History paper by Széchenyi, Kinga
Deportations During the Worst Communist Terror in Romania (1948-1964)
Type of Abstract (select):Abstract (max. 250 words):
After World War II, the forced abdication of the king, and the complete communist takeover, intensive sovietization started in Romania. This included, just as in other satellite countries, the persecution of the ”class enemies” and of course anybody who did not agree in any way with the regime. The objective of the different deportations and other retaliations was to liquidate these people. The lecture is about the mass deportation of former landowners, the then so-called kulaks in 1949; deportations to the Danube-Delta and Dobrudja starting from 1950; deportations from the Yugoslav border area in 1951; the deportees in forced labor camps at the construction of the Danube Channel. There was a partial amnesty in Romania in 1954, but the release of all deportees came only in 1964. However, the communist dictatorship continued with the horrors of the Ceausescu regime.
Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
Kinga Széchenyi, educator, writer, and sculptor graduated from Loránd Eötvös University, Budapest in 1970. Then taught at Toldy Ferenc Secondary Grammer School, and later became a teacher trainer for Loránd Eötvös University. Translates English and American literary works and psychology publications. Researched the deportations of the Rákosi dictatorship and published a book on the topic: Stigmatized (Megbélyegzettek, Kráter Kiadó, Pomáz, 2008.) She studied sculpturing at Dési-Huber Art School, Budapest, makes plaquettes and statuettes. Her János Bolyai and Gyula Farkas plaquettes are awards for mathematicians at international conferences. Her large János Bolyai plaquette is on a memorial tablet in Marosvásárhely, Transylvania. She received the Silver Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic for her achievements in education in 1998.