Boss, hold on tight, 'cause I've got news that'll make you remember all those history lessons you skipped! A historian from Evenimentul zilei has drawn a biting parallel: Ilie Bolojan, the current interim prime minister, is being compared to Petru Groza, the communist prime minister from '45-'52. Yeah, bro, the one with the Soviets! The author says that "history doesn't repeat itself, only people behave the same in similar situations. And they get the same result." Now, I don't know what to say, but I'm not buying this story that easily.
Let me break it down for you, cuz. Bolojan became PM after Marcel Ciolacu resigned, in all that mess with the cancellation of the 2024 presidential elections. Back then, the world was up in the air, parties were arguing like at a tent door. Groza, on the other hand, led the country exactly when communism was being installed, with the Russians at the door. Now, yeah, the context is different: one is in the 21st century, with the EU and NATO, the other was in the Stone Age of Romanian politics.
The article also mentions a constitutional crisis from '45-'46, called the "royal strike," when King Michael I refused to sign Groza's decrees, demanding a representative government. Then, whoops, there's the episode from the summer of 2012, when they tried to impeach Băsescu through a referendum. See the similarity? Then and now, political crises with the constitution at stake. But comparing Bolojan to Groza after just a few months in office seems a bit over the top. I, for one, don't see him signing any decrees with the Soviets or pulling "royal strikes."
The author doesn't get into concrete details, just throws out a line: "people behave the same." Well, bro, that's like saying all BMW drivers are wannabe gangsters – I mean, let's be serious! And the article is part of a historical series, with all sorts of topics, from Ceaușescu in Great Britain in '78 to the Nanjing Massacre. Maybe the author thought he'd throw in some clickbait with big names to get out of obscurity.
Political reactions? So far, nobody has commented. Maybe they're afraid to get bogged down in history. I'm gonna go explain to Mioara that Bolojan is, supposedly, like Groza – she'll tell me to cut the crap, 'cause she knows better who Groza was from the communist TV series. In the meantime, I say let's have another beer at Fane's and leave history alone. As they say, "history is written by the victors," but usually, we're left with the pretzels.
