Nicolae
Ceauşceau
The
Romaniac
1918-1989
Day One:
Warm
up- Journal
Entry
Imagine you are a communist in the
1960’s. “What are your thoughts about Communism? What do you think about the
capitalist world?”
Activity
One- Think
Pair Share: Analyzing the Secret Police
In
groups of three to four, discuss the uses and disadvantages of laws and
political crimes such as the two in the passage below.
http://politicalpathologies.wikispaces.com/Ceausescu%27s+Romania
The
Romanian secret police was set up in 1952 under the name of Directorate of the
People’s Security (DGSP) or shortened to Securitate. The Securitate under
Ceausescu was one of the most brutal in Eastern Bloc at this time. The aim of
the Securitate was to inflict fear by spreading rumors of terror. People were
scared to do even the most irrelevant actions for if they were perceived by
Ceausescu as any form of opposition towards him they would severally punished.
An example of this is when a young woman was returning from her yoga class and
she was beaten up by the Securitate who afterwards informed her to stop practicing
yoga. She did so after realizing she was being followed. Of course the story
spread and practicing yoga was a known to be a political crime, which was
quickly discontinued. Another example of this is the typewriter law:
“The renting or lending of a typewriter is forbidden. Every owner of a typewriter must have for it an authorization from the militia, which can be issued only after a request has been made. All private persons who have a typewriter must, in the next few days, seek to be issued with such an authorization. Such a request, in writing, must be sent to the municipal militia, or the town or community militia, wherever the applicant happens to reside, and the following details must be supplied: first and second names of the applicant; names of his parents; place and date of birth; address; profession; place of work; type and design of the typewriter; how it was obtained (purchase, gift, inheritance); and for what purpose it was being used. If the application is granted, the applicant will receive an authorization for the typewriter within 60 days. On a specified date, the owner of the typewriter must report with the machine to the militia office in order to provide an example of his typing. A similar example has to be provided every year, specifically during the first two months of the year, as well as after every repair to the typewriter. If the application is refused, the applicant can lodge an appeal within in 60 days, with this local militia. If the appeal is dismissed, the typewriter must be sold within in 10 days (with a bill of sale) or given as a gift, to any person possessing the necessary authorization. Anyone wishing to buy a typewriter must first of all apply for an authorization. Anyone who inherits a typewriter or receives one as a gift must apply for an authorization at once. Defective typewriters which can no longer be repaired must be sent to a collection point for such material, but only after the typewriter’s keys, numbers and signs, have been surrendered to the militia. If the owner of a typewriter should change his address, he should report to the militia within five days.”
“The renting or lending of a typewriter is forbidden. Every owner of a typewriter must have for it an authorization from the militia, which can be issued only after a request has been made. All private persons who have a typewriter must, in the next few days, seek to be issued with such an authorization. Such a request, in writing, must be sent to the municipal militia, or the town or community militia, wherever the applicant happens to reside, and the following details must be supplied: first and second names of the applicant; names of his parents; place and date of birth; address; profession; place of work; type and design of the typewriter; how it was obtained (purchase, gift, inheritance); and for what purpose it was being used. If the application is granted, the applicant will receive an authorization for the typewriter within 60 days. On a specified date, the owner of the typewriter must report with the machine to the militia office in order to provide an example of his typing. A similar example has to be provided every year, specifically during the first two months of the year, as well as after every repair to the typewriter. If the application is refused, the applicant can lodge an appeal within in 60 days, with this local militia. If the appeal is dismissed, the typewriter must be sold within in 10 days (with a bill of sale) or given as a gift, to any person possessing the necessary authorization. Anyone wishing to buy a typewriter must first of all apply for an authorization. Anyone who inherits a typewriter or receives one as a gift must apply for an authorization at once. Defective typewriters which can no longer be repaired must be sent to a collection point for such material, but only after the typewriter’s keys, numbers and signs, have been surrendered to the militia. If the owner of a typewriter should change his address, he should report to the militia within five days.”
