The League Against Usury ( ro, Liga contra Cametei, LCC, or ''Liga împotriva Cametei'', sometimes shortened to ''Liga Cametei'', "Usury League") was a
single-issue
Single-issue politics involves political campaigning or political support based on one essential policy area or idea.
Political expression
One weakness of such an approach is that effective political parties are usually coalitions of faction ...
, mainly
agrarian, political party in
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
. Formed in late 1929 as a political answer to the
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
, it involved itself in the fight against "
usury
Usury () is the practice of making unethical or immoral monetary loans that unfairly enrich the lender. The term may be used in a moral sense—condemning taking advantage of others' misfortunes—or in a legal sense, where an interest rate is c ...
" (or
predatory lending Predatory lending refers to unethical practices conducted by lending organizations during a loan origination process that are unfair, deceptive, or fraudulent. While there are no internationally agreed legal definitions for predatory lending, a 200 ...
), bringing together politicians on all sides of the political spectrum. Its prominent backers and activists included leftists such as
Nicolae L. Lupu
Nicolae L. Lupu (November 4, 1876 – December 4, 1946) was a Romanian left-wing politician and social physician. Originally a leader of the Labor Party, which was joined with the Peasants' Party, Lupu served as Interior Minister in 1919–19 ...
and
Ion D. Isac, independents such as
Pantelimon Erhan
Pantelimon Erhan (1884 – April/May 1971) was a Bessarabian politician and prime minister of the Moldavian Democratic Republic (1917–1918).
Biography
Pantelimon Erhan was born in 1884 in Tănătari, Căușeni District. He died in April or M ...
,
Stefan Frecôt,
Dumitru Pavelescu-Dimo,
George Tutoveanu
George Tutoveanu (born Gheorghe Ionescu; 30 November 1872–18 August 1957) was a Romanian poet.
Born in Bârlad, his parents were the Romanian Orthodox church singer Gheorghe Ionescu and his wife Catinca. He had five brothers and a sister, ...
and
Eraclie Sterian, and some affiliates of the interwar far-right. It also formed a unified cacus with
Jean Th. Florescu's ''Omul Liber'' faction and with
Simion Mândrescu's National-Radicals. The LCC channeled protest votes, and seemed to have gained sweeping popular support during the first year of its existence. It competed in this with fascist movements such as the
Iron Guard, ambiguously supporting
economic antisemitism
Economic antisemitism is antisemitism that uses stereotypes and canards that are based on negative perceptions or assertions of the economic status, occupations or economic behaviour of Jews, at times leading to various governmental policies and ...
—while being generally welcoming of
ethnic minorities
The term 'minority group' has different usages depending on the context. According to its common usage, a minority group can simply be understood in terms of demographic sizes within a population: i.e. a group in society with the least number o ...
other than
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
.
Although perceived as an upsetting contender, the LCC effectively seconded two small agrarian groups, the
Peasants' Party–Lupu and the
Democratic Peasants' Party–Stere. Under their auspices, it managed to obtain one seat in the
Assembly
Assembly may refer to:
Organisations and meetings
* Deliberative assembly, a gathering of members who use parliamentary procedure for making decisions
* General assembly, an official meeting of the members of an organization or of their representa ...
in the
election of June 1931. It originally formed part of the opposition to the government formed by
Nicolae Iorga
Nicolae Iorga (; sometimes Neculai Iorga, Nicolas Jorga, Nicolai Jorga or Nicola Jorga, born Nicu N. Iorga;Iova, p. xxvii. 17 January 1871 – 27 November 1940) was a Romanian historian, politician, literary critic, memoirist, Albanologist, poet ...
, and was treated with noted harshness by
Constantin Argetoianu
Constantin Argetoianu ( – 6 February 1955) was a Romanian politician, one of the best-known personalities of interwar Greater Romania, who served as the Prime Minister between 28 September and 23 November 1939. His memoirs, ''Memorii. Pentr ...
of
Internal Affairs. The authorities viewed it as a front for the illegal
Romanian Communist Party; communists rejected that claim in the 1930s, but some later came to agree with it. One of the LCC arrested for sedition, Aristică Magherescu, left the group to establish his own Ploughmen's Party of Greater Romania, alongside fellow defector Constantin Iarca.
The League's fiscal proposals were slowly embraced by Iorga and Argetoianu, who also drew former LCC cadres into their government team. While other LCC activists left the League to openly embrace fascism, Antonescu was unofficially backed by Iorga in their shared cause against the Iron Guard. Though involved in supporting continued
debt relief Debt relief or debt cancellation is the partial or total forgiveness of debt, or the slowing or stopping of debt growth, owed by individuals, corporations, or nations.
From antiquity through the 19th century, it refers to domestic debts, in particu ...
policies, the League took no seat in the
elections of July 1932, by which time it had split into three rival wings, respectively led by Antonescu, Isac, and Iarca. All groups found themselves opposed to the more orthodox economic policies advanced by Iorga's replacement,
Alexandru Vaida-Voevod
Alexandru Vaida-Voevod or Vaida-Voievod (27 February 1872 – 19 March 1950) was an Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian politician who was a supporter and promoter of the Union of Transylvania with Romania, union of Transylvania (before 1920 part of ...
, and some engaged in street battles with the
Romanian Police
The Romanian Police ( ro, Poliția Română, ) is the national police force and main civil law enforcement agency in Romania. It is subordinated to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and it is led by a General Inspector with the rank of Secretary ...
. In late 1932, shortly after attempting to form a larger Front for Urban Debt-clearance, the LCC finally dissolved itself, with the mainstream joining Argetoianu's own
Agrarian Union Party. Other groups still reclaimed the title into the mid 1930s, by which time Antonescu was returning to politics with another protest movement, called Guard for the Defense of Private Property. Magherescu sought to revive the LCC one final time in 1944, before allowing it to be absorbed by the far-leftist
Ploughmen's Front
The Ploughmen's Front ( ro, Frontul Plugarilor) was a Romanian left-wing agrarian-inspired political organisation of ploughmen, founded at Deva in 1933 and led by Petru Groza. At its peak in 1946, the Front had over 1 million members.
Histor ...
.
History
Creation
The LCC was created by the jurist Eftimie "Nolică" Antonescu with support from various politicians and journalists. Its constitutive congress was held at Antonescu's home in
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
on Saturday, August 17, 1929.
["Liga contra cametei", in '' Adevărul'', August 18, 1929, p. 2] According to one account, the movement may have had roots that predated the Great Depression: a League of the same name (later LCC chapter) was reportedly formed in 1928 by the
Gorj County landowner Alexandru A. Magherescu.
