Teohari Georgescu
Encyclopedia
Teohari Georgescu was a high-ranking member of the Romanian Communist Party
.
, he was the third of seven children of Constantin and Aneta Georgescu. Georgescu, whose formal education ended after the fourth grade, began his career as an assistant in his father's store. In 1923, he was sent to the main printing house in Bucharest
, Cartea Românească, to apprentice as a typesetter
. Three years later, his father now dead, he joined the Gutenberg printers' union and secretly began to read Communist leaflets. He soon joined the Communist party, then illegal. He became a member of the party's Central Committee and its Secretariat, participating in secret meetings, organising strikes, and spreading leaflets. Siguranţa Statului, the Kingdom of Romania
's secret services, began to keep an eye on him, and he was first arrested in 1933 for authoring leaflets that were spread in the typesetters' room at Cartea Românească. A young and capable lawyer, Iosif Schraer, ensured that Georgescu was released after only two months in prison and a few beatings.
Further arrests followed; finally, after being detained in April 1941, the next month he was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment at Caransebeş
. Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej
named him leader of the prison's communist group before being transferred to Târgu Jiu
prison in 1943. He was released after the arrival of the Red Army
in 1944, and at Ana Pauker
's suggestion he became undersecretary of state at the Ministry of Interior
on November 4. He was well-qualified for the clandestine work the job required: in 1940, in Moscow
, Georgescu had received training, coordinated by Georgi Dimitrov
, from NKVD
agents; he learned both the secret code for corresponding with the Comintern
and a special technique for writing its messages on glass. In Bucharest he communicated, either directly or through Gheorghe Pintilie
, with General Dmitri Fedichkin, a Soviet adviser who gave him orders to infiltrate and Sovietize
the security services: Siguranţa Statului, Jandarmeria and Serviciul Special de Informaţii.
As a reward for accomplishing this mission, Georgescu was promoted to Minister of Interior once Petru Groza
's government took power on March 6, 1945. He also served on the Politburo, was the Secretary of the Party's Central Committee, and ran the United Workers' Front, which coordinated the handling of the social democrats
and party cadres.
One of the chief figures responsible for the destruction of Romania's interwar political élite, Georgescu was a fanatical communist who ruthlessly applied terror toward any form of opposition. As Minister of Interior he contributed to the country's Sovietization, to the persecution of the peasants and to the establishment of a system of concentration camps in Romania. Along with Gheorghiu-Dej, Pauker and Vasile Luca
, he was part of the ruling quartet responsible for the implementation of the Soviet strategy of imposing communism on Romania. Their role was encapsulated in the propaganda slogan, "Ana, Luca, Teo, Dej / Bagă spaima în burgheji — Ana, Luca, Teo[hari], Dej / Scare the bourgeois".
In January 1952, General Secretary
Gheorghiu-Dej traveled to Moscow
to seek Joseph Stalin
's approval for purging the leadership of the Romanian Communist Party, accusing Pauker, Luca, and Georgescu of fomenting factional intrigue; Vyacheslav Molotov
intervened on behalf of Pauker, whereas Lavrentiy Beria
defended Georgescu Together with Pauker and Luca, Georgescu was purged at the plenum of May 26-27, 1952, simultaneously accused of left-wing and right-wing deviationism
. He was also accused of a conciliatory stance regarding Luca's deviation and, ironically, of insufficient militancy against the class enemy and revolutionary vigilance. He was thus dismissed from his ministerial post on May 28, losing all his other party and state posts as well: vice-premier, member of the secretariat, politburo and orgburo. Unlike the other two, he had not spent World War II
in Moscow, but the Comintern
's suggestion in 1940 that Georgescu be made General Secretary kept Gheorghiu-Dej wary of his influence. Furthermore, as Luca and Pauker began to fall from grace in early 1952 (their fate having been decided in Moscow), he made the mistake of standing by them. Initially "assigned to work at a lower level", he was arrested on February 18, 1953 and investigated by his former subordinates at the Securitate
for three years. At one point, his wife and two children (one of them an infant) were arrested in order to induce him to give evidence against Lucreţiu Pătrăşcanu
. He confessed guilt to all charges but was nevertheless released in April 1956.
Georgescu returned to his old workplace, Cartea Românească, now called "Întreprinderea 13 Decembrie", first working as a proofreader and then being appointed manager before retiring in 1963 on a 2400-leu
pension. After Nicolae Ceauşescu
came to power, he was rehabilitated at the April 1968 plenary. He was appointed candidate member of the Central Committee at the party's 1972 national conference, holding the post until 1974. He died in obscurity; after cremation
, his ashes were placed in the Monument of the Heroes for the Freedom of the People and of the Motherland, for Socialism in Bucharest's Carol Park
, being removed after the Romanian Revolution of 1989
.
Romanian Communist Party
The Romanian Communist Party was a communist political party in Romania. Successor to the Bolshevik wing of the Socialist Party of Romania, it gave ideological endorsement to communist revolution and the disestablishment of Greater Romania. The PCR was a minor and illegal grouping for much of the...
