12-20) |
| Last updated: 2007-12-21 17:50 EET |
The life of the first children born into the new democracy started at a time when a new page in Romania’s history was being written. Freedom, which for Romanians under Communism was the stuff of dreams, became a fact for these people. And this is due to the sacrifice of those brave enough to face the repressive dictatorship system.
The Romanian anti-communist revolution began on December 16th in the city of Timisoara, western Romania, and rapidly spread all over the country. On December 20th 1989, 100,000 people from Timisoara demanded the resignation of the communist regime in Bucharest. They proclaimed Timisoara a “Communism-free city”. The army and riot police cleared the streets, following three days of shooting at the crowds, which left scores of protesters dead. The people of Timisoara stayed the Opera Square until December 22nd, when protesters in Bucharest made dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife, Elena, flee the capital city.
Traian Vraneantu is one of the protesters who took to the streets of Timisoara:
“I don’t think the spirit of Timisoara could ever die out. Maybe it will fade away in the hearts of people who were not out in the streets, those days, in the hearts of coward people who stayed away. In my heart this will never die out, because I was there. I heard the sound of bullets whizzing past my head and I bore witness to many events.”
Traian Orban is chairman of the “Memorial of the Revolution” NGO:
“The Romanian anti-communist revolution is the alpha and omega, the beginnings of the new life we enjoy now. I am pleased with the way we are living, although I have some doubts about the way we are being led.”
While many of Romania’s citizens lived the revolution, as actual protesters, and others followed the events live on radio and television stations, the children who were born in freedom 18 years ago have knowledge of the events from history books and family accounts. For those children, December 1989 is not yet a time for analysis and assessments. However, 18 years after the fall of communism, some political analysts still view Romania as a frail democracy. They believe that although coming of age as a democratic state and being a member of the European Union, Romania has yet to be in tune with Europe.
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2025-04-03
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