[''Politics and Political Parties...'', p. 477] Voted in as LCC president, Antonescu had first stirred controversy in 1918, when he acted as a prosecutor selectively investigating wartime abuse. His career in politics saw him crossing the floor: he had been a member of the
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
and
National Parties, and afterwards defected to the
National Liberal Party (PNL). Elected for the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
seat in Gorj, he had criticized the governing
National Peasants' Party
The National Peasants' Party (also known as the National Peasant Party or National Farmers' Party; ro, Partidul Național Țărănesc, or ''Partidul Național-Țărănist'', PNȚ) was an agrarian political party in the Kingdom of Romania. It w ...
(PNȚ) for its handling of the Depression, and also for its passage of multiple and conflicting laws.
By December 10, 1929, when it held its first meeting in
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
and agreed to petition government, the League counted on the allegiances of various other activists—including George D. Creangă, C. Filotti, Constantin C. Iarca, C. Saligny, and Marin Stănoiu.
["Intrunirea Ligei împotriva cametei. Moțiunea", in '' Lupta'', December 10, 1929, p. 2] The LCC's generic goal was the fight against "usury", structured into three lesser objectives: phasing out interest rates, canceling
foreclosure
Foreclosure is a legal process in which a lender attempts to recover the balance of a loan from a borrower who has stopped making payments to the lender by forcing the sale of the asset used as the collateral for the loan.
Formally, a mortg ...
s, and auditing the "usurers".
[Ioan Scurtu (ed.), ''Enciclopedia partidelor politice din România, 1859-2003'', p. 155. Bucharest: Editura Meronia, 2003. ] In one of it manifestos, the LCC demanded quick
state intervention and the reevaluation of interest at 1%;
[Clapa, p. 7] according to the peasants' own claims, interest rates could climb as high as 40% or even 100% in 1930. That year, Antonescu sent out a public notification to the Romanian Regents, who were looking after
King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
Michael I Michael I may refer to:
* Pope Michael I of Alexandria, Coptic Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark in 743–767
* Michael I Rhangabes, Byzantine Emperor (died in 844)
* Michael I Cerularius, Patriarch Michael I of Constantin ...
. The text, which later became the LCC's
producerist platform, spoke of bankers, civil administrators, and industrialists as "parasites", and called for
tax cut
A tax cut represents a decrease in the amount of money taken from taxpayers to go towards government revenue. Tax cuts decrease the revenue of the government and increase the disposable income of taxpayers. Tax cuts usually refer to reductions i ...
s on the less wealthy. A peasant militant from
Dolj
Dolj County (; originally meant ''Dol(no)- Jiu'', "lower Jiu", as opposed to ''Gorj'' (''upper Jiu'')) is a county ( județ) of Romania on the border with Bulgaria, in Oltenia, with the capital city at Craiova.
Demographics
In 2011, the co ...
detailed that agenda and proposed measures against the state apparatus, noting that a functionary could earn as much as 50 agricultural workers.
Historian Armin Heinen explains the economic mechanism leading to the establishment of the LCC as follows: "The
agrarian reform of 1917–1921 created a need for currency, which could only be supplied by bank loans. Agriculturists had contracted high-interest loans, either to compensate the former landowner or to furnish their new or extended property with basic supplies, or merely—given the entirely too small plots they were left for production—to ensure their living income. As an effect of the economic crisis, produce prices fell
.. The peasants could no longer make their payments, and consequently their properties were put up for sale." These issues were aggravated by Western
protectionism
Protectionism, sometimes referred to as trade protectionism, is the economic policy of restricting imports from other countries through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, import quotas, and a variety of other government regulatio ...
, which prevented exports, and by Soviet
predatory pricing
Predatory pricing is a pricing strategy, using the method of undercutting on a larger scale, where a dominant firm in an industry will deliberately reduce the prices of a product or service to loss-making levels in the short-term. The aim is th ...
, which reduced
demand
In economics, demand is the quantity of a good that consumers are willing and able to purchase at various prices during a given time. The relationship between price and quantity demand is also called the demand curve. Demand for a specific item ...
. As early as 1924, Stănoiu, who owned property in
Craiova
Craiova (, also , ), is Romania's 6th Cities in Romania, largest city and capital of Dolj County, and situated near the east bank of the river Jiu River, Jiu in central Oltenia. It is a longstanding political center, and is located at approximatel ...
, was accusing the PNL government of deliberately destroying
purchasing power
Purchasing power is the amount of goods and services that can be purchased with a unit of currency. For example, if one had taken one unit of currency to a store in the 1950s, it would have been possible to buy a greater number of items than would ...
and fostering
monetary instability, both of which ensured that Romanian capital was being lost, while foreign capital remained out of reach.
The Antonescu program, which argued that the conditions of capitalism had fundamentally changed, and that usury had come to interfere with all forms of production and investments,
["O intrunire la Galați a Ligii contra cametei", in '']Universul
''Universul'' was a mass-circulation newspaper in Romania. It existed from 1884 to 1953, and was run by Stelian Popescu from 1914 to 1943 (with a two-year break during World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbrev ...
'', January 9, 1930, p. 2 was met with skepticism by various other specialists. A ''
laissez-faire
''Laissez-faire'' ( ; from french: laissez faire , ) is an economic system in which transactions between private groups of people are free from any form of economic interventionism (such as subsidies) deriving from special interest groups. ...
'' economist, Al. D. Neagu, argued that the League presented "inefficient, unjust and momentary palliatives" to a systemic crisis, none of which could reactivate demand. Neagu also notes that the LCC's claims about usurers were largely dealt with by laws which limited
repossession, and that its program was "economically and morally unjustified". Jurist
Nicolae Dașcovici also suggested that measures such as those endorsed "by the League against Usury agitators" meant "a continuous and quickened fall of trust by the capital
arketand as such implicitly the worsening of credit ratings." The "one cure", he proposed, was "liquidating the insolvent".
Growth and eclecticism
Within months of its creation, the League enjoyed massive growth: on March 1, 1930, it reportedly mustered some 100,000 peasants for a demonstration in
Bârlad
Bârlad () is a city in Vaslui County, Romania. It lies on the banks of the river Bârlad, which waters the high plains of Western Moldavia.
At Bârlad the railway from Iași diverges, one branch skirting the river Siret, the other skirting th ...
