Culture Under Communism in Arad After 1948

Discover Arad: a Hidden Gem of Central Europe by Gabriel Roman, Puskel Péter, Ujj János, Király András, Lehoczky Attila, Muntean Tibor, Matekovits M

Episode notes

The source, "Culture after 1948" compiled by Ujj János and translated into English by Gabriel Roman, details the systematic imposition of Bolshevik doctrine on Romanian society following World War II, focusing heavily on the suppression and control of cultural life in the western region of Arad. It explains how the Communist Party employed widespread censorship and established cultural committees to eliminate "bourgeois culture" and promote Soviet and "indigenous socialism" ideologies, particularly affecting minority groups like the Hungarians. The text further outlines the initial strict Stalinist period followed by a brief cultural relaxation after 1964, which ended with Nicolae Ceaușescu’s ideological theses and the subsequent rise of the personality cult. Fin ... 

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Keywords
Bolshevik doctrinesuppression and control of cultural lifeCommunist Partywidespread censorshipSoviet and indigenous socialism ideologies Nicolae Ceaușescu’s ideological thesesStalinist periodwriters, historians, and visual artistspreserve traditionsamateur cultural groups