Republic of Ploiești
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The Republic of Ploiești ( ro, Republica de la Ploiești) was a revolt against the
princely A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
Romanian monarchy in the city of
Ploiești Ploiești ( , , ), formerly spelled Ploești, is a city and county seat in Prahova County, Romania. Part of the historical region of Muntenia, it is located north of Bucharest. The area of Ploiești is around , and it borders the Blejoi commu ...
,
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 ...
, on 8 August, 1870.


Background

The Republic of Ploiești is the name of a movement from 8 August 1870, considered as the last great attempt of revolution in the Romanian space of the 19th century or the last wave of the revolution of 1848. In the Romanian historiography before 1989, this movement was considered anti-dynastic. Romanian liberal radicals of Ploiești and elsewhere were opposed to the new ruler of the country, Prince Carol of
Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen ( en, Nothing without God) , national_anthem = , common_languages = German , religion = Roman Catholic , currency = , title_leader = Prince , leader1 ...
(future
King of Romania The King of Romania (Romanian: ''Regele României'') or King of the Romanians (Romanian: ''Regele Românilor''), was the title of the monarch of the Kingdom of Romania from 1881 until 1947, when the Romanian Workers' Party proclaimed the Romanian ...
), and desired a
republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...
to replace the
monarchy A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutional monarchy) ...
established by the 1866 Constitution - the main argument being that a new constitutional system, viewed as more democratic, was to put an end to the partnership between the monarch and the
Conservatives 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 in ...
(which had effectively blocked the Liberals out of government). Although many Liberals had contributed to the creation of the "
monstrous coalition "Monstrous coalition" ( ro, Monstruoasa coaliție) is the name that has remained in the collective consciousness of Romania to refer to the alliance between conservatives and radical liberals in order to obtain Alexandru Ioan Cuza's removal from po ...
" (which had toppled
Alexandru Ioan Cuza Alexandru Ioan Cuza (, or Alexandru Ioan I, also anglicised as Alexander John Cuza; 20 March 1820 – 15 May 1873) was the first ''domnitor'' (Ruler) of the Romanian Principalities through his double election as prince of Moldavia on 5 Januar ...
on February 22 (February 11 O.S.), 1866), the deep resentment of Carol's politics, added to the perception that he had remained a foreigner linked to
Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
, had initially led to republican projects advocated by both the most
left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
Liberal faction (the "Reds", led by C. A. Rosetti) and the Liberal leader
Ion Brătianu An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by conven ...
, and ultimately led to "''
coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
'' plans". At the same time, for many lower-level plotters, Cuza had arguably conserved his status image as both an anti-establishment social reformer and, given that his rule had preceded the Constitution, a quasi-republican political figure. Other, less prominent, factors included the revolutionary tradition inside the Liberal groups (see: 1848 Moldavian Revolution and
1848 Wallachian Revolution The Wallachian Revolution of 1848 was a Romanian liberal and nationalist uprising in the Principality of Wallachia. Part of the Revolutions of 1848, and closely connected with the unsuccessful revolt in the Principality of Moldavia, it sought t ...
), as well as the persistence of French models in Liberal rhetoric. Although references to French republicanism itself had been moving out of focus after the replacement of the
Second French Republic The French Second Republic (french: Deuxième République Française or ), officially the French Republic (), was the republican government of France that existed between 1848 and 1852. It was established in February 1848, with the February Revo ...
with the
Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
, the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in July fueled the Liberals' resentment of Prussia. The leader of the Ploiești Liberals was Captain
Alexandru Candiano-Popescu Alexandru Candiano-Popescu (; January 27, 1841 – June 25, 1901) was a Romanian army general, lawyer, journalist, and poet, best known for his role in the '' Republic of Ploieşti'' conspiracy. Biography He joined the military school in 1854, bec ...
, who, in 1867, as the owner of the newspaper " Perseverența", had been arrested and had his newspaper shut down for anti-Carol articles which were interpreted as
libel Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...
. Earlier in 1870, when he was arrested for publishing articles in the newspaper " Democrația".


