Ioan (or Ion) Flueraș (or Fluieraș) (November 2, 1882 – June 7, 1953) was a

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

social democratic Social democracy is a Social philosophy, social, Economic ideology, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achi ...

politician and a victim of the

communist regime A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state in which the totality of the power belongs to a party adhering to some form of Marxism–Leninism, a branch of the communist ideology. Marxism–Leninism was ...

Biography

Early activities

Born in Chereluș (Kerülős),

Arad County Arad County () is an administrative division ( județ) of Romania roughly translated into county in the western part of the country on the border with Hungary, mostly in the region of Crișana and few villages in Banat. The administrative cente ...

, in the

Crișana Crișana (, , ) is a geographical and historical region of Romania named after the Criș (Körös) River and its three tributaries: the Crișul Alb, Crișul Negru, and Crișul Repede. In Romania, the term is sometimes extended to include areas ...

region,Constantiniu; Roz he trained as a

wheelwright A wheelwright is a Artisan, craftsman who builds or repairs wooden wheels. The word is the combination of "wheel" and the word "wright" (which comes from the Old English word "''wryhta''", meaning a worker - as also in shipbuilding, shipwright ...

and settled in Arad, where he became active in

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

circles. In 1901, he joined the

Social Democratic Party of Hungary The Social Democratic Party of Hungary (, , MSZDP) is a social democracy, social democratic list of political parties in Hungary, political party in Hungary. Historically, the party was dissolved during Government of National Unity (Hungary), the ...

, and began contributing to its press in

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

; with Iosif Jumanca and Tiron Albani, he led the Party's

ethnic Romanian Romanians (, ; dated exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance-speaking ethnic group and nation native to Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Sharing a common culture and ancestry, they speak the Romanian language and live primarily in Roma ...

wing. The latter eventually reformed itself as the

Social Democratic Party of Transylvania and Banat The Socialist Party of Transylvania was a political party in Romania, active primarily in Transylvania. Born out of the ethnic Romanian section of the Social Democratic Party of Hungary (MSZDP), it gradually attracted other socialist and social-de ...

. At the time, Flueraș unsuccessfully ran in elections for the

Hungarian diet The Diet of Hungary or originally: Parlamentum Publicum / Parlamentum Generale () was the most important political assembly in Hungary since the 12th century, which emerged to the position of the supreme legislative institution in the Kingdom ...

.Roz Between 1906 and 1914, he was editor-in-chief of ''Adevărul'' (the party newspaper), until it was closed down by Hungarian authorities. Living in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

, Flueraș was

conscripted Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it contin ...

after the outbreak of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, and worked for the

Austro-Hungarian Air Service The Austro-Hungarian Aviation Troops or Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops ( or , ) were the air force of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the empire's dissolution in 1918; it saw combat on both the Eastern Front and Italian Front dur ...

in a factory on

Csepel Island Csepel Island (, ) is an island in the Danube in Hungary. It is long; its width after sections of bifurcation and rejoining (confluence) varies from . It has an area of and its population is 165,000. The isle extends south from Budapest; its ...

Transylvanian politics

In the summer of 1918, he and Jumanca became involved in reestablishing ''Adevărul'', which, inspired by the ''

Fourteen Points The Fourteen Points was a statement of principles for peace that was to be used for peace negotiations in order to end World War I. The principles were outlined in a January 8, 1918 speech on war aims and peace terms to the United States Congress ...

'', became connected with the fight for emancipation of Romanians in Transylvania and

Banat Banat ( , ; ; ; ) is a geographical and Historical regions of Central Europe, historical region located in the Pannonian Basin that straddles Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. It is divided among three countries: the eastern part lie ...

, and their eventual union with

. Before the

Aster Revolution The Aster Revolution or Chrysanthemum Revolution () was a revolution in Hungary led by Count Mihály Károlyi in the aftermath of World War I. It resulted in the foundation of the short-lived First Hungarian People's Republic. The revolution ...

, Flueraș and Jumanca were charged with contacting the

Romanian National Party The Romanian National Party (, PNR), initially known as the Romanian National Party in Transylvania and Banat (), was a political party which was initially designed to offer ethnic representation to Romanians in the Kingdom of Hungary, the Tran ...

