The Romanian Social Democratic Party ( ro, Partidul Social Democrat Român, or , PSD) was a
social-democratic
Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote s ...
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...
in
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, a ...
. In the early 1920s, the
Socialist Party of Romania
The Socialist Party of Romania ( ro, Partidul Socialist din România, commonly known as ''Partidul Socialist'', PS) was a Romanian socialist political party, created on December 11, 1918 by members of the Social Democratic Party of Romania (PSDR ...
split over the issue of affiliation with the
Third International
The Communist International (Comintern), also known as the Third International, was a Soviet Union, Soviet-controlled international organization founded in 1919 that advocated world communism. The Comintern resolved at its Second Congress to ...
. The majority, which supported affiliation, evolved into the
Communist Party of Romania in 1921, while the members who opposed the new orientation formed various political groupings, eventually reorganizing under a central leadership in 1927. From 1938 to 1944, the party was outlawed but remained active in clandestinity. After 1944, it allied with the Communists and eventually was forced to reunite with them to form the ''
Workers' Party of Romania
The Romanian Communist Party ( ro, Partidul Comunist Român, , PCR) was a communist party in Romania. The successor to the pro-Bolshevik wing of the Socialist Party of Romania, it gave ideological endorsement to a communist revolution that woul ...
'' in 1948. It published the magazines ''
Socialismul'', ''Lumea Nouă'', and ''Libertatea''. After the end of the Communist single-party system in 1989, a group of former members created a
new party which proclaimed itself the direct descendant of the PSD.
Foundation and World War II

The first organized party of the Romanian socialists,
Romanian Social Democratic Workers' Party was founded in 1893, but was disbanded by the end of the decade after conflicts between the bourgeois leaders, who considered democratic reforms were possible only in alliance with the
National Liberal Party, and the proletarian leaders and members, who wanted to continue as a strictly working class party. Lacking material means and organisational experience, the Marxists were only able to re-organise a socialist party in 1910, when the
Social Democratic Party of Romania was founded. Outlawed during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
, the party re-emerged in 1918 with a revolutionary programme, rebranding itself as the
Socialist Party of Romania
The Socialist Party of Romania ( ro, Partidul Socialist din România, commonly known as ''Partidul Socialist'', PS) was a Romanian socialist political party, created on December 11, 1918 by members of the Social Democratic Party of Romania (PSDR ...
(PSR).
As following the war Romania acquired a large extent of new territories, the socialists toned down their objectives in order to accommodate the more
reformist
Reformism is a political doctrine advocating the reform of an existing system or institution instead of its abolition and replacement.
Within the socialist movement, reformism is the view that gradual changes through existing institutions can ...
-minded
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- ...
and
Social Democratic Party of Bukovina. Despite successive declarations in favour of uniting the three parties under a single central leadership, this objective was never completed, as the revolutionary and reformist factions came into open conflict. Unity projects where shattered after the social democrats, including most members of the Bukovina party, an important part of the Transylvanian party, and a minority in old Romania, broke from the party in February 1921, the moment it became clear that the communist faction had gained a majority in the central leadership. The majority of the PSR became increasingly favorable to the
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 ...
option, reforming itself as the
Communist Party of Romania (''PCdR'', later ''PCR''), in May 1921. A minority wing formed the
Federation of Socialist Parties from Romania, which reformed as the ''Social Democratic Party'' in May 1927 and affiliated with the
International. The leader of the PSD in the following period was
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 Buchare ...
.
The party was a member of the
Labour and Socialist International
The Labour and Socialist International (LSI; german: Sozialistische Arbeiter-Internationale, label= German, SAI) was an international organization of socialist and labour parties, active between 1923 and 1940. The group was established through a ...
between 1923 and 1940.
[Kowalski, Werner. ]
Geschichte der sozialistischen arbeiter-internationale: 1923 - 19
'. Berlin: Dt. Verl. d. Wissenschaften, 1985. p. 321
Beginning with the late 1920s several groups left the party dissatisfied with what they perceived as the turn of the PSDR leadership to right-wing politics. Such groups included the
Socialist Workers Party of Romania
The Socialist Workers Party of Romania ( ro, Partidul Socialist al Muncitorilor din România, PSMR), later renamed the Independent Socialist Party of Romania (''Partidul Socialist Independent din România'', PSIR), was a political party in Romania ...
, founded in 1928 by a group around
Leon Ghelerter
Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to:
Places
Europe
* León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León
* Province of León, Spain
* Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again fro ...
(joined in 1931 by former communist leader
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 ...
