The Communist Takeover in Romania. The Fight for the Control over the Secret Service of Information (March – July 1945)

Abstract

Control over the institutions of force was essential for the Romanian Communist Party's strategy to seize complete state power. In such a context, the Special Information Service’s politicized activity stood out immediately after the establishment of the Petru Groza government, on March 6, 1945. Emil Bodnăraș was the key figure appointed for this mission by the party leadership. This study explores the most important period, March – July 1945, using documents from secret archives, some of which have recently been made available to researchers.

Keywords

• emil bodnăraș
• special information service
• communist takeover
• cold war
• soviet occupation
• popular democracy