Activity Two-
“Create-A-Law”
In
the spirit of the secret police, make your own absurd law or criminalized
action, complete with justification, in the same group of three or four. Then, create
a short skit, 1-2 minutes long and act out your new law. Be creative in how you
present, and try to avoid having everyone get arrested.
Day One Homework-
Compare and contrast
In
1-2 paragraphs, compare and contrast what you have learned about the rise of Ceaşceau,
a communist dictator, with Hoxha (another communist), Franco (a fascist), and
Petain (another fascist). Mention specifically the effect of mentors and
allies. Be ready to discuss your thoughts in class as well.
Day
Two:
Warm Up-
Discussion
Discuss what you came up with for the
day one homework in your table groups, and look for common themes within all of
the dictators.
Activity One-
Caricature of Ceaşceau
Create a caricature of Ceaşceau, either
from the point of view of the Eastern bloc (positive) or the west (negative).
Use at least 5 symbols in your drawing. The drawing does not have to be of
Ceaşceau, but it must represent him.
Activity Two-
Act-it-out
Each table group
will receive a slip of paper with a time or scene to act out, using your
most outrageous accents. Go all out with your best accent like Russian,
Romanian, Southern, Jersey, English, or Australian!
Day
Two Homework-
Read and analyze
Read the following passage on
Romania’s foreign relations, and in 1-2 paragraphs, analyze why Ceaşceau was eager
to distance himself from the USSR.
Day
Three:
Activity One-
Journal Entry
Imagine
that you are a communist once again, but this time on December 17th,
1989, just after Ceaşceau’s speech at Timisoara. “How do you feel that Ceaşceau
has upheld your communist ideals? Should the country revolt and put a new
leader in his place?”
Activity Two-
Think Pair Share: Ceaşceau; delusional or narcissistic?
Read
the following article and discuss your thoughts on Ceaşceau’s oddities.
Nicolae
Ceausescu -- First Secretary of the Communist Party of Romania
Nicolae Ceausescu attained power in
1965 by becoming the first secretary of the Communist Party of Romania after
the death of his predecessor. Given that he was the leader of a late-bloomer
communist country, you wouldn't think he'd have huge delusions of grandeur.
You'd be wrong.
He called himself "Geniul din
Carpati" ("The Genius of the Carpathians"). He even made a
scepter for himself, prompting Salvador Dali to personally send a telegram to
him making fun of said scepter. Of course, the deluded Ceausescu had no concept
of satire and had Dali's letter published on the front page of the newspaper.
In 1980, Genius Ceausescu wanted a
palace to further cement his godlike status. He planned it smack in the middle
of the most historical part of town, and it required the destruction of 19
churches, six synagogues and 30,000 homes. Lauded as the biggest building in
the world after the Pentagon, the project was ambitious to the point of
stupidity. It cost Romania $10 billion and required a team of 700 architects.
Or, put it this way: After his death, the palace was used as Romania's
Parliament house ... and the entire Parliament is still only able to make use
of 30 percent of the space.
The thing is, the West was friendly
to Ceausescu because he was so crazy that even other communists hated him. The
British even knighted him,
and France granted him its Legion of Honor.
This only fed his mad delusions
(really not such a good idea to bestow knighthood on a dictator version of
Charlie Sheen), so he demanded that his nearly illiterate wife, Elena, be made
a member of the New York Academy of Sciences and the Royal Institute of
Chemistry. Back home, she was crowned
"Comrade-Academician-Doctor-Engineer," and top scientists had to
include her name in their research. He also proclaimed Nicu, his alcoholic,
womanizing son, to be a "scientist of international reputation" and alleged
that he had published several volumes on nuclear physics, proving to Romania
once and for all that studying hard will get you nowhere.
Ceausescu's utter obliviousness to
the world in general also led him to be oblivious to how much his people hated
him. In 1989, the entire country flipped out in an uprising. Ceausescu tried to
calm the crowds with one of his many stammering speeches, but it only made the
them angrier. Halfway through the speech, people started shouting and throwing
things.
Ceausescu was captured days later,
and in a hasty show trial, Ceausescu and his wife were taken outside and shot.
And just to add insult to injury, the queen revoked his knighthood.
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