Basic History
The Second Great War saw Oltenia conquered by Russia under the SNOR (for Sojuz Narodnogo Obnovlenija Rossii, "Union for the National Renewal of Russia") although they referred to it as "liberation." Radu, the previously installed Prince, had died under captivity by the White Army in 1941. Russian advisors installed the Regency Council, which was soon dubbed "white" in honor of their true masters. Although several Oltenians did in fact serve in the body over the years, most Regency members were Serbian or Hungarians.
During their rule, the White Regency caused much ethnic tension by favouring the Serbian population over the Romanian, and by using members of the Hungarian minority for the dirty work (secret police, etc.) in order to direct the population's hostility against the Hungarians and distract it from the Serbs and the SNOR itself.
During their rule, the White Regency caused much ethnic tension by favouring the Serbian population over the Romanian, and by using members of the Hungarian minority for the dirty work (secret police, etc.) in order to direct the population's hostility against the Hungarians and distract it from the Serbs and the SNOR itself.
While much of the nation's resources were allocated for internal security, the four decades of Snor-ist rule did see considerable repair and expansion of Oltenia's infrastructure. Several train systems were put into place while air travel was encouraged. Education, especially of the sciences, improved dramatically.
Crimes of the Regency
By any defintion, the Regency was repressive. Censorship was rigorously enforced, with any criticism of the government or of Russia stifled. Advancement in certain careers--such as teaching--was determined from Timişoara, with "loyalty" the determining factor.
By any defintion, the Regency was repressive. Censorship was rigorously enforced, with any criticism of the government or of Russia stifled. Advancement in certain careers--such as teaching--was determined from Timişoara, with "loyalty" the determining factor.
Imprisonment without trial was not the rule, but it was very common. Oltenian prisons were rightly feared--poor food, little sanitation, no medical help and hard labor were the norm, while guards were often selected for their brutality. Many preferred to be executed, which typically involved hanging.
Apart from general repression, there were also acts that could be considered atrocities. A synagogue certain dissidents were known to frequent was burned to the ground in 1963 while services were being held. The White Regency's secret police the Securitate ((official full name Departamentul Securităţii Statului, State Security Department) were widely blamed, not least because the fire brigade did not appear to battle the flames. Over twenty people died. Given how many records were destroyed in the final days before the Restoration, the truth may never be proven. But certainly throughout the Regency enemies of the regime could sometimes find themselves the victims of extremely violent, even grotesque crimes that would go unsolved.
Althought technically the organization that became known as the Securitate was formed at the end of the Second Great War, it did not begin to take its most-famous form until Lord Protector Petru Gheorghe Maurer appointed his protoge (and eventual successor) Ion Onătescu to become its Chief in 1958. It was Onătescu who re-organized the department and standardized its methods. These included a vast improvement in legitimate law enforcement, using increasingly modern techniques. Under Onătescu's administration, for example, forensic pathologists received far more training and authority. Weapons and their use were standardized. He also redesigned the departmental insignia.
The other side of Onătescu's influence the a vast expansion of the Special Security department, whose activities were designed to inspire genuine terror. Whereas Special Security had always been issued machine guns, for instance, he made sure they had armored vehicles and anti-tank weapons. But the real terror lay in what were dubbed "Extraordinary Operations Squads," whose memberships were considered top secret. These squads were responsible for intimidation of the regime's enemies. Among the methods used were murder, rape, arson, mutilation and simple assault.
Yet despite the deliberate policy of terror, there was surprisingly little doctrine behind it. Implied criticism of the Regime, call for greater freedoms and criticism of Russia were stamped out with brutal efficiency but rarely was anything specific offered to counter such. The White Regency had no real ideology other than progress for Oltenia and maintaining the current leadership. Historians speculate this was one reason Oltenia managed to be first nation to throw off the Snor-is yoke.
Structure
In practice, the Council functioned as a cabinet with a leader called the Lord Protector, but the actual leadership depended upon the position of individuals and the power such position bestowed. At least once a change of leadership was facilitated through assasination and once there was what amounted to an internal coup.
Positions in the Council even resembled a Cabinet, with Ministers appointed by the leadership to head government departments. Actual numbers varied between a dozen and thirty.
The ''Lord Protectors'' were:
Viktor Ionescu (1948-1953) was an Oltenian army officer who fought with distinction against the Prussians in the Second Great War, but did so after openly allying himself with the SNOR invaders of his native land. Ultimately this meant elevation to the position of Lord Protector, the official head of the Oltenian Regency Council. "Lord Protector" was a mostly-ceremonial position while held by Ionescu, a native Oltenian who could be seen leading the efforts to rebuild the country and broker some kind of fair succession to the principality. It would be inaccurate to claim Ionescu was simply a puppet, as was often enough the accusation, but his genuine authority was limited and the real leadership of the Regency resided (at first) with the Russian Advisors who commanded the occupying troops. Ionescu died due to complications from a perforated ulcer in 1953. The Regency made his state funeral a grand affair, and built a monument to him in downtown Timişoara. That monument, a statue of Ionescu in full uniform held aloft by two eagles and two bats, was destroyed by rioters in 1988. His body was exhumed from its resting place in 1993 and re-buried in his home town of Bacău. Viktor Ionescu is a distant cousin of the later Chancellor of Oltenia.
* Petru Gheorghe Maurer (1953-1964)
* Mihai Pauker-Dej (1964-1968)
* Ion Onătescu (1968-1979)
* Istvan Gheorghiu (1979-1987)
* Theodor Vadim (1987-1988)