, negotiations which led, in early October, to the creation of ''Consiliul Național Român Central'' (''CNRC'', the Central Romanian National Council).Constantiniu The CNRC was instrumental in convoking the

Great National Assembly of Alba Iulia The Great National Assembly of Alba Iulia () was an assembly held on 1 December 1918 in the city of Alba Iulia in which a total of 1,228 delegates from several areas inhabited by ethnic Romanians declared the union of Transylvania with Romania. ...

of December 1, 1918, one which declared Transylvania's secession from the Hungarian Republic, and its will to join with Romania; Flueraș was the Assembly's vice president, and subsequently served as Chief of Department of

Social Security Welfare spending is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifically to social insurance ...

and

Hygiene Hygiene is a set of practices performed to preserve health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases." Personal hygiene refer ...

in the Directory Council (the '' de facto'' government of the region, led by

Iuliu Maniu Iuliu Maniu (; 8 January 1873 – 5 February 1953) was a Romanian lawyer and politician. He was a leader of the National Party of Transylvania and Banat before and after World War I, playing an important role in the Union of Transylvania wi ...

). Among the other Social Democrats in the council were Jumanca, Albani, and Enea Grapini. On the very day of the Great National Assembly of Alba Iulia, he was elected general secretary of the Social Democratic Party of Transylvania and Banat. Later in the same month, after a

strike Strike may refer to: People *Strike (surname) * Hobart Huson, author of several drug related books Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm * Airstrike, ...

was worker's rally broken up in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

and the newly created

Socialist Party of Romania Socialism is an economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes the economic, political, and so ...

(PS) repressed, Flueraș and Jumanca, urged by

Constantin Titel Petrescu Constantin Titel Petrescu (5 February 1888 – 2 September 1957) was a Romanian politician and lawyer. He was the leader of the Romanian Social Democratic Party. He was born in Craiova, the son of an employee of the National Bank in Buchar ...

, met with

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

Ferdinand I and

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

Ion I. C. Brătianu Ion Ionel Constantin Brătianu (, also known as Ionel Brătianu; 20 August 1864 – 24 November 1927) was a Romanian politician, leader of the National Liberal Party (PNL), Prime Minister of Romania for five terms, and Foreign Minister on seve ...

, persuading them to grant concessions to the

labor movement The labour movement is the collective organisation of working people to further their shared political and economic interests. It consists of the trade union or labour union movement, as well as political parties of labour. It can be considere ...

. In 1920, he was one of Romania's envoys to the

Paris Peace Conference Agreements and declarations resulting from meetings in Paris include: Listed by name Paris Accords may refer to: * Paris Accords, the agreements reached at the end of the London and Paris Conferences in 1954 concerning the post-war status of Germ ...

Interwar Romania

In late 1918, the Transylvanian and Banat socialists agreed to join the PS as a distinct section. In late 1919, Flueraș, Jumanca, and

Ilie Moscovici Ilie B. Moscovici (also known as Tovilie; 28 November 1885 – 1 November 1943) was a Romanian socialist militant and journalist, one of the noted leaders of the Romanian Social Democratic Party (PSDR). A socialist since early youth and a party ...

carried unsuccessful negotiations for a merger between

Alexandru Averescu Alexandru Averescu (; 9 March 1859 – 2 October 1938) was a Romanian marshal, diplomat and Populism, populist politician. A Romanian Armed Forces Commander during World War I, he served as List of Prime Ministers of Romania, Prime Minister of thr ...

's People's League and the Socialist groups; talks were mediated 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. Pentru ...

. Alongside

Gheorghe Cristescu Gheorghe Cristescu (October 10, 1882 in Copaciu, Giurgiu County – November 29, 1973 in Timișoara) was a Romanian socialist and, for a part of his life, communist militant. Nicknamed "Plăpumarul" ("The Blanket Maker"), he is also occasionally ...

Alexandru Dobrogeanu-Gherea Alexandru Dobrogeanu-Gherea or Alexandru Gherea (rendered in Russian language, Russian as ''Александр Доброджану-Геря'' or ''Доброжану-Гере'' - ''Aleksandr Dobrodzhanu-Gerya'' /''Dobrozhanu-Gere''; 7 July 1879 & ...

and others, Flueraș was a delegate to the Second Congress of the

Comintern The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern and also known as the Third International, was a political international which existed from 1919 to 1943 and advocated world communism. Emerging from the collapse of the Second Internatio ...

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, where the matter of the PSR's joining of the international body and its support of

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...

lines were debated. The Transylvanian delegates and, as a former member of the Directory Council, Flueraș first and foremost, were the target of

Nikolai Bukharin Nikolai Ivanovich Bukharin (; rus, Николай Иванович Бухарин, p=nʲɪkɐˈlaj ɪˈvanəvʲɪdʑ bʊˈxarʲɪn; – 15 March 1938) was a Russian revolutionary, Soviet politician, and Marxist theorist. A prominent Bolshevik ...

and

Christian Rakovsky Christian Georgiyevich Rakovsky ( – September 11, 1941), Bulgarian name Krastyo Georgiev Rakovski, born Krastyo Georgiev Stanchov, was a Bulgarian-born socialist Professional revolutionaries, revolutionary, a Bolshevik politician and Soviet Un ...

