- Romanian Social Democratic Party (defunct)
The Romanian Social Democratic Party (Romanian: "Partidul Social Democrat Român", or "Partidul Social Democrat", "PSD") was a social-democratic
political party inRomania . It published the magazine "România Muncitoare ", and later "Socialismul ", "Lumea Nouă", and "Libertatea".Early party
Created under the name of Social Democratic Party of Romania ("Partidul Social Democrat din România", "PSDR") in February 1910, it viewed itself as a successor to the
Romanian Social-Democratic Workers' Party , the latter having disbanded in April 1899 after a conflict between its reformist wing (deemed "generoşii" - "the generous ones"), which left in order to join the National Liberal Party, and the Marxist groups - which survived only inBucharest as the Socialist Union of Romania ("Uniunea Socialistă din România").The PSDR affiliated with the
Second International , and was noted for its activism in favor of thelabour movement and internationalistpacifism , as well as its denounciation of the Romanian campaign inBulgaria during theSecond Balkan War . These policies got the party banned when Romania enteredWorld War I (August 1916). Its members reunited after the war, and founded theSocialist Party of Romania (November 1918).Refoundation and World War II
The majority of the new party became increasingly favorable to the
Bolshevik option, reforming itself as the Communist Party of Romania ("PCdR", later "PCR"), in May 1921. A minority wing formed the Federation of Romanian Socialist Parties ("Federaţia Partidelor Socialiste din România"), which reformed as the "Social Democratic Party" in May 1927 and affiliated with the 2½ International. The leader of the PSD in the following period wasConstantin Titel Petrescu .In 1933, a communist-inspired group distinct from the PCdR left to form the Socialist Party ("Partidul Socialist", also known as the Unitary Socialist Party, "Partidul Socialist Unitar"), led by
Leon Ghelerter andGheorghe Popovici (and joined byGheorghe Cristescu ).Banned in 1938 by the personal
dictatorship of King Carol II, the PSD remained active in clandestinity, peacefully resisting to the rise ofFascism , condemning theIron Guard and theNational Legionary State proclaimed in 1940. With the ascendancy ofIon Antonescu and Romania's participation inWorld War II alongside theAxis Powers ("seeRomania during World War II "), the PSD, who remained favourable to the Allies, joined King Michael and other political groups in open resistance to the regime, becoming part of a clandestine "National Democratic Bloc" which included theNational Peasants' Party , the National Liberals, and theSoviet Union -backed Communists.In 1944, the PCR and the PSD formed a Singular Workers' Front ("Frontul Unic Muncitoresc"), which was meant to coordinate actions from the Left. The united fronts succeeded in overthrowing Antonescu's government on
August 23 , and backed the government ofConstantin Sănătescu which declared war on the Axis.Late 1940s
Subsequently, PSD entered talks with PCR representative
Lucreţiu Pătrăşcanu , leading to the creation of National Democratic Front ("Frontul Naţional Democrat", "FND") in February of 1945 (which grouped the two parties together withPetru Groza 'sPloughmen's Front ,Mihai Ralea 'sSocialist Peasants' Party , andMitiţă Constantinescu 's Union of Patriots). Meant as anelectoral alliance of the Left, the FND faced accusations from the PSD that it was becoming a tool for the PCR (especially after it had passed resolutions reflectingdemocratic centralism ); the PSD left the Front in October of the same year. An internal struggle ensued between the pro-communist wing and Titel Petrescu's supporters; Petrescu's faction (includingLazăr Măglaşu andIlie Mirescu ) left the PSD in March 1946 to found the Independent Social Democratic Party ("Partidul Social Democrat Independent", "PSDI"), which presented itself as an independent faction in the November 1946 general election - these were won by the FND after a large-scaleelectoral fraud engineered by the Groza government.Under pressure from the PCR to create "a single party
working class ", the PSD acceptedMarxism-Leninism and united with the Communists in February 1948, to create the Romanian Workers' Party ("Partidul Muncitoresc Român", "PMR"), official name of the PCR as the ruling party ofCommunist Romania until 1965 (when it returned to its former title). PSD members, including Titel Petrescu, where victims of political repression, and many died in communist prisons.Post-communism
After the Romanian Revolution of 1989, the party reformed itself under the name "Social Democratic Party of Romania", and rejoined the International. After entering alliances with the Democratic Party (forming "Uniunea Social-Democrată" during the 1996 legislative election), and taking part in the
Romanian Democratic Convention governments ofVictor Ciorbea ,Radu Vasile , andMugur Isărescu (briefly leading thecoalition government withAlexandru Athanasiu in 1999), the PSDR adhered to theSocial Democratic Pole of Romania , and fused into the Social Democratic Party onJanuary 16 ,2001 .A minority wing opposed to the merger survives as Partidul Social Democrat "Constantin Titel Petrescu".
Notable members
*Tiron Albani
*Vasile Anagnoste
*Ecaterina Arbore
*Alexandru Athanasiu
*Mihai Gheorghiu Bujor
*Traian Cercega
*Gheorghe Cristescu
*Sergiu Cunescu
*Stavri Cunescu
*Adrian Dimitriu
*Ioan Flueraş
*I. C. Frimu
*Leon Ghelerter
*Ştefan Gheorghiu
*Georgiu Gingăraş
*Enea Grapini
*George Grigorovici
*Gheorghe Homasca
*Tudor Ionescu
*Theodor Iordăchescu
*Iorgu Iordan
*Iosif Jumanca
*Mişa Levin
*Lazăr Măglaşu
*Dumitru Marinescu
*Ilie Mirescu
*Ilie Moscovici
*Constantin Motaş
*Alexandru Nicolau
*Gheorghe Nicolau
*Ion Pas
*Ana Pauker
*Constantin Titel Petrescu
*Iacob Pistiner
*Gheorghe Popovici
*Dumitru Popp
*Lothar Rădăceanu
*Christian Rakovsky
*Camil Ressu
*Emil Socor
*Barbu Solomon
*Max Vexler
*Şerban Voinea
*Ştefan Voitec
*Iancu Zissu External links
*ro icon [http://www.fisd.ro/PDF/110ani.pdf Social Democratic history at the PSD site]
*ro icon [http://www.unibuc.ro/eBooks/istorie/istorie1918-1940/4-10.htm PSDR program of 1927]
*ro icon [http://www.psd-ctp.ro/ Official site of Partidul Social Democrat "Constantin Titel Petrescu"]
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