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> Romania isn't terrified of Russia. Russophobia is a relatively recent fear in the general population caused by years of media propaganda. Absolutely not true

by dvt 5y ago

> Romania isn't terrified of Russia. Russophobia is a relatively recent fear in the general population caused by years of media propaganda. Absolutely not true[1]. Soviet Russian-Romanian friction dates as back as early as the 70s, and let's not even talk about WW2. Soviets raping and pillaging Transylvania is well documented. [1] https://www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/the-soviet-romanian-clash-over-history-identity-and-dominion https://www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/the-soviet-romanian...

mhitza 5y ago
Romania had friction with many states for many reasons. I'm sure there was raping and pillaging during war in Romania, by the Russian army, just like I hear about rape happening in all wars. My grandparents stories around WW2 depicted Russia in a good light, thus experience might vary. Where we were taught to have beef with Russia, was on the large amount of gold/valuables we shipped there during WW2 for "safe keeping" and which were never returned back to us. The 90s romanian propaganda was against the west in general, and Hungary in particular. You see, even if Hungarians were the first to bring large convoys of humanitarian help in our country after our revolution, the politicians made sure to make Hungary a boogeyman that is trying to steal Transylvania from us and support separatist movement in majority ethnic hungarian regions. It's not a black and white kind of thing, and it seems that trade relationships also shape up the perception of those trading partners. Don't get me wrong, people's perception of Putin and his actions are mostly negative (we have our fair share of people that cling to the extremes).
- jacquesm 5y ago
  Maybe go and have a chat with your grandparents of what life was like as a vassal state of the Russians, the Ceaușescu years are something that Romania is effectively still recovering from.
  - mhitza 5y ago
    They've been dead for many years now. You tell me what life was like as a vassal state of Russia. Opinion on life during communism is very much a mixed bag. Depends who you ask. I don't know why people keep painting Romanian communism as a black&white kind of issue.
    - jacquesm 5y ago
      I wrote a bit about this: https://jacquesmattheij.com/a-western-kid-living-in-communist-poland/ https://jacquesmattheij.com/a-western-kid-living-in-communis... Imagine your friends informing on you to the secret police either because of ideological reasons, or simply because they want to get ahead in life and you're a convenient stepping stone. Imagine empty stores. Imagine family members taken in for 'questioning' never to be heard from again. Imagine winters without fuel. And so on... Really, the life in the countries that were plundered to power the failing economy of the USSR was pretty harsh, especially if you were smart and not part of the party. FWIW I love Romania, have lived in Bucharest for two years and have friends and family there. Enjoy your freedom, it was paid for in blood.
    - dvt 5y ago
      > Opinion on life during communism is very much a mixed bag. Depends who you ask. I don't know why people keep painting Romanian communism as a black&white kind of issue. Unless you were in the Communist Party, everyone hated the Ceausescu regime and it's absolutely NOT a mixed bag. I was born in 86, my sister in 90, and both of my parents fought in the Romanian revolution in Timisoara. I still remember yelling "Jos cu Ceausescu" and my parents telling me to be quiet; I also remember having to hide in our tiny apartment, and bullets flying outside; I was around 4 or 5. We're Christian, and my dad was interrogated by the Romanian Communist Secret Police many times (he was trafficking Bibles), and was also threatened with my murder and my (at the time pregnant) mom's murder. Putin is an extension of that same old Communist cancer that the Russian people need to excise. I have dual citizenship, and if the Russians stepped foot on Romanian soil, I would gladly pick up arms. And stop with the revisionist garbage, people literally died.
      - mhitza 5y ago
sofixa 5y ago
And you're forgetting the whole Bessarabia thing - Russia forced Romania to cede Bessarabia, them had to return it, then the Soviets did the same, and after the Soviet Union fell leftover Russians separated and blocked any discussion on the resulting country of Moldova from trying to merge back into Romania ( not saying everyone wants this, but Transistria blocked even the possibility of that).
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

by dvt 5y ago

mhitza 5y ago

Romania had friction with many states for many reasons. I'm sure there was raping and pillaging during war in Romania, by the Russian army, just like I hear about rape happening in all wars. My grandparents stories around WW2 depicted Russia in a good light, thus experience might vary. Where we were taught to have beef with Russia, was on the large amount of gold/valuables we shipped there during WW2 for "safe keeping" and which were never returned back to us. The 90s romanian propaganda was against the west in general, and Hungary in particular. You see, even if Hungarians were the first to bring large convoys of humanitarian help in our country after our revolution, the politicians made sure to make Hungary a boogeyman that is trying to steal Transylvania from us and support separatist movement in majority ethnic hungarian regions. It's not a black and white kind of thing, and it seems that trade relationships also shape up the perception of those trading partners. Don't get me wrong, people's perception of Putin and his actions are mostly negative (we have our fair share of people that cling to the extremes).

jacquesm 5y ago
Maybe go and have a chat with your grandparents of what life was like as a vassal state of the Russians, the Ceaușescu years are something that Romania is effectively still recovering from.
- mhitza 5y ago
  They've been dead for many years now. You tell me what life was like as a vassal state of Russia. Opinion on life during communism is very much a mixed bag. Depends who you ask. I don't know why people keep painting Romanian communism as a black&white kind of issue.
  - jacquesm 5y ago
    I wrote a bit about this: https://jacquesmattheij.com/a-western-kid-living-in-communist-poland/ https://jacquesmattheij.com/a-western-kid-living-in-communis... Imagine your friends informing on you to the secret police either because of ideological reasons, or simply because they want to get ahead in life and you're a convenient stepping stone. Imagine empty stores. Imagine family members taken in for 'questioning' never to be heard from again. Imagine winters without fuel. And so on... Really, the life in the countries that were plundered to power the failing economy of the USSR was pretty harsh, especially if you were smart and not part of the party. FWIW I love Romania, have lived in Bucharest for two years and have friends and family there. Enjoy your freedom, it was paid for in blood.
  - dvt 5y ago
    > Opinion on life during communism is very much a mixed bag. Depends who you ask. I don't know why people keep painting Romanian communism as a black&white kind of issue. Unless you were in the Communist Party, everyone hated the Ceausescu regime and it's absolutely NOT a mixed bag. I was born in 86, my sister in 90, and both of my parents fought in the Romanian revolution in Timisoara. I still remember yelling "Jos cu Ceausescu" and my parents telling me to be quiet; I also remember having to hide in our tiny apartment, and bullets flying outside; I was around 4 or 5. We're Christian, and my dad was interrogated by the Romanian Communist Secret Police many times (he was trafficking Bibles), and was also threatened with my murder and my (at the time pregnant) mom's murder. Putin is an extension of that same old Communist cancer that the Russian people need to excise. I have dual citizenship, and if the Russians stepped foot on Romanian soil, I would gladly pick up arms. And stop with the revisionist garbage, people literally died.
    - mhitza 5y ago

sofixa 5y ago

And you're forgetting the whole Bessarabia thing - Russia forced Romania to cede Bessarabia, them had to return it, then the Soviets did the same, and after the Soviet Union fell leftover Russians separated and blocked any discussion on the resulting country of Moldova from trying to merge back into Romania ( not saying everyone wants this, but Transistria blocked even the possibility of that).

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]