, with
Romanian Army
The Romanian Land Forces ( ro, Forțele Terestre Române) is the army of Romania, and the main component of the Romanian Armed Forces. In recent years, full professionalisation and a major equipment overhaul have transformed the nature of the Lan ...
units being called upon to prevent strife. While increasing in numbers, the LCC endured as a complex and eclectic movement. The left-wing journalist
Petre Pandrea Petre is a surname and given name derived from Peter. Notable persons with that name include:
People with the given name Petre
* Charles Petre Eyre (1817–1902), English Roman Catholic prelate
* Ion Petre Stoican (circa 1930–1990), Romanian v ...
, who attended LCC meetings, saw the party as a "provisional alliance" of "the ''
kulak
Kulak (; russian: кула́к, r=kulák, p=kʊˈlak, a=Ru-кулак.ogg; plural: кулаки́, ''kulakí'', 'fist' or 'tight-fisted'), also kurkul () or golchomag (, plural: ), was the term which was used to describe peasants who owned ove ...
'' and the hired hand". Its sympathizers included
Nicolae L. Lupu
Nicolae L. Lupu (November 4, 1876 – December 4, 1946) was a Romanian left-wing politician and social physician. Originally a leader of the Labor Party, which was joined with the Peasants' Party, Lupu served as Interior Minister in 1919–19 ...
, leader of the
Peasants' Party–Lupu (PȚ–L) and a left-wing critic of National Peasantist economic policies. According to historian Pompiliu Tudoran, both Lupu and Antonescu's parties should be regarded as "center-left". Lupu played a noted part in setting up the League, but was not present for its constitutive congress, being held up by partial elections in
Hunedoara County
Hunedoara County () is a county ('' județ'') of Romania, in Transylvania, with its capital city at Deva. The county is part of the Danube–Criș–Mureș–Tisa Euroregion.
Name
In Hungarian, it is known as , in German as , and in Slovak ...
.
Attending the subsequent rally in December 1929, he explained that he did so "not as a politician, but as a defender of the debtors"; he also proposed translating the
German Civil Code
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
's Article 138 into Romanian laws.
According to Pandrea, Lupu had created around him a "popular myth" as a savior, but had never promised his peasant constituents any concrete form of
debt relief Debt relief or debt cancellation is the partial or total forgiveness of debt, or the slowing or stopping of debt growth, owed by individuals, corporations, or nations.
From antiquity through the 19th century, it refers to domestic debts, in particu ...
.
Lupu's faction within the LCC was represented by
Ion D. Isac. An educationist and decorated veteran, Isac was both the organizer of the League's branch in Gorj and chair of the national secretariat. Also joining the LCC in 1929 was a politically independent poet,
George Tutoveanu
George Tutoveanu (born Gheorghe Ionescu; 30 November 1872–18 August 1957) was a Romanian poet.
Born in Bârlad, his parents were the Romanian Orthodox church singer Gheorghe Ionescu and his wife Catinca. He had five brothers and a sister, ...
, who published denunciations of the bankers and stated that his party's mission was "to fight against suffering."
In May 1930, the LCC inaugurated in Bucharest its own political newspaper, ''Jos Camăta'' ("Down with Usury"). From November 14, it had Iarca as its editor. In late September, a "National-Radical Party", chaired by
Simion Mândrescu, adhered to the LCC platform; from October, the LCC had a chapter in
Bessarabia, supervised by
Pantelimon Erhan
Pantelimon Erhan (1884 – April/May 1971) was a Bessarabian politician and prime minister of the Moldavian Democratic Republic (1917–1918).
Biography
Pantelimon Erhan was born in 1884 in Tănătari, Căușeni District. He died in April or M ...
. Elsewhere, the League also won the adherence of Sterie Ionescu, who founded in
Caracal
The caracal (''Caracal caracal'') () is a medium-sized wild cat native to Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and arid areas of Pakistan and northwestern India. It is characterised by a robust build, long legs, a short face, long tufted e ...
the newspaper ''Desrobirea'' ("Emancipation"), "at the service of plowmen, traders, and the League against Usury". On November 3, 1930, the LCC had absorbed into it ranks
Eraclie Sterian's Association of Mortgaged Owners and Debtors. By 1931, it had a branch in
Năsăud County
Năsăud County is one of the historic counties of Transylvania, Romania. The county seat was Bistrița.
Geography
Năsăud County was located in the north-central part of Greater Romania, in the north of Transylvania, covering . Currently, the te ...
, with the mechanic Mihai Buta as one of its prominent members.
With its specific attacks on
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
creditors, the LCC also had radical-right tinges: Heinen sees it as an "antisemitic and markedly right-wing" party, or "protest movement". The LCC's branch in
Bukovina included a Colonel Ioan Niculcea, who also sympathized with the
National-Christian Defense League
The National-Christian Defense League ( ro, Liga Apărării Național Creștine, LANC) was a far-right political party of Romania formed by A. C. Cuza.
Origins
The LANC had its roots in the National Christian Union, formed in 1922 by Cuza and th ...
(LANC). In summer 1930, the latter movement had instigated "agrarian troubles of an antisemitic character", with Niculcea as an active instigator. In mid 1930, Niculcea was arrested alongside the LANC's
Nichifor Robu and Dumitru Scriculeac, a measure which only resulted in more confrontations between their supporters and
Romanian Police
The Romanian Police ( ro, Poliția Română, ) is the national police force and main civil law enforcement agency in Romania. It is subordinated to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and it is led by a General Inspector with the rank of Secretary ...
.
[Bruja, p. 241] However, as noted at the time by ''La Revue Slave'', the LCC also challenged the core antisemitic tenets, by showing publicly that the "usurers" were highly active in
Oltenia
Oltenia (, also called Lesser Wallachia in antiquated versions, with the alternative Latin names ''Wallachia Minor'', ''Wallachia Alutana'', ''Wallachia Caesarea'' between 1718 and 1739) is a historical province and geographical region of Romania ...
, where Jews were virtually non-present. In that region, the LCC was especially focused on denouncing the PNL's banking monopoly.
[Scrutator, "Situația actuală și roadele campaniei contra partidelor. Nihilism politic în mase, mari nemulțumiri în cadrele politice. Greșelile guvernului au creat o situație intenabilă", in '' Adevărul'', May 21, 1931, p. 6] Eventually, in 1931, a LANC newspaper warned voters that the League was a "wolf in sheep's clothing", and merely a front for Lupu's party.
In other contexts, the LCC was regarded as a quasi-socialist movement or a front for the banned
Romanian Communist Party (PCdR). In one report of January 1931,
Argeș County authorities denounced the LCC as a front for both the PCdR and the
Social Democratic Party
The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology.
Active parties
Fo ...
