Social Democratic Workers' Party of Romania

The Social Democratic Workers' Party of Romania (Romanian: Partidul Social-Democrat al Muncitorilor din Romȃnia, PSDMR), established in 1893, was the first modern socialist political party in Romania. A Marxist organization, the PSDMR was part of the Second International and sent its representatives to the first five congresses of that organization. Never a strong organization, the RSDWP was further weakened following an organizational split in February 1900, only reviving after 1905. In February 1910 the PSDMR was absorbed into a new organization, the Romanian Social Democratic Party (PSDR), effectively ending its existence in its original incarnation.

Organizational history[]

Background[]

The history of socialism in Romania begins in 1834, when an aristocrat named (1810-1841) established a utopian socialist colony based on the ideas of French writer Charles Fourier in the town of Scăieni, located north of Bucharest.^[1] This experiment in agricultural communitarianism was terminated in 1836.^[1]

During the decade of the 1870s, socialist ideas again began to gain attention in Romania, particularly among certain university students in Bucharest.^[1] Constantin Dobrogeanu-Gherea (1855-1920) is the best remembered among these early advocates of Marxist ideas in Romania.^[1]

Establishment[]

In 1893 the PSDMR was established in an effort to unite various radical individuals in a unitary political organization.^[1]

The PSDMR was particularly strong in the city of Bucharest and it grew to about 6,000 members by 1897.^[1]

Split[]

In February 1900 the PSDMR split between a reformist wing that sought to unite all pro-democracy forces, socialist and non-socialist, in a single political party and a radical wing that sought to continue the political fight not just for political democracy but also for the cause of socialist economy.^[1] The reform wing was absorbed into the ranks of the National Liberal Party and continued their political efforts in that organization.

After about five years of a weak underground existence, the radical wing of the PSDMR reemerged as the Socialist Union of Romania (Uniunea Socialistă din România), working closely with the emerging trade union movement in Bucharest.^[1]

New organization[]

In February 1910 the Socialist Union of Romania determined to establish a new national political organization known as the Romanian Social Democratic Party (PSDR) and dissolved itself to join the ranks of that new organization.^[1]

Footnotes[]