SovRoms

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The SovRoms (plural of SovRom) were economical enterprises established in Romania following the Communist takeover at the end of World War II, in place until 1954-1956 when they were dissolved by the Romanian authorities.

In theory, SovRoms were joint Romanian-Soviet ventures aimed at generating revenue for reconstruction;[1] however, they were mainly designed as a means to ensure resources for the Soviet side, and generally contributed to draining Romania's resources (in addition to the war reparations demanded by the armistice convention of 1944 and the Paris Peace Treaties,[2] which had been set at 300 million United States dollars[3] - see Romania during World War II). The Soviet contribution in creating the SovRoms lay mostly in reselling leftover German equipment to Romania.

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[edit] History

The first SovRom to be created (July 17, 1945), was Sovrompetrol, which had as its objective the exploitation of petroleum in Prahova County areas and the oil refineries in Ploieşti.[4] It was followed by Sovromtransport and Tars (operators in transport), Sovrombanc (banking and commercial monopoly), Sovromlemn (wood processing), Sovromgaz (natural gas), Sovromasigurare (insurance), Sovromcărbune (coal exploitation in the Jiu Valley and other areas), Sovromchim (chemical industry), Sovromconstrucţii (construction materials), Sovrommetal (iron extraction — around Reşiţa), Sovromtractor (future Tractorul, in Braşov), Sovromfilm (importing Soviet cinema productions), Sovrom Utilaj Petrolier (producing oil refining equipment), Sovromnaval (shipbuilding), and Sovromcuarţ (officially exploiting quartz, but also involved in the secret exploitation of uranium used in the Soviet atomic bomb project).[5]

The total number of goods passed by Romania to the Soviet Union surpassed by far the demanded war reparations, being estimated at around 2 billion dollars.[6] Special circumstances also enhanced the negative effects of SovRoms on Romanian economy: the severe drought and famine outbreaks of 1946,[7] coupled with the severe devaluation of the Romanian leu — culminating in a forced stabilization through monetary reform (1947).[8]

Their end, evidence of the Romanian Communist Party's relative emancipation from Soviet control, ran parallel to the De-Stalinization process; it was approved by Nikita Khrushchev and carried out by Miron Constantinescu (head of the Planning Board).[9] The gesture was used by General Secretary Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej, who had previously ensured their efficiency,[10] as a means to gain popularity with Romanian citizens and, in parallel, to advertise the fact that Romania had developed the majority of Marxian requirements for Socialism after completing nationalization.[11]

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Cioroianu, p.68, 70
  2. ^ Cioroianu, p.68, 71, 73
  3. ^ Cioroianu, p.73
  4. ^ Cioroianu, p.68
  5. ^ Cioroianu, p.69-70
  6. ^ Roper, p.18
  7. ^ Cioroianu, p.71-72
  8. ^ Cioroianu, p.72-74
  9. ^ Cioroianu, p.208
  10. ^ Roper, p.22
  11. ^ Cioroianu, p.71, 74-76

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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