's attacks, given that they supported a

Greater Romania Greater Romania () is the Kingdom of Romania in the interwar period, achieved after the Great Union or the related pan-nationalist ideal of a nation-state which would incorporate all Romanian speakers.Irina LivezeanuCultural Politics in Greate ...

in front of Bolshevik principles; upon their return, Flueraș, Gheorghe Popovici, and others were expelled from the PS (despite Cristescu's reserves) — the remaining group reformed itself as the

Romanian Communist Party The Romanian Communist Party ( ; PCR) was a communist party in Romania. The successor to the pro-Bolshevik wing of the Socialist Party of Romania, it gave an ideological endorsement to a communist revolution that would replace the social system ...

(PCR). After the reestablishment of the Romanian Social Democratic Party (PSD) as a socialist group opposed to the PCR, Flueraș served several terms as a party representative to the

Chamber of Deputies of Romania The Chamber of Deputies () is the lower house in Romania's bicameral parliament. It has 312 regular seats to which deputies are elected by direct popular vote using party-list proportional representation to serve four-year terms. Additionally, ...

. He settled in Bucharest in 1922, and worked for the Labor Ministry. With Moscovici,

Șerban Voinea Șerban is a common name in Romania. It may be phonetically transcribed as Sherban or written without diacritics as Serban. It is also used by the Aromanians. Persons named Șerban include: Surname * Alina Șerban, Roma actress and writer * Andr ...

, and Iacob Pistiner, Flueraș represented the PSD to the 1924 Congress of the Labor and Socialist International in

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

. When the

authoritarian regime Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political ''status quo'', and reductions in democracy, separation of powers, civil liberties, and ...

Carol II Carol II (4 April 1953) was King of Romania from 8 June 1930, until his forced abdication on 6 September 1940. As the eldest son of Ferdinand I of Romania, King Ferdinand I, he became crown prince upon the death of his grand-uncle, King Carol I, ...

was imposed in 1938, he supported the change and remained active in the

guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular territory. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradespeople belonging to a professional association. They so ...

s established by the new

corporatist Corporatism is an ideology and political system of interest representation and policymaking whereby corporate groups, such as agricultural, labour, military, business, scientific, or guild associations, come together and negotiate contracts ...

structure of the

National Renaissance Front The National Renaissance Front (, FRN; also translated as ''Front of National Regeneration'', ''Front of National Rebirth'', ''Front of National Resurrection'', or ''Front of National Renaissance'') was a Romanian political party created by King Ca ...

(as a member of the Upper Economic Council and 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 ...

). A potential target of

Iron Guard The Iron Guard () was a Romanian militant revolutionary nationalism, revolutionary Clerical fascism, religious fascist Political movement, movement and political party founded in 1927 by Corneliu Zelea Codreanu as the Legion of the Archangel M ...

reprisals during the

National Legionary State The National Legionary State () was a Totalitarianism, totalitarian Fascism, fascist regime which governed Kingdom of Romania, Romania for five months, from 14 September 1940 until its official dissolution on 14 February 1941. The regime was led ...

, Flueraș survived the Legionnaires' Rebellion, and, upon the Guard's defeat, sent a congratulatory telegram to ''

Conducător ''Conducător'' (, meaning 'Leader') was the title used officially by Romanian dictator Ion Antonescu during World War II, also occasionally used in official discourse to refer to Carol II and Nicolae Ceaușescu. History The word is derived from ...

Ion Antonescu Ion Antonescu (; ; – 1 June 1946) was a Romanian military officer and Mareșal (Romania), marshal who presided over two successive Romania during World War II, wartime dictatorships as Prime Minister of Romania, Prime Minister and ''Conduc� ...

. He retreated from public life for the rest of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

After World War II

In early 1945, after the

royal coup Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or Royalty (disambiguation), royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Ill ...

that toppled

's pro-

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

regime and placed Romania in the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

camp, Flueraș and George Grigorovici founded the ''Socialist Democratic Party'', which claimed legitimacy inside the socialist camp and denounced collaboration with the Communists.''110 ani de social-democrație'', p.24 It was dissolved in September 1946. Flueraș remained opposed to the main Social Democratic Party (PSD), and accused the growing

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

influence which had found its advocates inside the latter political group (the wing led by Lothar Rădăceanu and

Ștefan Voitec Ștefan Voitec (also rendered Ștefan Voitech,''Politics and Political Parties'', pp. 264, 554 Stepan Voitek;V. Kolesnik, "Spioonide Internatsionaal (Trotskistid faschistlikkude luureasutuste tegevuses)", in ''Edasi'', Issue 105/1937, p. 2 June 1 ...

