Every year, I return to Romania to visit my family. Our home is just outside Bucharest, often referred to as ‘Little Paris’. Each time I go back, I pass through the towering Soviet apartment blocks, which I’ve always disliked. These buildings serve as a stark reminder of life in the 80s and the hardships many endured. Although I was born 16 years too late to experience life in a Communist country, it’s clear that this ex-Communist country remains deeply influenced by its past – many aspects of life in Romania are unchanged.
Two steps forward, one step back
Since the revolution of 1989, Romania has struggled to shed the legacy of its Communist past. While the country has made strides toward democracy and economic growth, the shadows of corruption, mistrust and inefficiency linger. Public institutions, from education to government, still bear the marks of an authoritarian system that prioritised control over progress. The sense of community forged during hardship remains strong, but so does the scepticism toward authority – a natural response to decades of repression.
Under Nicolae Ceaușescu’s regime, corruption was not just rampant, it was systemic. The Securitate, Romania’s secret police, operated with impunity, surveilling citizens, suppressing dissent and rewarding loyalty over competence. The regime’s propaganda machine glorified the state while concealing its failures, and the economy was crippled by mismanagement and cronyism.
The black market
Most products were a luxury for the normal citizen: bananas, oranges, chocolate, beef, and many more. Everyone had a connection with someone working in ‘the system’ (essentially party officials). If you wanted an extra five eggs for your family as the rations were not enough, you would have to bribe one of the workers to secretly give you some ‘through the back door’.
The black market was a big part of daily life, and without these underground networks, many families would struggle to get even the most basic necessities and survive the shortages.
Promoting the ideology
Education was used as a tool of the state, with teachers promoting Communist ideology and punishing critical thinking. Fear of speaking out was ingrained in most people from childhood. I remember hearing stories from my family about the ‘big wooden ruler’ and how teachers would slap your palms if you got an answer wrong – no terror in their eyes, just melancholy.
And most importantly, informants were everywhere. The Securitate’s power was able to make families turn on each other to avoid punishment; so, trust was a rare commodity.
Corruption continues
The fall of communism did not end corruption – it evolved. Former Securitate officers and Communist officials seamlessly transitioned into positions of power in politics, business and even the church. Today, corruption manifests in subtler but equally damaging ways.
Romania’s political elite continues to operate with a sense of impunity, mirroring the cronyism of the Communist past. High-ranking figures, it has been alleged, have been linked to corrupt schemes such as the famous ‘Nordis’ scheme, where millions of euros meant for building and infrastructure of housing were diverted through fraudulent contracts; the figures include Marcel Ciolacu, the Prime Minister of Romania, who denies any wrongdoing. And according to recently declassified information, ex-President Klaus Iohannis spent just over €22mn of public funds on private flights during his term of office.
Foreign interference
Foreign interference has thrown Romanian democracy into chaos. Over the past year, Russian-linked disinformation campaigns have flooded social media with fake news, deepfakes, and bot-driven propaganda – so much that courts were forced to annul elections, leaving the country without a legitimate president. Now, imagine an ex-immigrant with little political backing, suddenly becoming the ‘chosen leader.’ How? Through a mix of foreign-funded manipulation, algorithmic amplification, and outright fraud.
So, did we really become a democracy if our government did not rid our system of corruption?
Looking back and looking forwards
Neither does education look any better. The far-right party, Alliance for the Union of Romania, opposes students learning about the Holocaust as they say it would reduce the quality of education in Romania. Even worse, they believe that introducing sex education in schools would reduce the importance of subjects such as science. In Europe, Romania has the second highest number of underage pregnancies, yet minors have no basic knowledge of sexual health.
Searching online, it’s impossible to fully grasp what people truly want: one moment, you might watch an elderly woman recounting the hardships of the Communist era and warning against returning to the past, only to swipe to the next video and see a young activist leading anti-NATO and anti-EU protests in Bucharest. Some blame regional divides, others point to education. One thing is clear – Romanian society will remain divided for years to come. Rather than seeking to understand each other, people retreat into ideological extremes, turning a once-peaceful country into a battleground of opposing worldviews.
Was it worth it?
When I pass those Soviet apartment blocks, I wonder: Was it worth it? The blood spilled in 1989 bought us freedom from Ceaușescu’s tyranny, but not from the rot that once sustained it. The same faces, the same tactics – only now, the Securitate wear suits, the Party calls itself democratic, and the black market has moved to offshore accounts.
We got supermarkets full of bananas but kept the backdoor deals. We replaced wooden rulers with bureaucratic humiliation. The informants? They file reports as whistleblowers now – when they’re not the ones in power. The revolution promised liberty, yet today’s Romania feels like a paradox: free to speak but afraid to trust, wired to the world yet manipulated by the same old ghosts.
Was it worth dying for?
The answer depends on who you ask.
Ask the parents bribing doctors for decent care. For the five million Romanians working abroad – the largest diaspora in Europe. It brought the chance to leave, but not a country worth returning to. Freedom gave us choices – but not the country they fought for.
The revolution isn’t over; it’s waiting for us to finish it.
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