Romania: A Brief History

The people of Romania suffered for decades under a brutal communist dictatorship. Under communism it was the state's policy for everyone to work and to be told where to work. With a monthly wage set at roughly $80 a month, no matter if you were a doctor or factory worker, it was often difficult and most times impossible to feed and clothe an entire family. Older people speak of long lines and hours of waiting to receive one loaf of bread and a bone with barely enough meat on it for one person for one meal. The people were taken from their farms and homes and forced to live in "blocs" which are multi storied apartment buildings. Electricity, heat and water were controlled by the government. It was normal to go without these essentials for days at a time. It was also the state's policy for women of child bearing age to have a minimum of five to six children. Birth control was against the law. It was often difficult and most times impossible to care for the children. Over several decades, this created a society in which the concept of family was destroyed and children were seen as wards of the state. Children were given to the state run orphanages when it was too difficult for the family to care for them. In December of 1989 the people of Romania rose up in revolution, overthrowing the government and executing the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife on Christmas day. At the end of Ceausescu's reign, Romania was regarded as one of the most isolated and gutted of the former communist lands. Communist leaders retained positions of influence and power, but they were not prepared to transform a dysfunctional state-run dictatorship into a functioning free market economy. Romania continues to suffer under the harsh realities of a country trying to change to a free democratic society.

Romania has a socialized medical system. Due to the dramatic financial situation that the country is in, hospitals in only the major cities receive minimum support from the government. Regional hospitals suffer from the lack of adequate equipment of all types, have pharmacies with little in the way of medications and struggle to pay staff and employees on a consistent basis. Because of this, many doctors demand direct "gifts" from patients before services will be received. At the end of 1999 the Ministry of Health stopped the provision of dental care through this system. Due to this decision, dentists were forced to work in the private sector. Because of the economic conditions of the country a majority of dentists have moved to the major cities. Many have been forced to other means of employment or left the country to continue their professions.

Although it has been more than fifteen years since the fall of communism, with the exception of a few major cities, not much has changed. Because of Romania's economic situation unemployment is very high and the majority of families must decide what to pay for with what little money they have; food or utilities. It is not unusual to find families living in bare walled apartments or houses with no electricity or running water. In the larger cities, groups of street children live in the sewers or wherever they can to survive. This is a deadly problem in the winter time in Romania where the temperature can drop well below freezing for months at a time.

There is hope. Romania is making historic changes in many areas of government and law in order to gain membership into the European Union. Religious freedom is being realized for the first time in hundreds of years. A new flat tax has been implemented that reduced individual taxation from forty-five percent to sixteen percent allowing workers to take home much more of their hard earned wages which will make an impact in the economy.

The reality is that it will take decades before any meaningful changes will be seen in the towns and villages.