(PSDR). As Pandrea notes, Lupu was suspected of being a "
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
" by the banking lobby, but was merely a Romanian "
Kerensky", his policies ones of compromise with the lenders. At a January 1930 LCC rally in
Galați
Galați (, , ; also known by other alternative names) is the capital city of Galați County in the historical region of Western Moldavia, in eastern Romania. Galați is a port town on the Danube River. It has been the only port for the most par ...
, Lupu discussed Romania being "surrounded by enemies", and detailed his explicitly
anti-Soviet
Anti-Sovietism, anti-Soviet sentiment, called by Soviet authorities ''antisovetchina'' (russian: антисоветчина), refers to persons and activities actually or allegedly aimed against the Soviet Union or government power within the ...
position. He demanded an increase in military spending, noting that "the Soviets have over 3,000 airplanes and 40 toxic gas factories", with which they had intimidated the
Republic of China
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...
.
Claims of collaboration with the LCC were dismissed by both socialists and communists. In its manifestos, the PSDR, which sided with the PNȚ, wrote off the League and the PȚ–L as opportunistic movements, "created for the love of
pork barrels". A more radical position was taken by the PCdR, whose 1931 congress listed LLC among the "fascist and semi-fascist" organisations used by the bourgeoisie and landowners in order to channel the discontent of the masses.
Despite being joined by antisemites, the LCC was also open to members of various
ethnic minorities
The term 'minority group' has different usages depending on the context. According to its common usage, a minority group can simply be understood in terms of demographic sizes within a population: i.e. a group in society with the least number o ...
. Its regional chapter in the
Banat
Banat (, ; hu, Bánság; sr, Банат, Banat) is a geographical and historical region that straddles Central and Eastern Europe and which is currently divided among three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania (the counties of T ...
was led by
Stefan Frecôt, a dissident and French-speaking member of the
Danube Swabian community, who was also briefly the national LCC's Vice President. In Bukovina, where the LCC formed itself under the presidency of
Dorimedont "Dori" Popovici from May 1930, its affiliates included non-Romanians such as Carol Weltman, Victor Orobko, and Rudolf Müller. In September of that year, Popovici himself left the enterprise, accusing Antonescu of using the LCC to further personal ambitions; he won over the Association of Mortgaged Debtors, being elected as its chairman, and considered forming a nation-wide Federation of Taxpayers. In February 1931, worker András Bencze and three other
Székelys of
Lueta
Lueta ( hu, Lövéte, Hungarian pronunciation: ) is a commune in Harghita County, Romania. It lies in the Székely Land, an ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania, and is composed of two villages:
*Băile Chirui / Kirulyfürdő
* Lueta / L ...
joined the LCC chapter in
Rupea
Rupea (german: Reps; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Räppes''; hu, Kőhalom, lit=mound of rocks; la, Ripa) is a town in Brașov County in Transylvania, Romania. It administers one village, Fișer (''Schweischer''; ''Sövénység''), which has a fortif ...
—a move which reportedly led them to be persecuted by the
Romanian Gendarmes.
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
peasants were noted participants in Niculcea's anti-Jewish riot at
Seletin.
1931 election
The League acknowledged
Carol II
Carol II (4 April 1953) was King of Romania from 8 June 1930 until his forced abdication on 6 September 1940. The eldest son of Ferdinand I, he became crown prince upon the death of his grand-uncle, King Carol I in 1914. He was the first of th ...
's return to the Romanian throne, and "appealed to the sovereign that he take debtors under his protection." By January 1931, from their shared headquarters at Batiștei Street 17, the League and the Association of Mortgaged Debtors had inaugurated a large-scale awareness campaign. On January 8, Alexandru S. Zisu presided over the LCC public gathering in Bucharest, where he asked that the monarchy intervene to prevent the PNȚ government from acting on behalf of creditors; a
Teleorman delegate, Mavrodineanu, singled out ministers for indulging in luxuries at the taxpayers' expense, and for allowing "profiteering by the industrial cartels, thanks to whom we consume sugar at 42
lei per kilogram." Also then, Iarca announced that a peasant congress was being prepared. In March, the League and Association were at
agricultural show
An agricultural show is a public event exhibiting the equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. The largest comprise a livestock show (a judged event or display in which breeding stock is exhibit ...
s. These offered venues for airing LCC slogans, including: ''Dobânda este un furt ce nu trebuie plătit'' ("Interest is theft that we should not cover").
Carol toppled the National Peasantist cabinet in April, assigning
Nicolae Iorga
Nicolae Iorga (; sometimes Neculai Iorga, Nicolas Jorga, Nicolai Jorga or Nicola Jorga, born Nicu N. Iorga;Iova, p. xxvii. 17 January 1871 – 27 November 1940) was a Romanian historian, politician, literary critic, memoirist, Albanologist, poet ...
as his
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
. As the latter noted, the appointment coincided with great turmoil, during which the LCC was preparing "an actual peasants' revolt" at Gorj. The possibility of revolts was also raised by Pandrea, who recalled the "
1907 atmosphere" and "pre-revolutionary" feel of the LCC congress in
Craiova
Craiova (, also , ), is Romania's 6th Cities in Romania, largest city and capital of Dolj County, and situated near the east bank of the river Jiu River, Jiu in central Oltenia. It is a longstanding political center, and is located at approximatel ...
. According to journalist Calman Blumenfeld-Scrutator, the "extraordinarily energetic" League was also especially strong in the Banat, where it looked like a real threat to the establishment.
In the
June 1931 general elections, convened by Iorga, the LCC ran under a
sun cross
A sun cross, solar cross, or wheel cross is a solar symbol consisting of an equilateral cross inside a circle.
The design is frequently found in the symbolism of prehistoric cultures, particularly during the Neolithic to Bronze Age periods of ...
logo (⊕). It coalesced into a bloc with the PȚ–L, activated by the LCC congress on May 3. This alliance, described by Antonescu as the only moral choice, was disliked by other League sections—the LCC chapter in
Dâmbovița County
Dâmbovița County (also spelt ''Dîmbovița'', ) is a county ( județ) of Romania, in Muntenia, with the capital city at Târgoviște, the most important economic, political, administrative and cultural center of the county.
