The behavior of Soviet occupation troops was in many cases discretionary, in clear contradiction with the populist commitments of USSR politicians and the rules of international law. In this context, the deportation of working-class ethnic Germans from Romania to the USSR took place. The Soviet occupier made this decision and brought it to the attention of the Romanian government, together with the instructions for its application. The motivation for the deportation was to participate in the reconstruction and recovery of the damage committed by the German army on Soviet territory. The decision was implemented against the protests of the National Liberal Party president and the Memoir of King Mihai I of Romania, addressed to the president of the USA. In 1945, 1581 people, 817 men and 765 women were deported from Făgăraș County. Men aged between 17 and 45 and women aged 18-30 excepting disabled and women with children under one year of age, were considered fit for work. Everywhere, the Soviet authorities behaved abusively and hostilely, sometimes even fiercely. Armed troops blocked the exits from the villages and those on the lists were taken from their homes. The ethnic Germans were kept in the cold for a few days in an open-air camp in Făgăraș, until the train cars arrived to take them to the USSR. Many of them died during transport or in labor camps. Their deportation was the result of a collective incrimination and an unjust punishment for a guilt that belonged to others. Empty households were looted and minor children left alone at home were taken to the orphanage. Some of the deportees' homes were expropriated and nationalized. In the 1950s, some of those who survived the deportation received their homes back, as part of propaganda actions of the newly installed regime, presented as beneficent.
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LinkCalvary – Deportations and Destinies is another collection of testimonials about deportations in and after WWII. This collection is the result of the work of Prof. Elena Helerea and the Negru Vodă Foundation from Făgăraș. The testimonials are a reflection of the Romanian history. On the link below you can find these 13 interesting stories:
Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Si8loSPtcUIesW9B_G4kz_I9MNQRqifq/view?usp=sharing "𝑆𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑦, 𝑒𝑛𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑢𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑛 𝑢𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑖𝑚𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠". From the articles written to the Urban Trekking and Human Library event, take a look at the implementation of the project "Telling the story, Learning from Listening" in Greece! Remembrance in time is a collection of short but interesting stories from various authors. This valuable collection was edited by Mrs. Elena HELEREA Gabriela MAILAT Florentin OLTEANU from Transilvania University Press.
The stories are aimed at different topics related to particular historical periods in Romania like communism. What is more, all historical events are interwoven by personal testimonials as a memory for our generation to learn from them and not repeat them. The collection includes also other topics, for example, Human Rights in Europe and its evolution or Human Rights in the case of family life. If your interest is more focused on these subjects, you can discover a lot of attractive facts in these articles. On the link below you can find these stories:
Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uhbBjkIIUnu6sgxB85TBpC1Z1xzvtq7I/view?usp=sharing During the international final conference of project TELL on 17.05.2022, Fundacja MODE told about the experience with Human Library event and Urban Trekking. The two events focused on the topic of Communism in Poland and its connections with Human Rights violation and oppression, made concrete thanks to stories and places. From May 2-19, students from Jasieniec started their work in Bologna. At IFOM, 6 IT technicians were hosted and asked to create a Weebly website about the entire group. The youth assessed their work, described their impressions of their stay or how they spend their free time. Each of the people is satisfied with their work and with the time spent in Italy, it is a really great experience for each of them! During their stay in Bologna, the group participated in the Final International Conference of TELL project, and collected their impressions and experience in a video published on YouTube and in the website created: “Everything in the State, nothing outside the State, nothing against the state” is the description of all totalitarisms.
