Life Under Communism in Post-War Romania
Doctor Says Totalitarian Government Left a Lasting Imprint on Him
Aug 2, 2009
Veleanu, now 73, settled in the United States in 1966. Having lived through major food deficits during World War II and its aftermath under communism, the retired OB-GYN physician hates wasting food and spending money needlessly on non-essentials. He's always on the lookout for bargains in food, clothing, cars and items for the home. "It could be called stingy," he says during a recent interview in his suburban New York home. "But , it's just an expression of learning how to survive under strong deprivation of life's essentials."
On the plus side, Veleanu says harsh life under communism made him resistant to adversity. He learned to be strong, not allowing life's challenges to get him down. "You learn to live with very little and not be angry about that."
The Propaganda Machine
Veleanu says the communist People's Republic of Romania was installed in 1948, following the pressured abdication of former monarch King Michael. Tied to the Soviet Union, whose leadership was pulling the strings, Romanian Communist party leaders assured the populace conditions would vastly improve. The propaganda machine promised adequate supplies of food and fuel, free medical care, guaranteed work and pension at retirement age. These assurances were enthusiastically greeted by Romanian citizens who suffered greatly during World War II.
Romania's Plight Under DictatorshipIt didn't take long for reality to sink in," he says. Soon after, a complete political and social transformation swept throughout the country. Romania's former non-communist leaders were arrested, imprisoned and many executed. Private industry was nationalized and collectivization of farmlands was established. Individuals could no longer own property other than a small piece of land surrounding their home. Farmers were told when, what and how crops would be planted and harvested. Everything was to be implemented according to plan.
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The country's borders were sealed, ensuring citizens would remain within the "iron curtain." No one could travel other than to other communist-bloc countries (Soviet Union, Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, Czechoslovakia, East Germany)."
There were now only government stores with prices set by the state, eliminating competition. Food soon became scarce and meat rarely available. People lined up early morning before work to buy limited food rations. It was first come, first served and foodstuffs sold out quickly. Some returned home empty handed. Luxury items like chocolate were almost impossible to procure. Rarely, when Veleanu's mother was able to purchase candy, he would divide it to make it last a month or two. "Any small piece I would suck slowly for a long time," he says. "Eating a piece of chocolate was like the biggest thing you could have in life."
Conditions got worse from one year to the next. "The government's grip of power became stronger and stronger, and people were afraid of everything," he says. "Life was miserable." In order to impose allegiance to the government, a policy of terror was instituted, with security police arresting people in the middle of the night. Those arrested were often accused of publically criticizing the government or its leaders. Children were encouraged, as their patriotic duty, to report to teachers what parents discussed at home. All publications from Western countries were banned, isolating the populace from outside influences.
Veleanu's parents, both accountants, were fortunate enough to work within the hierarchy of their state-run companies. However, as owners of a home larger than the norm, they were forced to sublet part of it to another family. Kitchen and bathroom were now shared with strangers. "We were afraid to say anything or talk to anyone other than immediate family members," he says.
Veleanu entered medical school in Bucharest in 1953, studying there until 1959. As their standard of living continued to drop, the family decided to apply for exit permits to France. It was Veleanu's final year of medical school, and he hoped to practice medicine abroad. When it was learned that the family applied for these documents, he was expelled from medical school, three months short of graduation. Says Veleanu, "They told me the People's Republic of Romania does not prepare medical specialists for capitalist countries."
Their exit permits did not materialize for another year-and-a-half, during which time he worked as a nurse. It was a difficult job to get. Once word got around that he was expelled from medical school, no one would hire him. He secured the nursing job only after bribing a communist official.
The family was able to leave the country in August 1960. Their home was confiscated by the government with no compensation for it. When leaving, they were not allowed to take any Romanian money with them and only 60 kilograms of goods, mostly clothing.
Their Yoke of Communism is Lifted
They left Bucharest by train on a route that included a stop in Budapest, Hungary. Because of Hungary's communist ties, the family feared for its safety until the train crossed the Austrian border. "We embraced each other and felt like we reached heaven," he says. "We were finally free."
Veleanu and his parents arrived in France where they stayed for a month, then decided to emigrate to Israel where they had family. He graduated Hadassah Medical School/Hebrew University in Jerusalem in 1962, followed by a medical internship and stint in the Israeli Army. After his 1966 arrival in the United States, where he served another internship plus residency (interspersed with service in the U.S. Army), he established a medical practice in Cortland, N.Y. and later Newburgh, N.Y. Veleanu retired from medical practice in 1998.
"Communism was a prison for the mind of all under its grip," he says. "When communism fell in the Eastern-bloc countries, I felt a lot of satisfaction. Ex-Soviet rulers introduced some kind of democracy in countries where such rules were nonexistent for many years."