It has an area o ...
decided to form separate lists. While delegates objected to Lupu's overtures toward Iorga's
Democratic Nationalist Party (PND), Antonescu informed them that the LCC leadership was considering joining in that pro-government alliance. The opposition newspaper ''
Lupta'' reports that, later in May, there was a direct rapprochement between the PND and the League: "All it took for this League to be engaged in negotiations was for Mr Em. Antonescu to address Mr Iorga a flattering letter." Talks continued even though the PND press reassured its readers that "measures of authority" would still be used against anyone encouraging peasants not to honor their debts. That month, Gorj's county prosecutor sought and obtained that Alexandru Magherescu (who was its best-placed candidate) and Aristide "Aristică" Magherescu be arrested and investigated their role in fomenting disorder.
The LCC eventually formed a loose alliance with both the PȚ–L and the left-wing agrarian
Democratic Peasants' Party–Stere (PȚD–S). The latter registered on separate lists, but only put up candidates in Bessarabia.
In parallel, Antonescu renewed his pact with the National-Radicals, allowing Mândrescu to run in the elections as a League man. In Bucharest, a similar pact was signed with
Jean Th. Florescu and his political club ''Omul Liber'' (or "Liberal-Democratic Party"), with Florescu granted the top position for
Ilfov County
Ilfov () is the county that surrounds Bucharest, the capital of Romania. It used to be largely rural, but, after the fall of Communism, many of the county's villages and communes developed into high-income commuter towns, which act like suburbs ...
. By then, some members of the far-right wing had left the League: Col. Niculcea set up a Beetroot Cultivators' Collective (''Obștea Cultivatorilor de Sfeclă''), which caucused with the fascist
Iron Guard. Far-right groups were nominally repressed during the election, with both Niculicea and Robu returning to jail, but
Internal Affairs, then under
Constantin Argetoianu
Constantin Argetoianu ( – 6 February 1955) was a Romanian politician, one of the best-known personalities of interwar Greater Romania, who served as the Prime Minister between 28 September and 23 November 1939. His memoirs, ''Memorii. Pentr ...
, failed to take significant action on that front. At the time, the bulk of its surveillance activity was still focused on the LCC, the PCdR, and the
Peasant Workers' Bloc
The Peasant Workers' Bloc ( ro, Blocul Muncitoresc-Țărănesc, BMȚ) was a political party in Romania that acted as a front group for the banned Romanian Communist Party (PCR).
History
In the 1926 elections the BMȚ received 1.5% of the vo ...
.
[N. Petrescu, p. 316] A left-wing daily, ''
Dimineața'', commented on May 28 that: "When it comes
uppression of the communists we rarely hear anything. In truth and fact, they never truly mattered.
..This leaves the far-right extremists and the League Against Usury. Savage persecution has been unleashed against the latter, everywhere one looks. The far-right extremists, on the other hand, are free to operate."
According to Scrutator, the LCC policy of presenting peasants as candidates "gives insomnia to the leaders of government organizations, as well as to those in the opposition."
In the areas of
Transylvania
Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...
,
Crișana
Crișana ( hu, Körösvidék, german: Kreischgebiet) is a geographical and historical region in north-western Romania, named after the Criș (Körös) River and its three tributaries: the Crișul Alb, Crișul Negru, and Crișul Repede. In Roma ...
, and the Banat, the LCC had its greatest score in
Arad County, where it took eighth place with 2,442 votes, ahead of the LANC. As noted by historian Niculae Petrescu, the Democratic Peasantists had more to gain from their partnership with the LCC, increasing their share of the vote nationally.
However, only 2.8% of the Romanian voters favored the alliance, winning it six seats in the
Assembly of Deputies. The LCC took one seat and the PȚD–S took five. The party's national cartel with the PȚ–L granted it as a favor an extra seat, representing Gorj.
["Electorale. D. dr. Lupu despre denunțarea cartelului de către Liga contra cametei", in '' Adevărul'', June 17, 1932, p. 5] Here, the two groups had gathered 3,940 votes between them. The courtesy seat went to Isac, who had been arrested for sedition during the campaign, forcing the authorities to release him.
The PND and its allies emerged victorious from the campaign, returning Iorga as Prime Minister. During the race, Iorga supporter
Iosif Trifa
Iosif Trifa (3 March 1888 – 12 February 1938) was a Romanian Orthodox priest and evangelist. He founded "Oastea Domnului" ("The Lord's Army"). He was also the uncle of Valerian Trifa. Trifa placed on the 100 greatest Romanians list.
Life
Iosif ...
had warned peasant voters: "The League Against Usury is a party that puts out promises about debt erasure. May we be allowed to worry that many of its own members are usurers. It is not to be seen as a serious party." However, Iorga's new administration incorporated former LCC cadres, appointing Tutoveanu as the
prefect
Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area.
A prefect's ...
of
Tutova County
Tutova County is one of the historic counties of Moldavia, Romania with the city of Bârlad as capital.
Geography
Tutova County covered 2,498 km2 and was located in the central-eastern part of Greater Romania, in the south-eastern part of Mol ...
. By February 1932, Stănoiu was a PND deputy. Though he had sold his property and its debt, he still supported the LCC platform on the issue, as well as a temporary ban on foreclosures—while also asking that banks which held agricultural land as a collateral be refinanced by the state. Around that time, Minister Argetoianu had embraced the slogan of debt relief, and Antonescu was asked to represent the LCC on a government-appointed "conversion committee". This made a good impression on the LCC and its allies. On February 10, some 100 members of the Bucharest chapter, instigated by lawyer Vasile Popescu, left the LCC headquarters on Batiștei Street and staged a thank-you ceremony in front of Argetoianu's house on Victor Emanuel Street. They were joined there by Dori Popovici, who was by then leading his own Association of Mortgaged Owners.
Decline and division
![Semnul conversiunei (PND poster of 1932)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Semnul_conversiunei_%28PND_poster_of_1932%29.png)
Other splinter groups, formed in the wake of the 1931 elections, included the Ploughmen's Party of Greater Romania (PPRM), established in November 1931 by Iarca, Aristică Magherescu, and Sterie Ionescu. In February 1932, Iarca, as the PPRM chairman, was asking the Electoral Commission for the sun cross logo, to be used as its own symbol. The Commission, which was then under Lupu's leadership, denied them this privilege. The LCC still ran in the partial elections for the Assembly seat in Tutova (April 1932), separate from Lupu's own PȚ–L. During a PNȚ rally held at
Bârlad
Bârlad () is a city in Vaslui County, Romania. It lies on the banks of the river Bârlad, which waters the high plains of Western Moldavia.
At Bârlad the railway from Iași diverges, one branch skirting the river Siret, the other skirting th ...