The conspiracy

On August 8, two secret meetings of the Liberals were organized and Candiano-Popescu announced that he had information from
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 ...
that the monarchy would be overthrown the next night, that all major cities were preparing for a revolt, and that a Romanian Republic would be proclaimed. He also assured them that the Republican movement had the support of major European powers and as such there would be no foreign invasion in support of Carol. Candiano-Popescu announced that he was to serve as the new
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
Prahova County Prahova County () is a county ( județ) of Romania, in the historical region Muntenia, with the capital city at Ploiești. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 762,886 and the population density was 161/km². It is Romania's third mos ...
, and that Stan Popescu would be the new chief of the PloieÅŸti police; further roles in the planned administration were assigned to each of the plotters. That night everything went as planned: the chief of police and the Prefect were arrested, the
telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...
station was occupied by Comiano and Guţă Antonescu, and Candiano-Popescu occupied the firehouse, wearing his captain's uniform "to look like he has more authority". Just before dawn, Candiano-Popescu, armed with a
revolver A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold up to six roun ...
and with the help of another 40-50 persons, captured the telegraph operator, Grigore Iorgulescu. Although the latter was put under strict supervision, a couple of hours later his guards were inebriated, and he was able to send a telegram to
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 ...
Manolache Costache Epureanu Manolache Costache Epureanu (1823–1880) was twice the Prime Minister of Romania both as a representative of the Conservative Party and of the National Liberal Party, more specifically for the first time in 1870 (20 April–14 December) and fo ...
's residence in Bucharest, asking what the situation was there (fearing that the coup had taken hold of the capital). The answer was that everything was calm and that there was nothing unusual happening. Iorgulescu then notified Epureanu of what had happened in PloieÅŸti. Meanwhile, the plotters, who had occupied the
post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...
, sent a telegram to Bucharest announcing that Prefect Candiano had the allegiance of the PloieÅŸti civilian administration and the military. On the evening of 9 August, soldiers from Bucharest arrived at the PloieÅŸti train station and arrested the new "administration", most of whom declared that they were not actually revolting, thinking it was just a party.


Aftermath

Thirty-six of the leaders of the movement were accused of "revolt against the government". Many other leaders of the Liberals, including
Ion Brătianu An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by conven ...
,
Nicolae Golescu Nicolae Golescu (1810–1877) was a Wallachian Romanian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Romania in 1860 and May–November 1868.James Chastain (2004). ''Golescu Brothers''. Ohio University https://www.ohio.edu/chastain/dh/golesb.ht ...
,
Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu ( 26 February 1838 – ) was a Romanian writer and philologist, who pioneered many branches of Romanian philology and history. Life He was born Tadeu Hâjdeu in CristineÈ™tii Hotinului (now Kerstentsi in Chernivtsi ...
, and
Nicolae Crețulescu Nicolae Crețulescu (, surname also spelled Kretzulescu; 1 March 1812 – 26 June 1900) was a Wallachian, later Romanian politician and physician. He served two terms as Prime Minister of Romania: from 1862 to 1863, and from 1865 to 1866. He was ...
, were arrested under suspicion of having backed the conspiracy. The trials of the civilians who took part in the revolt were eventually moved to
Târgoviște Târgoviște (, alternatively spelled ''Tîrgoviște''; german: Tergowisch) is a city and county seat in Dâmbovița County, Romania. It is situated north-west of Bucharest, on the right bank of the Ialomița River. Târgoviște was one of the ...
and, on October 17, 1870, they were found not guilty. Republican projects faded out of the forefront during the following decade, when Brătianu and Carol reached a compromise which inaugurated a virtually unchallenged Liberal supremacy between 1876 (when Brătianu became premier) and 1889. On the one hand, the monarchy was consolidated with Liberal approval (the creation of the
Romanian Kingdom The Kingdom of Romania ( ro, Regatul României) was a constitutional monarchy that existed in Romania from 13 March ( O.S.) / 25 March 1881 with the crowning of prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as King Carol I (thus beginning the Romanian ...
in 1881); on the other, the Constitution was amended in 1883 to accommodate an
electoral reform Electoral reform is a change in electoral systems which alters how public desires are expressed in election results. That can include reforms of: * Voting systems, such as proportional representation, a two-round system (runoff voting), instant-ru ...
which extended representation and increased the voting power of Liberal electors.


