THE FAILURE OF THE SOVIET MODEL IN TĂȘNAD DISTRICT, ROMANIA, IN 1960

The study investigates the failure of the Tășnad District, which operated between 1956 and 1960, in Romania. The dictatorial party of Romania established the district, in 1956, according to the Soviet model. The decision to establish the district took into account only the interests of the communist elite and the Soviet occupation forces in Romania. The district was used to intensify Sovietization, as all its institutions functioned according to a Soviet pattern. The absolute majority of the district inhabitants worked in underperforming agriculture and paid huge taxes. The most important achievement of the Tășnad district was the collectivization, completed in 1959. Romania was just one of the states in the Soviet zone of influence that was collectivizing its agriculture. Thereby, the entire economy of Tășnad District came under state control. But the state could not significantly improve the backward agriculture of the district. Minor improvements to the poor-quality infrastructure were not enough to generate economic growth in the district. Propaganda was intensified and was used to hide economic stagnation. Despite some social improvements, the living conditions in the district remained miserable. The documentation is based on the literature of the period and a testimony of a resident who experienced the district's failure firsthand. After a detailed study, the authorities noted the failure of the Tășnad District and 49 others and dissolved them in 1960. Even a party's detailed study showed that the Soviet model had failed in 50 districts, representing more than a quarter of Romania's districts. The failure of the Tășnad District and 49 others hastened the decision of the communist authorities in Romania to move away, at least formally, from the Soviet model in the 1960s.