Mihaela Barbieru

The Collectivization Process in Communist Romania: Ideology, Legislation, Repression, Resistance Mihaela Barbieru

The liquidation of private property and the establishment of socialist ownership over the means of production, collectivization of agriculture, planned development of the national economy were the basic principles of the communist regime?s establishment. In the scenario of agriculture?s collectivization, total war against land owning peasantry had to play the lead role in the establishment of socialist order and in building the ?new man?. Cancellation of links between individuals through the defeat of the resistance, destroying the three basic elements of the traditional social structure ? family, religion and the national culture, land confiscation, flagrant violation of fundamental rights were all forms of violation of human dignity that stopped, ultimately, the natural development of the Romanian society as a whole, through State terrorism represented by ?people?s justice? and secret police. This work is supposed to throw a light upon a black period in the history of Romania and should be especially useful to professionals in History and Law fields or to anyone else who may be interested in understanding the mechanisms of the Communist terror.