), and the Socialist Party (''Partidul Socialist'') created in 1933 by a group around
Constantin Popovici. Shortly after the latter's creation, the factions joined to form the Unitary Socialist Party, only to split again in 1935.
Banned in 1938 by the personal
dictatorship
A dictatorship is a form of government which is characterized by a leader, or a group of leaders, which holds governmental powers with few to no limitations on them. The leader of a dictatorship is called a dictator. Politics in a dictatorship a ...
of
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 ...
Carol II, the PSD remained active in clandestinity, peacefully resisting to the rise of
Fascism
Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and th ...
, condemning the
Iron Guard
The Iron Guard ( ro, Garda de Fier) was a Romanian militant revolutionary fascist movement and political party founded in 1927 by Corneliu Zelea Codreanu as the Legion of the Archangel Michael () or the Legionnaire Movement (). It was strong ...
and 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 th ...
proclaimed in 1940. With the ascendancy of
Ion Antonescu
Ion Antonescu (; ; – 1 June 1946) was a Romanian military officer and marshal who presided over two successive wartime dictatorships as Prime Minister and '' Conducător'' during most of World War II.
A Romanian Army career officer who ma ...
and Romania's participation in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
alongside the
Axis Powers
The Axis powers, ; it, Potenze dell'Asse ; ja, 枢軸国 ''Sūjikukoku'', group=nb originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis, was a military coalition that initiated World War II and fought against the Allies. Its principal members were ...
(''see
Romania during World War II
Following the outbreak of World War II on 1 September 1939, the Kingdom of Romania under King Carol II officially adopted a position of neutrality. However, the rapidly changing situation in Europe during 1940, as well as domestic political uph ...
''), the PSD, who remained favourable to the
Allies, continued passive resistance to the regime.
In April 1944, the PCR and the PSD formed a United Workers' Front (''Frontul Unic Muncitoresc''), which was meant to coordinate actions from the left. In June the two parties, along with the
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 ...
and the National Liberals, created the clandestine ''National Democratic Bloc'', which succeeded in overthrowing Antonescu's government on August 23, and backed the government of
Constantin Sănătescu which declared war on the Axis.
Late 1940s
Subsequently, PSD entered talks with PCR representative
Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu
Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu (; November 4, 1900 – April 17, 1954) was a Romanian communist politician and leading member of the Communist Party of Romania (PCR), also noted for his activities as a lawyer, sociologist and economist. For a while, he ...
, leading to the creation of the
National Democratic Front(''Frontul Naţional Democrat'', ''FND'') in February 1945 (which grouped the two parties together with
Petru Groza
Petru Groza (7 December 1884 – 7 January 1958) was an Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian politician, best known as the first Prime Minister of the Communist Party-dominated government under Soviet occupation during the early stages of the Commu ...
's
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.
Hist ...
,
Mihai Ralea's
Socialist Peasants' Party
The Socialist Peasants' Party ( 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 in 1938 but diss ...
, and
Mitiță Constantinescu's
Union of Patriots). Meant as an
electoral alliance
An electoral alliance (also known as a bipartisan electoral agreement, electoral pact, electoral agreement, electoral coalition or electoral bloc) is an association of political parties or individuals that exists solely to stand in elections.
E ...
of the Left, the FND faced accusations from the PSD that it was becoming a tool for the PCR (especially after it had passed resolutions reflecting
democratic centralism
Democratic centralism is a practice in which political decisions reached by voting processes are binding upon all members of the political party. It is mainly associated with Leninism, wherein the party's political vanguard of professional revol ...
). An internal struggle ensued between the pro-communist wing and Titel Petrescu's supporters; Petrescu's faction (including
Lazăr Măglaşu) left the PSD in March 1946 to found the Independent Social Democratic Party (''Partidul Social Democrat Independent'', ''PSDI''), which presented itself as an independent faction in the
November 1946 general election - these were won by the FND after a large-scale
electoral fraud engineered by the Groza government.
The PCR seized full power in December 1947, beginning 42 years of Communist rule in Romania. Under pressure from the PCR to create "a single party of the
working class
The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colo ...
", the PSD under the leadership of
Lothar Rădăceanu and
Ștefan Voitec accepted
Marxism-Leninism and reunited with the Communists in February 1948 to create the Romanian Workers' Party (''Partidul Muncitoresc Român'', ''PMR''). However, the few recalcitrant PSD members were quickly pushed out, leaving the PMR as a renamed and enlarged PCR. The PMR changed its name back to the PCR in 1965.
Several former PSD members, including Titel Petrescu, were victims of political repression and many died in communist prisons. On the other, hand, a number of former PSD members went on to high posts in the PMR/PCR. Most notably, Voitec served as an important official in the government for all but a few years until his death in 1984.