's French Cinema,
Eduard Mirto sought to persuade voters that the LCC was "all empty talk, with no possibility of being realized." The seat was taken by the Iron Guard's
Corneliu Zelea Codreanu
Corneliu Zelea Codreanu (; born Corneliu Codreanu, according to his birth certificate; 13 September 1899 – 30 November 1938) was a Romanian politician of the far right, the founder and charismatic leader of the Iron Guard or ''The Legion o ...
, who won 26% of the vote; the LCC had 13.7%, and the PȚ–L 6.2%. According to Heinen, the League still managed to draw votes away from the Iron Guard's niche, upsetting its growth; a report in ''Lupta'' claimed that Antonescu had received full support from Iorga's government, including by having his candidates taken on trips around the county with a government-owned automobile, carrying the
Romanian tricolor.
On March 26, 1932, the Assembly voted 248 to 17 in favor of debt relief; all but one of the nays were from
Grigore Filipescu's
Vlad Țepeș League.
["Camera a votat conversiunea. Dezordinile studențești în discuția Parlamentului", in '' Dimineața'', March 26, 1932, p. 5] The LCC opted to present its own candidates in the
elections of July 1932. Already in May, it stirred controversy with posters showing "bloodsucking banks" and "inviting debtors to storm into those financial institutions that have dared to charge over 18% in interest." In mid June, the cartel it had formed with the PȚ–L was still functional: "As such, Mr Nolică Antonescu shall run at the top of the Lupist list for Tutova." The pact was eventually denounced, allegedly because Lupu had refused to assign an eligible position in
Alba County to Antonescu.
On June 18, a general assembly of the LCC was held at the new headquarters on Aleea Alexandru 18, where 25 counties were represented. They deposed Antonescu, replacing him with a seven-man committee—Iarca (reinstated as an LCC member on that occasion),
Dumitru Pavelescu-Dimo, and landowner I. Anca held the three eligible position on this body.
[C. Iarca, "Cutia cu scrisori. Polemică în jurul 'Ligii contra cametei'", in '' Dimineața'', July 24, 1931, p. 7]
As explained by Iarca, the LCC's basis had been outraged by Antonescu's preference for an alliance with Lupu ("although
upu
Upu or Apu, also rendered as Aba/Apa/Apina/Ubi/Upi, was the region surrounding Damascus of the 1350 BC Amarna letters. Damascus was named ''Dimašqu'' / ''Dimasqu'' / etc. (for example, "Dimaški"-(see: Niya (kingdom)), in the letter correspon ...
had left our movement in the summer of 1930"), and by his less-than-enthusiastic support for Carol. Iarca also accused Antonescu of lassitude when it came to drafting the electoral lists, and alleged that he had negotiated with Argetoianu a fast-tracked debt forgiveness for some of the League's more well-positioned members.
By July, Antonescu was attempting to register his own LCC as the real successor party. His associates in this project included Dorel Dumitrescu and Adam Ionescu, as well as, according to Iarca, "a general currently under arms, who has already clarified that he will be withdrawing, and who is barred from even engaging in politics".
It absorbed Florescu's group, presenting Florescu himself as its candidate in
Târnava Mare County; it also established an alliance with the Traders' Councils (''Sfaturile Negustorești'') and with "other economic associations".
["Mistificări electorale în Târnava Mare", in '' Lupta'', July 22, 1932, p. 3] Still affiliated with the PPRM in June, Aristică Magherescu went to the PȚD–S a month later, and became its candidate for Gorj. He ran directly against an LCC-and-Traders list headlined by Antonescu.
Shortly before, Isac had joined the PȚ-L, but, as noted by his political adversaries, he still "convened the villagers as if affiliated with the League Against Usury, without informing them about his new boss."
["Discuția validărilor continuă la Cameră. Ședința dela 8 August", in '']Dreptatea
''Dreptatea'' was a Romanian newspaper that appeared between 17 October 1927 and 17 July 1947, as a newspaper of the National Peasants' Party. It was re-founded on February 5, 1990 as a publication of the Christian-Democratic National Peasants' P ...
'', August 10, 1932, p. 3 Isac's electoral flyers claimed the League presidency for himself, noting that Antonescu was in fact a member of the Economic Front, and through it a proxy of the National Peasantists. In such propaganda, the Economic Front was also singled out for being under "the kike
Wilhelm Filderman
Wilhelm Filderman (last name also spelled Fieldermann; 14 November 1882 – 1963) was a lawyer and the leader of the Romanian-Jewish community between 1919 and 1947; in addition, he was a representative of the Jews in the Romanian parliament.
Ear ...
, one of
Moldavia
Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Centr ...
's greatest usurers." Isac claimed to have won allegiance from all LCC branches in Oltenia, and used as his symbol the "two circles" (Ⓞ). Lupists acted similarly in
Făgăraș County
Făgăraș County is one of the historic counties of Transylvania, Romania. The county seat was Făgăraș.
Geography
Făgăraș County covered and was located in the central part of Greater Romania, in the southeastern part of Transylvania, alon ...
, where they shared the ballot with former LCC men, grouped under Ioan Leon. Antonescu's LCC complained about unfair competition in Târnava Mare, where I. Borcoman similarly presented himself as the League's candidate, aligned with the PȚD–S platform.
In the end, the official LCC only registered candidates in two counties, while Antonescu also put himself up for election in
Argeș County. His "dismal result" of 716 votes from 44,269 electors was registered by Filipescu as evidence that the LCC threat was always exaggerated.
Except for Isac's mandate (which was nearly invalidated on the spot, due to the polemics surrounding his campaign),
none of the groups claiming to speak for the League took any seats. An LCC leadership still met in August 1932, when it presented a new set of political demands to the PNȚ cabinet formed by
Alexandru Vaida-Voevod
Alexandru Vaida-Voevod or Vaida-Voievod (27 February 1872 – 19 March 1950) was an Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian politician who was a supporter and promoter of the Union of Transylvania with Romania, union of Transylvania (before 1920 part of ...
. Late that month, Antonescu, Grigore Fieroiu and Aristică Magherescu were recorded as belonging to the same LCC, which held its congress at Transilvania Hall, Bucharest, and belonged to the larger Economic Federation, whose president was Dori Popovici. In early September, after a violent clash with Police outside the Imperial Hotel in Bucharest, several LCC figures, including Iarca and Captain Nicolai Mănescu, were taken into custody. On September 12, the LCC headquarters, now recorded as located on Edgar Quinet Street 9,
["Dela Frontul Asanării Urbane", in '']Cuvântul
''Cuvântul'' (, meaning "The Word") was a daily newspaper, published by philosopher Nae Ionescu in Bucharest, Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It ...