.
Life
Born in BacăuBacau
Bacău is the main city in Bacău County, Romania. It covers a land surface of 43 km², and, as of January 1, 2009, has an estimated population of 177,087. The city is situated in the historical region of Moldavia, at the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains, and on the Bistriţa River...
, he was the third of seven children of Constantin and Aneta Georgescu. Georgescu, whose formal education ended after the fourth grade, began his career as an assistant in his father's store. In 1923, he was sent to the main printing house in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, Cartea Românească, to apprentice as a typesetter
Typesetting
Typesetting is the composition of text by means of types.Typesetting requires the prior process of designing a font and storing it in some manner...
. Three years later, his father now dead, he joined the Gutenberg printers' union and secretly began to read Communist leaflets. He soon joined the Communist party, then illegal. He became a member of the party's Central Committee and its Secretariat, participating in secret meetings, organising strikes, and spreading leaflets. Siguranţa Statului, the Kingdom of Romania
Kingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania was the Romanian state based on a form of parliamentary monarchy between 13 March 1881 and 30 December 1947, specified by the first three Constitutions of Romania...
's secret services, began to keep an eye on him, and he was first arrested in 1933 for authoring leaflets that were spread in the typesetters' room at Cartea Românească. A young and capable lawyer, Iosif Schraer, ensured that Georgescu was released after only two months in prison and a few beatings.
Further arrests followed; finally, after being detained in April 1941, the next month he was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment at Caransebeş
Caransebes
Caransebeş is a city in Caraş-Severin County, part of the Banat region in southwestern Romania. It is located at the confluence of the river Timiş with the river Sebeş, the latter coming from the Ţarcu Mountains. To the west, it is in direct contact with the Banat hills...
. Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej
Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej
Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej was the Communist leader of Romania from 1948 until his death in 1965.-Early life:Gheorghe was the son of a poor worker, Tănase Gheorghiu, and his wife Ana. Gheorghiu-Dej joined the Communist Party of Romania in 1930...
named him leader of the prison's communist group before being transferred to Târgu Jiu
Târgu Jiu
Târgu Jiu is the capital of Gorj County, Oltenia, Romania. It is situated on the Southern Sub-Carpathians, on the banks of the river Jiu. Eight villages are administered by the city: Bârseşti, Drăgoeni, Iezureni, Polata, Preajba Mare, Româneşti, Slobozia and Ursaţi.-History:The city takes its name...
prison in 1943. He was released after the arrival of the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
in 1944, and at Ana Pauker
Ana Pauker
Ana Pauker was a Romanian communist leader and served as the country's foreign minister in the late 1940s and early 1950s...
's suggestion he became undersecretary of state at the Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Administration and Interior of Romania
The Ministry of Administration and Interior of Romania is one of the fifteen ministries of the Government of Romania.From 23 August 1944 to 18 March 1975 the minister held the title of Minister of Internal Affairs, between 2004 and 2007, held the title of Minister of Administration and Interior,...
on November 4. He was well-qualified for the clandestine work the job required: in 1940, in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Georgescu had received training, coordinated by Georgi Dimitrov
Georgi Dimitrov
Georgi Dimitrov Mikhaylov , also known as Georgi Mikhaylovich Dimitrov , was a Bulgarian Communist politician...
, from NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
agents; he learned both the secret code for corresponding with the Comintern
Comintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern, also known as the Third International, was an international communist organization initiated in Moscow during March 1919...
and a special technique for writing its messages on glass. In Bucharest he communicated, either directly or through Gheorghe Pintilie
Gheorghe Pintilie
Gheorghe Pintilie , was a Soviet intelligence agent, Romanian communist activist, and the first Director of the Securitate...
, with General Dmitri Fedichkin, a Soviet adviser who gave him orders to infiltrate and Sovietize
Sovietization
Sovietization is term that may be used with two distinct meanings:*the adoption of a political system based on the model of soviets .*the adoption of a way of life and mentality modelled after the Soviet Union....
the security services: Siguranţa Statului, Jandarmeria and Serviciul Special de Informaţii.
As a reward for accomplishing this mission, Georgescu was promoted to Minister of Interior once Petru Groza
Petru Groza
Petru Groza was a Romanian politician, best known as the Prime Minister of the first Communist Party-dominated governments under Soviet occupation during the early stages of the Communist regime in Romania....
's government took power on March 6, 1945. He also served on the Politburo, was the Secretary of the Party's Central Committee, and ran the United Workers' Front, which coordinated the handling of the social democrats
Romanian Social Democratic Party (defunct)
The Romanian Social Democratic Party was a social-democratic political party in Romania. It published the magazine România Muncitoare, and later Socialismul, Lumea Nouă, and Libertatea.-Early party:...
and party cadres.
One of the chief figures responsible for the destruction of Romania's interwar political élite, Georgescu was a fanatical communist who ruthlessly applied terror toward any form of opposition. As Minister of Interior he contributed to the country's Sovietization, to the persecution of the peasants and to the establishment of a system of concentration camps in Romania. Along with Gheorghiu-Dej, Pauker and Vasile Luca
Vasile Luca
Vasile Luca was an Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian and Soviet communist politician, a leading member of the Romanian Communist Party from 1945 and until his imprisonment in the 1950s...