Totalitarian systems are based on the conformity of the whole society, mass mobilization, the submission of all classes to a dominant political group and attacks on the "enemies" of the system and their ideology. The totalitarian regime is tutelary in nature, purporting to incarnate the true and necessary values to give meaning to the lives of its citizens. Such regimes emerged during a crisis of traditional and religious values and of organizations founded on common interest. The aim of the regime is the creation of a new company through technological controls. The purpose of individuals, groups and society are subordinate to those of the state, that the state or ruling group monopolizes decision-making, that all opposition is prohibited, that there is no independent expression of public opinion, that there is no constitutional form of self- government and that there are no few or no limits on the rulers. The State, to which all corporate bodies were subject, defines all the objectives and the protection of individual rights against official action has virtually disappeared. Politics during the regime lacks any freedom or choice and claims to create definitive social conditions and, in its need, to control both social life and individual conscience, it aims to create a new type of man. The distinctiveness of totalitarianism arises in the effort to control thoughts and emotions as well as actions. Its novelty is in the more efficient technological devices, the mass media, the skilled personnel, and the mass support available for coercion, manipulation and indoctrination of whole population to implement the perceived truth. In Italy Fascism was officially born on March 23, 1919, when a small group of about 120 ex-combatants, interventionists, daring and intellectuals gathered who founded the Italian Combatant Fasci. Fascism at its origins had specific and defined characteristics, including: the systematic use of violence against political opponents - socialists, popular Catholics - the undisputed cult of the leader, the systematic use of physical violence, extreme nationalism and a political culture marked by authoritarian tendencies. Transformed into the National Fascist Party (PNF) on 10 November 1921, Fascism was established, without being elected, as the only form of government following the March on Rome (28 October 1922) led by Mussolini himself and other exponents of the Italian nationalist right. Proclaimed Prime Minister, recognised as such by the king, Vittorio Emanuele III, Mussolini initiated a series of 'reforms' - also known as the 'Leggi fascistissime' passed in the second half of the 1920s. These laws stipulated that:
police confinement for anti-fascists, by Royal Decree No. 1848/1926 Testo Unico delle Leggi di Pubblica Sicurezza;
Abstract There was a time in Greece when whistling a forbidden song served as a slogan of acquaintance, declaring a deafening reaction, hope and complicity. It was the time when newspapers were no longer published and the books were subjected to precautionary censorship, so that no one is infected by "anti-national" or "immoral" texts.In particular there was strict control over any existing media by that time, i.e.: newspapers, magazines, books, public gatherings, arts, music, cinema and radio.Minorities such as Jews, homosexuals, gypsies and anyone else who was considered as danger or wrong example for the authoritarian society, were chasing by authorities through the media and snitches, until they were tortured, exiled or dead. From 1916, when the World War I begin, to 1974, when dictatorship leave the country, Greece went through many regimes. Two world wars, many civil wars and one dictatorial regime made its citizens suffer, bringing another minority into the spotlight each time. Below,facts will be noted from all these harsh times, starring this dictatorshipin which they existed the most bans and persecutions. Censorship and propaganda Throughout this period censorship may have operated under a single legal framework, but phases are distinguished with stricter or less stringent conditions, which are directly related to the political situation in Greece. IN FACT, WALLS WERE FULL OF POSTERS ASKING THE SOLDIERS WHO WERE COMING BACK FROM THE FRONT, NOT TO MENTION ANYTHING RELATED TO THE WAR. From the first day of the dictatorship, a Censorship Service is installed in the ministry. The police goes to presses and stops printing the newspapers. They had only managed to get out some morning leaves, none from the afternoon. The next day censorship begins normally, in everything. Students and women are forbidden to take sides through any publication. Homosexual magazines are not allowed to be published. Any reference to accidents at work is prohibited. The newspapers write the same things, they all have the same content. Even the weather is censored. "We are afraid of everything". Many publishers, journalists, editors and magazine directors are getting imprisoned and tortured even for contents that are not their own. Although, several journalists and press technicians are organized into resistance organizations. Illegal newspapers starts to circulate and political prisoners make illegal magazines inside the prison that includes their tortures and other cruel truths. Also, journalists and others feed the world with news of anti-dictatorial actions, trials, arrests, tortures, deportations.Everyone has to know what’s going on! Gradually there is a tolerance. Nevertheless, journalists have to know what to write and what to avoid because persecution always lurk.But how Greeks are going to be informed about the situation that prevails throughout Greece? How are they going to revolute without knowing who is by their side? At this point, the correspondents play the most important role. Declaration of a correspondent: The field of politics has always served as a great example when discussing how fearful actions could launch similarly fearful reactions. The last century's far-right or fascist regimes are especially telling examples. Nowadays, it is commonly accepted to avoid as well as to neglect political or social behaviours resembling the fascist past. If anything, it has become an alarming sign in current times when political parallels are discovered between the present and the aforementioned political systems.
