In our every deliberation we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations. That isn't just a marketing slogan from an excellent household products company, it's a guiding principle leading us to low impact living in the garden paradise of our dreams.
22 decembrie 1989 dimineata - zona Sf. Gheorghe (filmare furata de la S.R.I.)
Raw footage shot from a balcony near Parcul Sfantul Gheorghe in Bucharest at 9:30 AM on 22 December 1989. Therefore this is one of the first skirmishes of the 1989 revolution. This area is just south of Piata Universitate and the Intercontinental Hotel, which was a main focus of protester activity. The video shows folks in the street having various confrontations with police carrying shields. There are a few instances showing gunfire but it's not clear whether folks were actually shot or what happened. That is, folks scattered at the sound of gunfire, but all they did in response was BOOOOOOO and the sounds did not indicate anyone having been wounded, in this circumstance. There were people shot in other circumstances of the 1898 Revolution in Romania, of course, but it does not appear there were any shot in this recording.
Romanian Revolution - Cluj, raw footage
Raw footage shot on the streets of Cluj-Napoca showing elation and celebration in the wake of the Revolution. It's clear there's some confusion over the future. In at least one scene the results of violence are shown, such as a puddle of blood on a sidewalk.
Irish coverage of 1989 Romanian Revolution
Immediately after Romania's revolution against its Communist dictator, an Irish TV network sent a reporter to Romania. He put together a most interesting report showing little-known images, videos and information. A key question about the Romanian revolution is the context it occurred in, following other revolutions in Russia, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Poland and elsewhere. Was that wave of revolutions because of Western forces causing those revolutions? In the case of Romania, it's curious that in a country with a brutally draconian approach to dissent that any revolution had any chance of taking hold. The documentary shows video and images from Timisoara, where this revolution started, claiming there were spontaneous organically started by the people following a brutal response to a small protest. That much is the well known official history. But evidence is shown the Timisoara Army garrison joining to support the protesters, which was key to the revolution succeeding rather than being violently quashed. The suggestion being that the Romanian Military decided to opportunistically use organically started protests in Timisoara to force overturning the Communist government. The Military garrison in Timisoara is unlikely to have acted on its own. Instead the military command in Bucharest and other garrisons around the country are likely to have jointly agreed to allow these protests to grow into a full revolution. The bloodshed (over 2000 people died) came because Securitate and the regular Military acted under different command structures, and had different plans for the Romania's future.
Sibiu in the 1989 Romanian Revolution
The Romanian Revolution played out not just in Bucharest and Timisoara, but in several other cities. This documentary focuses on the Revolutionary activity in Sibiu. There was confusion, violence, shootings, and deaths, in a city quite a ways from Bucharest and the main activity.
The Gold of the Thracians
Documentary discussing the Thracians in what's now known as Bulgaria, focusing on archeological discoveries in the mounds left by those people.
Ancient Alien Mystery of the Carpathian Sphinx
Documentary discussing the ancient Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon cultures, how their cross breeding may have created modern humanity. All that has something to do with a complex of ancient sites in the vicinity of the Carpathian Sphinx.
Armãnj, Vlachs, Vlasi. Episode 1, Etymology and Origins. With MK subtitles (prevod)
Did the Romanians in Romania originate in that land, or did they migrate into that land? This video claims that the Armãnj are the original culture of peoples who spoke a Latin-like language and specialized in shepherding. This is the first in a series telling the story of the people most know as Aromanian, or Vlachs, and which are presented in this video as the Armãnj.
Ceausescu Behind The Myth
Documentary about Nicolai Ceausescu, billed as Europes Last Dictator. He ruled the country from the mid 1960's until the revolution in 1990 after which he and his wife were tried in a kangaroo court and were summarily executed.
Filmul Revolutiei din Decembrie 1989 (versiune completa)
A collection of video clips during the Romainian Revolution of 1989. Most of the video is from inside the television studios and halls of power where the Revolution actually took place.
Rise and Fall of Nicolae Ceausescu - rare unseen video and images
The Ceausescu's were in charge of Romania from the mid-60's until they were violently overthrown in 1989. This documentary shows their path from obscurity to power, and especially that they took inspiration from the Cults of Personality operating in countries like China and North Korea.