'', October 9, 1932, p. 4 were sealed off. By September 25, Antonescu and Pavelescu-Dimo were again working together within a Front for the Defense of Debt Relief (''Frontul pentru Apărarea Conversiunii''), which insisted on support for agricultural production, as well as for the extension of debt forgiveness to Romania's city-dwellers.
Largely rendered ineffectual by the adoption of debt relief and anti-usury legislation under the Iorga cabinet,
["Garda pentru apărarea proprietății de sub președinția dlui prof. Em. Antonescu", in '']Tribuna
''Tribuna'' (russian: Трибуна) is a weekly Russian newspaper that focuses largely on industry and the energy sector.
History
Tribunas published its first publication in July 1969. Until 1990, the newspaper titled the ''Sotsialisticheska ...
'', Vol. VI, Issue 22, October 1933, pp. 1–2 the League supported the application of such laws once they were placed in peril by Vaida-Voevod. At the time, it was speculated that the LCC would form a "spontaneous" alliance with the PND and other parties. On October 8, 1932, the LCC announced that it had joined a "Front for Urban Debt-clearance" (''Frontul Asanării Urbane'', FAU), alongside the Association of Mortgaged Owners and Debtors (API), and was again petitioning the PNȚ cabinet. The FAU leadership included Antonescu, Pavelescu-Dimo, I. Constantinescu, and N. C. Georgescu.
In December, it was announced that Argetoianu's
Agrarian Union Party (PUA) was in the process of absorbing the LCC—their shared platform promised to save capitalism, but also to liquidate private debt. This unification included the LCC's Gorj chapter, presided upon by Alexandru Magherescu.
Posterity
Some other sections continued to claim the LCC's name and history. On February 3, 1933, ''
Cuvântul
''Cuvântul'' (, meaning "The Word") was a daily newspaper, published by philosopher Nae Ionescu in Bucharest, Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It ...
'' hosted an announcement which ran: "Messrs members of the League Against Usury, mortgage debtors' section, are kindly asked to participate in a consultation to be held today
.. This consultation will determine what attitude the League should have following Mr Antonescu's resignation as leader." Antonescu's version of events, presented in October, was that he had "abolished the League, since it had attained its goal and since he had no political ambitions for himself."
Isac had switched to supporting Vaida-Voevod's cabinet, but, in early 1933, condemned police action against the
Grivița strikers, describing the ruling classes as immoral, and workers as their "scapegoat".
[ Tudor Octavian, "Un om și legenda lui. Ion D. Isac din Pojogeni", in '']Flacăra
''Flacăra'' (Romanian language, Romanian for "The Flame") is a weekly literary magazine published in Bucharest, Romania.
History and profile
''Flacăra'' was started in 1911. The first issue was published on 22 October 1911. The founder was Co ...
'', Vol. XXX, Issue 22, May 1981, p. 27 On August 7, members of the FAU stormed into ''
Ramuri'' hall, Craiova, to prevent an anti-relief speech by Filipescu.
On July 9, 1933, at his home on Sfântul Constantin Street 4, Antonescu had set up another organization, the (allegedly fascist) Guard for the Defense of Private Property (GAPP). This group protested against Vaida's return to insolvency legislation, and advanced the reduction of all debts by 75%; it welcomed in members of all ethnicities and creeds, also allowing them to be simultaneously members of any political party.
By the time of its inaugural congress in September 1933, the GAPP had recruited Frecôt and Sterian, and was receiving visits from PUA delegates. By November, it had signed up to a platform of the Debtors' Movement, formed around
Constantin Garoflid
Constantin is an Aromanian, Megleno-Romanian and Romanian male given name. It can also be a surname.
For a list of notable people called Constantin, see Constantine (name).
See also
* Constantine (name)
* Konstantin
The first name Konsta ...
. The GAPP eventually participated in the
December 1933 election as part of Argetoianu's PUA-led alliance. Isac presented himself in that race as a PȚ-L candidate—though the PNL government had him arrested, again on charges of sedition, for having encouraged "
class conflict".
An association called League Against Usury still existed in 1934 in Bucharest, collaborating with the API and as part of the FAU. They shared a building on Carol Street 62.
The rival GAPP was also attested on October 7, 1934, when it held congress at its new headquarters in
Dudești (Calea Dudești 85). By February 1936, N. C. Georgescu and Pavelescu-Dimo had joined a General Association of Debtors, which had poet Nicolae Mihăescu-Nigrim as its president. Iarca had reemerged in late 1935 as an organizer of vintagers and vine growers in
Buzău County
Buzău County () is a county (județ) of Romania, in the historical region Muntenia, with the capital city at Buzău.
Demographics
In 2011, it had a population of 432,054 and the population density was 70.7/km2.
* Romanians – 97%
* Roma ...
, leading as many as 6,000 in a protest against the spirits monopoly. In May of that year, Aristică Magherescu, as the PUA vice president, organized a rally of the PUA section in Gorj, electing Iarca as that organization's county leader. Sterie Ionescu, meanwhile, founded a Front of Debtors, and, in 1935, sought to reestablish the
National Agrarian Party
The National Agrarian Party ( ro, Partidul Național-Agrar or ''Partidul Național-Agrarian'', PNA) was a right-wing agrarian party active in Romania during the early 1930s. Established and led by poet Octavian Goga, it was originally a schism fro ...
. In 1937, he was publishing the political gazette ''Buretele'', which engaged in a violent polemic with the PNȚ. The latter responded by alleging that ''Buretele'' was a front for the PNL government, and by publishing Ionescu's bankruptcy records.
Before the
general election of December 1937, the sun cross logo was taken up by a
Radical Peasants' Party
The Radical Peasants' Party ( ro, Partidul Radical-Țărănesc, PRȚ) was a political party in Romania.
History
The party was established by Grigore Iunian on 22 November 1933, absorbing the Democratic Peasants' Party–Stere. It won six seats i ...
, under
Grigore Iunian
Grigore Iunian (September 30, 1882 – 1939) was a Romanian left-wing politician and lawyer. A member of the National Liberal Party (PNL) during the 1910s, he rallied with the Peasants' Party (PȚ) after World War I, and followed it into the ...
, while Sterie Ionescu registered his Agrarian Party in
Târnava Mică County, with himself as a candidate for the
Senate of Romania
) is the upper house in the bicameral Parliament of Romania. It has 136 seats (before the 2016 Romanian legislative election the total number of elected representatives was 176), to which members are elected by direct popular vote using party-li ...