Notable members
*
Tiron Albani
*
Vasile Anagnoste
*
Ștefan Baciu
*
Traian Cercega
Trajan ( ; la, Caesar Nerva Traianus; 18 September 539/11 August 117) was Roman emperor from 98 to 117. Officially declared ''optimus princeps'' ("best ruler") by the senate, Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presid ...
*
Alexandru Claudian
Alexandru Claudian (also rendered as Al. Claudian; April 8, 1898 – October 16, 1962) was a Romanian sociologist, political figure, and poet. A student and practitioner of Marxism, he worked as a schoolteacher, entry-level academic, field researc ...
*
Stavri Cunescu
*
Adrian Dimitriu
*
Doldi Filderman
*
Mircea Florian
Mircea Florian (; April 1, 1888 – October 31, 1960) was a Romanian philosopher and translator. Active mainly during the interwar period, he was noted as one of the leading proponents of rationalism, opposing it to the '' Trăirist'' philosophy ...
*
Ioan Flueraş
*
Leon Ghelerter
Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to:
Places
Europe
* León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León
* Province of León, Spain
* Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again fro ...
*
Enea Grapini
*
George Grigorovici
*
Gheorghe Homasca
*
Tudor Ionescu
Tudor most commonly refers to:
* House of Tudor, English royal house of Welsh origins
** Tudor period, a historical era in England coinciding with the rule of the Tudor dynasty
Tudor may also refer to:
Architecture
* Tudor architecture, the fin ...
*
Theodor Iordăchescu
Theodor is a masculine given name. It is a German form of Theodore. It is also a variant of Teodor.
List of people with the given name Theodor
* Theodor Adorno, (1903–1969), German philosopher
* Theodor Aman, Romanian painter
* Theodor Blueg ...
*
Iorgu Iordan
Iorgu Iordan (; also known as ''Jorgu Jordan'' or ''Iorgu Jordan''; –September 20, 1986) was a Romanian linguist, philologist, diplomat, journalist, and left-wing agrarian, later communist, politician. The author of works on a large variety of t ...
*
Iosif Jumanca
*
Mişa Levin
*
Lazăr Măglaşu
*
Ioan I. Mirescu
Ioan is a variation on the name John found in Romanian, Bulgarian, Russian, Welsh (), and Sardinian. It is usually masculine. The female equivalent in Romanian and Bulgarian is Ioana. In Russia, the name Ioann is usually reserved for the cl ...
*
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 ...
*
Constantin Motaş
*
Gheorghe Nicolau
*
Ion Pas
*
Pavel Pavel
Pavel Pavel (born March 11, 1957 in Strakonice) is a Czech engineer and experimental archaeologist best known for investigating how ancient civilizations transported heavy weights.
Pavel Pavel studied electrical engineering at the university in ...
*
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 Buchare ...
*
Dumitru Petrescu
Dumitru Petrescu, believed to have been born Gheorghe M. Dumitru,"Condamnarea infractorilor dela atelierele c.f.r. Grivița", in ''Universul'', 4 July 1934, p. 5 also known as Gheorghe Petrescu and Petrescu-Grivița (10 May 1906 – 13 Septemb ...
*
Iacob Pistiner
*
Constantin Popovici
*
Dumitru Popp
*
Lothar Rădăceanu
*
Otto Roth
*
Emil Socor
Emil or Emile may refer to:
Literature
*''Emile, or On Education'' (1762), a treatise on education by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
* ''Émile'' (novel) (1827), an autobiographical novel based on Émile de Girardin's early life
*''Emil and the Detective ...
*
Barbu Solomon
*
Şerban Voinea
*
Ştefan Voitec
*
Iancu Zissu Iancu may refer to:
Surname
*Andrei Iancu (born 1968), American engineer and intellectual property attorney
*Aurel Iancu (born 1928), Romanian economist, member of the Romanian Academy
*Avram Iancu (1824–1872), Transylvanian Romanian revolutionar ...
Electoral history
Legislative elections
See also
*
Social Democratic Labour Youth Union
*
Working Women's Union The Working Women's Union ( ro, Uniunea femeilor muncitoare, abbreviated UFM) was a women's organization in interbellum Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europ ...
References
External links
Social Democratic history at the PSD site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Romanian Social Democratic Party (1927-48)
1927 establishments in Romania
1948 disestablishments in Romania
Defunct socialist parties in Romania
Members of the Labour and Socialist International
Political parties disestablished in 1948
Political parties established in 1927
Romanian Communist Party
Social democratic parties in Romania