Caragiale

The mundane aspects of the PloieÅŸti republican experiment became the subject of derision in literary circles associated with the conservative ''
Junimea ''Junimea'' was a Romanian literary society founded in Iași in 1863, through the initiative of several foreign-educated personalities led by Titu Maiorescu, Petre P. Carp, Vasile Pogor, Theodor Rosetti and Iacob Negruzzi. The foremost personali ...
''. Satires dealing with or alluding to the episode were created by
Ion Luca Caragiale Ion Luca Caragiale (; commonly referred to as I. L. Caragiale; According to his birth certificate, published and discussed by Constantin Popescu-Cadem in ''Manuscriptum'', Vol. VIII, Nr. 2, 1977, pp. 179-184 – 9 June 1912) was a Romanian playw ...
, who often used his prose to mock the bombastic tone of the Liberal press. In his piece ''Boborul'', Caragiale actually records the events, revisiting his experiences as a seventeen-year-old eyewitness (and makes some unverifiable claims, such as having been created a deputy police commissioner by Candiano-Popescu, the latter being "president of the Republic"). His ironic account, centered on scenes of excessive drinking and a ''
fête In Britain and some of its former colonies, fêtes are traditional public festivals, held outdoors and organised to raise funds for a charity. They typically include entertainment and the sale of goods and refreshments. Village fêtes Village fà ...
'' atmosphere, implies that the Republic would have actually functioned as a separate country:
"In the space of our century, a very interesting state was born and ended, one that no scrupulous historian should ignore. I wish to speak of the PloieÅŸti Republic, a state which, although it has lasted only fifteen hours, has for sure marked a celebrated page in contemporary history. Born out of, through, and for the people, at around two o'clock in the morning of August 8, 1870, the young republic was smothered on the same day, around four o'clock in the afternoon. Never mind! the greatness and importance of states are not judged by their extent and duration, but by the more or less brilliant role they have played in the universal system."
The word ''Boborul'' itself has since acquired popularity in Romania, and is used to ridicule perceived
demagogy A demagogue (from Greek , a popular leader, a leader of a mob, from , people, populace, the commons + leading, leader) or rabble-rouser is a political leader in a democracy who gains popularity by arousing the common people against elites, e ...
and its rhetoric. Its exact use in the piece forms the climax of the short plot, during the depiction of what Caragiale calls "
The Reaction ''The Reaction'' is the 12th book in the ''Animorphs'' series, written by K.A. Applegate. It is narrated by Rachel. Plot summary At the zoo, Rachel and Cassie witness a boy fall into the crocodile pit. Rachel jumps into the pit to rescue him ...
". After having fallen asleep at his desk, the hungover Stan Popescu is rudely awaken by the group of officers charged with bringing back order, and answers to the short and direct question "Who has placed you here?" with the mumbled "''boborul''" (from ''poporul'' - "the people"; translatable as "the beoble"). Another famous reference introduced by Caragiale is ''D-ale carnavalului'' ("Carnival Adventures"), where Miţa Baston, a hysterical woman, snaps at the man she believes is cheating on her:
"Yes, ..I want to cause a scandal, yes... since you have forgotten me, you have forgotten everything: you have forgotten that I am a daughter of the people and that I am violent; you have forgotten that I am a republican, that in my veins runs the blood of February 11 martyrs Prince_Cuza.html" ;"title="Alexander_John_Cuza.html" ;"title="n reference to the deposition of Alexander John Cuza">Prince Cuza">Alexander_John_Cuza.html" ;"title="n reference to the deposition of Alexander John Cuza">Prince Cuza ..you have forgotten that I am a PloieÅŸti native — yes, a PloieÅŸti native — buddy, and I shall pull you a revolution, but not just any revolution... one to remember me by!..."