. With the start of World War II, Antonescu reemerged as a right-wing critic of the Iron Guard, whom he accused of fomenting violent dissent among his students. During the Iron Guard ascendancy with the "
National Legionary State
The National Legionary State was a totalitarian fascist regime which governed Romania for five months, from 14 September 1940 until its official dissolution on 14 February 1941. The regime was led by General Ion Antonescu in partnership with the ...
" of 1940–1941, lawyer Gogu Adam Popescu expressed the hope that insolvency crises would be curbed through stricter
credit limit
A credit limit is the maximum amount of credit that a financial institution or other lender will extend to a debtor for a particular line of credit (sometimes called a credit line, line of credit, or a tradeline).
This limit is based on a variety ...
s and "honest speculation". Popescu argued at the time that the League was responsible for the "demagogic and capitalist" debt-conversion trend. The Guard's Minister of Agriculture was the wealthy landowner
Nicolae Mareș, one of the seventeen deputies to have voted against debt relief in March 1932.
Isac remained in national politics with Lupu's party, also setting up a Ploughmen's Syndicate; he withdrew from public affairs during World War II, but was for a while promoted under the postwar
communist regime
A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state that is administered and governed by a communist party guided by Marxism–Leninism. Marxism–Leninism was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, the Cominte ...
. In 1946, he was sitting in the
Assembly of Deputies, serving as its Vice President;
he sided with the
National Peasants' Party–Alexandrescu
The National Peasants' Party–Alexandrescu ( ro, Partidul Național Țărănesc–Alexandrescu, PNȚ-A) was a political party in Romania.
History
The party was established as a breakaway from the National Peasants' Party (PNȚ) and was led by ...
, and produced a denunciation of his schoolteacher colleague, Titu Ciocănescu, as a former Iron Guard propagandist. Lupu himself had rejoined, then left, the PNȚ. Before communism, he presided upon a
Democratic Peasants' Party–Lupu, which called itself the left-wing opposition to the PNȚ; in writing the group's manifesto, Lupu described "the law on debt conversion" as one of his own leftist credentials. In late 1944, Aristică Magherescu had set up a new group called League Against Usury, which had as its twin organization the Ploughmen and Labor Party. On November 30, these were voluntarily absorbed by the communist-aligned
Ploughmen's Front
The Ploughmen's Front ( ro, Frontul Plugarilor) was a Romanian left-wing agrarian-inspired political organisation of ploughmen, founded at Deva in 1933 and led by Petru Groza. At its peak in 1946, the Front had over 1 million members.
Histor ...
. In 1947, Magherescu himself had rallied with Argetoianu's National Union for Work and Reconstruction, becoming chairman of its Gorj chapter in August.
During the early stages of communism, the LCC continued to be regarded as an opportunistic movement, as characterized in 1961 by party historian Titu Georgescu. Other stances were taken up later in the 1960s by researchers such as Gheorghe Ioniță, who reclaimed the League as one of the "democratic organizations created, steered, and influenced by the
ommunist party. Authors C. and F. Dumitrescu reached a similar conclusion, namely that the PCdR had a "tight connection" with the League. In 1975, researcher Amuliu Cheța similarly placed the LCC among the "progressive mass organizations led or influenced by the communists".
[Amuliu Cheța, "Pe urmele istoriei", in ''Informația Harghitei'', March 15, 1975, p. 8] In a 1989 article discussing the peasantry as a revolutionary force,
Ion Popescu-Puțuri listed the LCC, alongside the Ploughmen's Front and the
Socialist Peasants' Party
The Socialist Peasants' Party (Romanian language, Romanian: ''Partidul Socialist Țărănesc'', or ''Partidul Socialist Țărănist'', PSȚ) was a short-lived political party in Romania, presided over by the academic Mihai Ralea. Created nominally ...
, as one of the communist party's "legal mass organizations".
[ Ion Popescu-Puțuri, "Țărănimea — forță socială de bază a luptei poporului român pentru progres social, unitate și independență națională, pentru transformarea revoluționară a societății românești", in ''Anale de Istorie'', Vol. XXXV, Issue 5, 1989, p. 52]
Electoral history
Legislative elections
Notes
References
*"Où va la Roumanie?", in ''Le Monde Slave'', Vol. 2, No. 4, April 1932, pp. 1–38.
*''Politics and Political Parties in Roumania''. London: International Reference Library Publishers Co., 1936.
*Radu Florian Bruja, "Nichifor Robu – trepte către monografia unui politician antisemit", in ''Anuarul Institutului de Istorie George Barițiu din Cluj-Napoca. Supliment'', Vol. LII, 2013, pp. 235–256.
*Gheorghe Clapa, "Gheorghe Tutoveanu – prefect de Tutova (13 aprilie 1931 – 31 mai 1932)", in ''
Academia Bârlădeană The Academia Bârlădeană (Academy of Bârlad) was a cultural society, founded on May 1, 1915, in the city of Bârlad (Tutova County) - at present Vaslui County - by George Tutoveanu, Toma Chiricuţă and Tudor Pamfile.
Background
After the uni ...
'', Issue 20/2005, pp. 7–9.
*C. Dumitrescu, F. Dumitrescu, "Frămîntări sociale în județul Argeș în anii crizei economice (1929—1933)", in ''Studii și Comunicări'', Vol. II, 1969, pp. 263–277.
*Titu Georgescu, "Activitatea Comitetului național antifascist (1933—1934)", in ''Studii. Revistă de Istorie'', Issue 2/1961, pp. 323–353.
*Armin Heinen, ''Legiunea 'Arhanghelul Mihail': o contribuție la problema fascismului internațional''. Bucharest:
Humanitas
''Humanitas'' is a Latin noun meaning human nature, civilization, and kindness. It has uses in the Enlightenment, which are discussed below.
Classical origins of term
The Latin word ''humanitas'' corresponded to the Greek concepts of '' philanthr ...
, 2006.
*
Victor Moldovan, ''Memoriile unui politician din perioada interbelică. Vol. I''. Cluj-Napoca: Presa Universitară Clujeană, 2016. .
*Al. D. Neagu, "Problema datoriilor particulare", in ''Buletinul Institutului Economic Românesc'', Issues 5–6/1930, pp. 316–339.
*
Petre Pandrea Petre is a surname and given name derived from Peter. Notable persons with that name include:
People with the given name Petre
* Charles Petre Eyre (1817–1902), English Roman Catholic prelate
* Ion Petre Stoican (circa 1930–1990), Romanian v ...
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Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies
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*Al. Doru Șerban, ''Personalități care au fost în Gorj''. Târgu Jiu: Măiastra, 2009.
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Defunct political parties in Romania
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