). He also allegedly refused office in the Communist-backed

Petru Groza Petru Groza (7 December 1884 – 7 January 1958) was a Romanian politician, best known as the first Prime Minister of Romania, Prime Minister of the Romanian Communist Party, Communist Party-dominated government under Soviet Union, Soviet Sovie ...

government, and rallied with

's ''Independent Social Democrats'', which had split with the PSD over the issue of running common lists with the communists. He was arrested in late 1948, presented as a dissident PSD member, tried for "having collaborated with a

fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...

regime", and held in various prisons inside the country, where he was routinely tortured, being ultimately murdered by two fellow inmates, Constantin Juberian and Ștefan Rek in

Gherla prison Gherla Prison is a penitentiary located in the Romanian city of Gherla (), in Cluj County. The prison dates from 1785; it is infamous for the treatment of its political inmates, especially during the Communist regime. In Romanian slang, the generi ...

(according to one testimony, he was beaten to death with sandbags). Juberian was sentenced to death and executed in 1954 for the crime, while Rek was sentenced to 12 years in prison.Mircea Stănescu, ''Reeducarea în România comunistă (1948-1955)- Târgșor, Gherla'', Polirom, Bucharest, 2010, pp. 274-275

Notes

References

''110 ani de social-democraţie în România'' ("110 Years of Social Democracy in Romania")

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 Form ...

, Ovidiu Șincai Social Democratic Institute, Bucharest, July 9, 2003
''Traiul și sfârșitul lui Ion Flueraș la Gherla'' ("The Life and Death of Ion Flueraș in Gherla")
in ''Memoria'', 2/2002 *

, "Memorii" ("Memoirs"; fragment), in ''Magazin Istoric'', March 1968 * Gheorghe Brătescu
''Constantin Titel Petrescu'', at the Social Democratic Party-Constantin Titel Petrescu site
*

Florin Constantiniu Florin Constantiniu (8 April 1933 – 13 April 2012) was a Romanian historian. A native of Bucharest, he attended Saint Sava National College, followed by the University of Bucharest. He was elected a corresponding member of the Romanian Academy ...

, "Flueraș, Ioan", in ''Biographical Dictionary of European Labor Leaders'', Greenwood Press,

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, 1995, p. 315-316 * Eugen Denize
"Comunismul românesc de la începuturi până la moartea lui Gh. Gheorghiu-Dej. Câteva considerații" ("Romanian Communism from Its Beginnings to the Death of Gh. Gheorghiu-Dej. Several Reflections")
in ''Memoria'' *Victor Frunză, ''Istoria stalinismului în România'' ("The History of Stalinism in Romania"),

Humanitas (from the Latin , "human") 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 corresponded to the Greek concepts of (loving ...

, Bucharest, 1990 * Alexandru Roz
''Ioan Flueraș, un lider social-democrat mort în închisorile comuniste'' ("Ioan Flueraș, a Social-Democratic Leader Who Died in Communist Prisons")
*Ioan Scurtu, "PNL și PNȚ: Rezerve, nemulțumiri, proteste. Partidele istorice sub guvernarea antonesciano-legionară" ("PNL and PNȚ: Reserves, Dissatisfactions, Protests, Historical Parties under the Antonescu-Legionary Government"), in ''Dosarele Istoriei'', 9/2000 *

Vladimir Tismăneanu Vladimir Tismăneanu (; born July 4, 1951) is a Romanian American political scientist, political analyst, sociologist, and professor at the University of Maryland, College Park. A specialist in political systems and comparative politics, he is d ...

, ''Stalinism for All Seasons: A Political History of Romanian Communism'',

University of California Press The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by faculty ...

Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California *George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer to ...

, 2003, {{DEFAULTSORT:Flueras, Ioan 1882 births 1953 deaths People from Arad County Assassinated Romanian politicians Ethnic Romanian politicians in Transylvania Romanian Greek-Catholics Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Romania) Romanian Social Democratic Party (1927–1948) politicians Inmates of Gherla prison Prisoners murdered in custody Romanian newspaper editors People convicted of treason against Romania Romanian people who died in prison custody Prisoners who died in Romanian detention People murdered in Romania Delegates of the Great National Assembly of Alba Iulia Politicians assassinated in the 1950s