On one hand, fascism did become a dominant political ideology in the first half of the past century because of its blind support granted by the citizens. On the other, we cannot talk about Fascist regimes without mentioning the counter-actions and the freedom fights it had kindled. From this observation, we can draw the assumption that a political ideology that is building itself on power, dominance, and terror is creating its own contrasting force from within. To analyse such a claim, we can turn to Italy and examine the Fascist regime's function and the Resistance that rose against it. In doing so, we shall take the underground press as an example of a crucial tool of the Resistance. It is in every history book now that the Italian Fascist Party ruled the Kingdom of Italy from 1922 until 1943, and then the Italian Social Party from 1943 to 1945, under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. Its ideology was rooted in revolutionary and aggressive nationalism that dulled the desire to restore Italian hegemony over the Mediterranean and rebuild and continue the heritage of the antique Roman Empire. Furthermore, it opposed liberalism, socialism since it only promoted an Italian nationalism built on a shared past and traditions. Such ideology demanded territorial expansion and a fearsome, centralised political power. It should not surprise us that oppression and censorship were used to force people into the fascist system. Especially censorship, which was, of course, used before the Fascist regime, became key in controlling public opinion, spreading propaganda and blocking alternative voices. Since the two main functions of censorship were either to present the political power in an appealing appearance in the public eye as well as to filter and destroy the unwanted press. The answer was a brave and dedicated resistance movement across Italy that challenged and fought the Fascist dictatorship. During the Resistance, the press played a central role. Each party in the CLN had its own periodical, which was produced, printed and distributed underground, thanks mainly to the efforts of the women's relay girls and the Women's Defence Groups. Sometimes they are local publications, such as the bulletin of the communist federation of Florence, "L'Azione Comunista", or that of the Imola federation, "La Comune". Even individual CLNs sometimes have their own periodicals: 'Fratelli d'Italia', for example, is that of the Veneto committee. DRPDNM implemented the living library event as part of our biggest event of the year – Festival Week of Cultures. It was one of the activities offered to people of the festival.
The event that took place in September was intended for the students of the local school – Gimnazija Novo mesto, but, since the schools were at the time operating online, we opened the event to other guests of the festival. The living library event had the title Do not judge a book by its cover, and had the intent to educate the people about the Slovenian past, as well as fight against stereotypes. As the event was a part of our Festival, we had also invited a few other books, who we have worked with in the past. 5 of the living books were part of the project TELL and were talking about their lives in the times of Yugoslavia, one of them also lived through the World War II. Although other books spoke about different topics,the visitors still noticed similarities and connections to the topic of project TELL’s books. One book talked about his story of coming to Slovenia as a refugee from Bosnia in the 90s, as the Yugoslavia was falling apart and Bosnia had the bloodiest war; while another asylum seeker has in recent years seeked refuge in Slovenia from the situation in Afghanistan. Although only one of them was a book from the TELL project, both stories showed similarities.From them we can learn, that human rights and fundamental freedoms are still endangered, and that things our countries went through some 30 years ago, are still happening in the present day in other parts of the world. The oldest of our books has lived in the same place through three different countries / regimes. Born in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia he was a child during WW2, grew up in Socialist Yugoslavia and now lives his later years in the independent Republic of Slovenia. Readers became completely immersed in his story and some even shed some tears. Another book spoke about her childhood in Bosnia and Herzegovina during Yugoslavian times and how her family has moved to Slovenia when she was still in elemtary school. Despite people of different cultures and nationalities were considered “brothers” in Yugoslavia, in reality she said Slovenians were xenophobic toward her in the beginning. During the time of project TELL, Slovenians have seen some media freedom restrictions. Due to this, we wanted to see what this was like in the time of our past regime. Another book was thus a journalist who has lived, finished her education and also worked as a journalist in SFRY, and still works as a journalist today in present-day-Slovenia. Slovenia is largely a rural country and throughout the past, the majority of its population had been farmers. This has only started changing in the 20th century, when more and more people were moving to cities and seeking jobs in factories. One of the books however, grew up in a farming family in Yugoslavia. She talked how different life was in the countryside compared to the city, the views people had, and the opportunities that might have been lost to them. The last book from the project TELL was a photographer from Novo mesto who has in the past followed many important events in the lives of people and eternalised them through camera lens. He has one of the latest photographs of Yugoslavian president Tito in his archive. Soon after our event, the Covid pandemic brought back even stricter restrictions. Due to this, we had to wait until springtime to continue with our project implementations. In April and May, we finally met again with our books and filmed the video interviews of their stories. We had to make a change however. Epidemic affected older people more and made them less open to visits and interactions. Due to this, we could not film the video interview with our oldest book, and instead invited another “book” to speak about her life in the video. Nina Š. Spoke about her childhood and youth in the later years of Yugoslavia and whether she was noticing the changes in the society before Yugoslavia became independent. She also spoke about the influence the media had on the lives of citizens since even at that time this was an interest of hers. The living library events have by now become a staple of our organisation. We do 1 or two events per year, where we invite people to read human books. Some of the books return time after time, and some are new on each event. We are looking forward to even more similar events, to share awareness, educate and fight stereotypes. |
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