, he was part of the ruling quartet responsible for the implementation of the Soviet strategy of imposing communism on Romania. Their role was encapsulated in the propaganda slogan, "Ana, Luca, Teo, Dej / Bagă spaima în burgheji — Ana, Luca, Teo[hari], Dej / Scare the bourgeois".
In January 1952, General Secretary
General Secretary
The office of general secretary is staffed by the chief officer of:*The General Secretariat for Macedonia and Thrace, a government agency for the Greek regions of Macedonia and Thrace...
Gheorghiu-Dej traveled to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
to seek Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
's approval for purging the leadership of the Romanian Communist Party, accusing Pauker, Luca, and Georgescu of fomenting factional intrigue; Vyacheslav Molotov
Vyacheslav Molotov
Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov was a Soviet politician and diplomat, an Old Bolshevik and a leading figure in the Soviet government from the 1920s, when he rose to power as a protégé of Joseph Stalin, to 1957, when he was dismissed from the Presidium of the Central Committee by Nikita Khrushchev...
intervened on behalf of Pauker, whereas Lavrentiy Beria
Lavrentiy Beria
Lavrentiy Pavlovich Beria was a Georgian Soviet politician and state security administrator, chief of the Soviet security and secret police apparatus under Joseph Stalin during World War II, and Deputy Premier in the postwar years ....
defended Georgescu Together with Pauker and Luca, Georgescu was purged at the plenum of May 26-27, 1952, simultaneously accused of left-wing and right-wing deviationism
Deviationism
A deviationist is a person who expresses a deviation: an abnormality or departure. In Stalinist Communism deviationism is an expressed belief which is not in accordance with official party doctrine for the time and area. Accusations of deviationism often led to purges...
. He was also accused of a conciliatory stance regarding Luca's deviation and, ironically, of insufficient militancy against the class enemy and revolutionary vigilance. He was thus dismissed from his ministerial post on May 28, losing all his other party and state posts as well: vice-premier, member of the secretariat, politburo and orgburo. Unlike the other two, he had not spent World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in Moscow, but the Comintern
Comintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern, also known as the Third International, was an international communist organization initiated in Moscow during March 1919...
's suggestion in 1940 that Georgescu be made General Secretary kept Gheorghiu-Dej wary of his influence. Furthermore, as Luca and Pauker began to fall from grace in early 1952 (their fate having been decided in Moscow), he made the mistake of standing by them. Initially "assigned to work at a lower level", he was arrested on February 18, 1953 and investigated by his former subordinates at the Securitate
Securitate
The Securitate was the secret police agency of Communist Romania. Previously, the Romanian secret police was called Siguranţa Statului. Founded on August 30, 1948, with help from the Soviet NKVD, the Securitate was abolished in December 1989, shortly after President Nicolae Ceaușescu was...
for three years. At one point, his wife and two children (one of them an infant) were arrested in order to induce him to give evidence against Lucreţiu Pătrăşcanu
Lucretiu Patrascanu
Lucreţiu Pătrăşcanu was a Romanian communist politician and leading member of the Communist Party of Romania , also noted for his activities as a lawyer, sociologist and economist. For a while, he was a professor at Bucharest University...
. He confessed guilt to all charges but was nevertheless released in April 1956.
Georgescu returned to his old workplace, Cartea Românească, now called "Întreprinderea 13 Decembrie", first working as a proofreader and then being appointed manager before retiring in 1963 on a 2400-leu
Romanian leu
The leu is the currency of Romania. It is subdivided into 100 bani . The name of the currency means "lion". On 1 July 2005, Romania underwent a currency reform, switching from the previous leu to a new leu . 1 RON is equal to 10,000 ROL...
pension. After Nicolae Ceauşescu
Nicolae Ceausescu
Nicolae Ceaușescu was a Romanian Communist politician. He was General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and as such was the country's second and last Communist leader...
came to power, he was rehabilitated at the April 1968 plenary. He was appointed candidate member of the Central Committee at the party's 1972 national conference, holding the post until 1974. He died in obscurity; after cremation
Cremation in Romania
The 20th century history of cremation in Romania began in 1923, when the Romanian Cremation Society, called Cenuşa , was formed. In February 1928, the Bucharest Crematorium, also called Cenuşa, began operations. It cremated 262 corpses that year, the figure rising to 602 in 1934...
, his ashes were placed in the Monument of the Heroes for the Freedom of the People and of the Motherland, for Socialism in Bucharest's Carol Park
Carol Park
Carol Park is a public park in Bucharest, Romania, named after King Carol I of Romania. For the duration of the communist regime, it was called Liberty Park ....
, being removed after the Romanian Revolution of 1989
Romanian Revolution of 1989
The Romanian Revolution of 1989 was a series of riots and clashes in December 1989. These were part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several Warsaw Pact countries...
.