Further pokes at the Liberals are taken in ''Conu Leonida faţă cu reacţiunea'' ("Mr. Leonida Faces the Reaction"), a play centered on Leonida and his wife Efimiţa, an elderly and radical couple of the
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 ...
''petite bourgeoisie'' who, when listening to the noise of a street brawl while tucked into bed, interpret it to mean the start of a ''
coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
'' against the Liberal government. Believing that, on some level, he would have to suffer the consequences of "''The Reaction''", Mr. Leonida hatches out an escape plan:
"We'll walk to the train station on the other side of CiÅŸmigiu, and sometime till morning we'll catch the train to PloieÅŸti... There, I shan't be afraid anymore: I'll be among my own kind! all of them republicans, poor souls!"
Such harsh criticism was denied basis by several literary figures of another generation, those
left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
intellectuals centered on ''
Poporanism Poporanism is a Romanian version of nationalism and populism. The word is derived from ''popor'', meaning "people" in Romanian. Founded by Constantin Stere in the early 1890s, Poporanism is distinguished by its opposition to socialism, promotion ...
'', who viewed radicalism as traditional and important in the development of Romanian culture. In his ''Spiritul critic în cultura românească'',
Garabet Ibrăileanu Garabet Ibrăileanu (; May 23, 1871 – March 11, 1936) was a Romanian-Armenians in Romania, Armenian Literary criticism, literary critic and theorist, writer, translator, sociologist, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, University of Iași professor ...
depicted Caragiale as standing for the most extreme criticism of Romanian society, together with the more conservative
Mihai Eminescu Mihai Eminescu (; born Mihail Eminovici; 15 January 1850 – 15 June 1889) was a Romanian Romantic poet from Moldavia, novelist, and journalist, generally regarded as the most famous and influential Romanian poet. Eminescu was an active membe ...
and the more leftist intellectuals associated with the
Romanian Social-Democratic Workers' Party The Social Democratic Workers' Party of Romania (, PSDMR), established in 1893, was the first modern socialist political party in Romania. A Marxist organization, the PSDMR was part of the Second International and sent its representatives to the f ...
. Although he considered ''Boborul'' to be a good piece of writing, he accused Caragiale of remaining one-sided: "and hat aboutthe reactionary attitude, does it never lend itself to ridicule?"


See also

*
Liberalism and radicalism in Romania This article gives an overview of liberalism and radicalism in Romania. It is limited to liberal parties with substantial support, mainly proved by having had a representation in parliament. The sign ⇒ denotes another party in this scheme. Fo ...


References

* Dorin Stănescu, ''Republica de la Ploiești'', Ed.Ploiești Mileniul III, 2016. *Silvia Marton, ''Republica de la Ploiești. Începuturile parlamentarismului în România'', Ed. Humanitas, 2016.
''Republica de la PloieÅŸti'' on the PloieÅŸti Municipality site
accessed March 21, 2005 *I. L. Caragiale,
Boborul
',
Conu Leonida faţă cu reacţiunea
',
D'ale carnavalului
' *G. Ibrăileanu,
Spiritul critic în Muntenia - Critica socială extremă: Caragiale
' *https://www.historia.ro/sectiune/general/articol/republica-de-la-ploiesti-revolta-contra-modernitatii., accessed November 6, 2020 {{DEFAULTSORT:Republic Of Ploiesti Conflicts in 1870 Attempted coups d'état Political history of Romania Ploiești Republicanism in Romania States and territories established in 1870 1870 in Romania