Nicolae Ceausescu - vizita in Coreea de Nord (1971)
In 1971, Nicolae Ceausescu and an entourage visited North Korea. It's said that Ceausescu was so impressed by what he saw, that it inspired him to repeat it in Romania. As a result he forced Romanians into performing massive choreographed staged events, and began rebuilding Bucharest to be a grand Communist city. In other words, this visit ushered in some of the excesses that befell Romania under his rule.
The Thracians, a Hidden History - HD 2013
Documentary discussing the Thracians in what's now known as Bulgaria and Romania, the proud history and culture, and how they became prominent within the Roman empire.
Regiunile istorice ale României / Romania’s historical regions -- Learn Romanian Geography
An overview of the historical regions of Romania, based on România Mare, or Greater Romania. This was the largest extent of territory that Romania has achieved, during Regatul României, or Kingdom of Romania. That period ended with World War II when Russia and Germany and Ukraine carved off pieces of Romanian territory.
Astăzi și mâine / Today and tomorrow -- Learn Romanian Music
The first in a series teaching the Romanian language by listening to Romanian music. This song was released by Romanian heavy metal band Cargo, in 1995, and has some deepness in its lyrics.
Romanian Phrases - Daily Expressions
A Romanian repeating common phrases corresponding to the English translation on the screen. An important thing is that while Romanians like to speak fast and run words together, this person takes time to pronounce each segment of the phrase carefully.
Sighisoara - A Medieval Tale
Sighisoara is recognized by the UNESCO as a world heritage site, is the birthplace of Vlad Dracula, and is the city where Homeopathy was invented. Having preserved its medieval character very well, it's a popular destination and a beautiful city.
How was Romania Mare created from three regions ruled by foreigners?
The territory comprising modern Romania is three ancient regions, <em>Wallachia</em>, <em>Moldova</em>, and <em>Transylvania</em>. Each were ruled by an ever-changing set of ruling families, and often foreign powers were in control. Romanian rulers like Mihai Viteazul (Michael the Brave) sought to unite Romanians into one kingdom, without lasting success. This began to change in 1859 in the wake of sweeping change across Europe. A dream, <em>Romania Mare</em> or <em>Greater Romania</em>, began to be nurtured by leading Romanian politicians. In the 1880's this gelled into the old Kingdom of Romania, and in 1918 the Kingdom grew to contain the largest contiguous territory ever under Romanian rule.
Transnistria: Transnistria is a de facto sovereign state in the narrow strip of land between the river Dniester and the territory of Ukraine that is internationally recognized as part of Moldova. It was originally formed by the Soviet Union in 1924, and then for geopolitical ends the USSR artificially attached this land to Moldova SSR. Today it is still attached to the Republic of Moldova, however Russia has a strong influence and is using its status as a frozen conflict zone to maintain geopolitical leverage over that area.
How did Transnistria emerge, and what is its history?
Most people have never heard of Transnistria, and it is a curious corner of Europe that's outside normal legal structures. It claims to be a country, but the only other "countries" which recognize its existence are other breakaway regions that no other countries recognize as legitimate countries. Legally Transnistria is considered part of the Republic of Moldova, and its existence is the result of a "war" in 1991. Did Transnistria always exist as part of Moldova? No, that like many things about Transnistria is a fiction created by the old Soviet Union.
Knights of the Sky Air War Over Romania
A key prize for Nazi Germany in World War 2 was Romania's oil fields. Romania was one of the first countries in the world with commercial oil production. The lack of oil fields in Europe meant that Germany desperately needed that oil to power its war machine. Conveniently Romanians have a historical feud with the Slavic people, and when Germany took over Romania the Romanian military joined the fight against Russia. Which meant that American and Allied forces needed to conduct bombing missions on Romania as soon as possible.
What would have happened if Romania did not unify as Romania Mare in 1918?
<p>In WWII Romania played a significant if little recognized role. It began World War II when Russia annexed Bessarabia (which is part of Moldova) and Hungary annexed part of Transylvania. Quickly, Romania joined the Axis Powers, supplying oil to the Nazi War Machine, and Romanian troops participated in the invasion of the Soviet Union and the Battle of Stalingrad. Later, Romania flipped sides, joining the Allied Powers, with its troops fighting alongside the Soviets, which hastened the end of WWII.</p><p>In other words, Romania greatly helped both the Axis and the Allied powers. Its ability to do all that was partly due to having become a relatively large country following WWI. The period between WWI and WWII is called Romania Mare, as it was first time in history that ethnic Romanians were ruled by a single Romanian government. But what if they'd been unable to form Romania Mare?</p>
