Constantin Constantin Ion Brătianu (born May 20,[1] 1887 in Bucharest,[2] Romania; died 1955[1] or January 21,[3] 1956[2][3]), also known as "Bebe" (this means "Baby") was a liberal Romanian politician.
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Constantin was the son of general Constantin Ion Brătianu[1][2] (1844–1910), who was the son of former prime minister Dumitru Brătianu. Constantin Brătianu became a Doctor of Law[1][3] and worked for the National Bank of Romania.[1] In 1938, he became General Secretary of the National Liberal Party (PNL) which was led by Dinu Brătianu. Together with Dinu he tried to keep the splintered party intact during the dictatorships of King Carol II and Conducător Ion Antonescu.[4] During World War II, after Antonescu was overthrown, Constantin Brătianu acted as Minister of Armaments and War Production in the military transitional governments of Constantin Sănătescu and Nicolae Rădescu from November 1944 until February 1945.[1][3]
During Paris Peace Conference of 1946, when Rădescu's successor Petru Groza had been urged by the US and UK to include opposition representatives in his communist-dominated government, Constantin Brătianu was briefly in discussion again and supported even by Ana Pauker.[5][6][7] However, he was rejected by the other Communists and the Soviet Union. After the Brătianu faction of the National Liberal Party was forced to cease activity in 1947, Constantin Brătianu was arrested in 1948[1] or 1950[2][3] and imprisoned in Sighet Prison. Shortly after his release[1] he died in Bucharest's Colțea Hospital.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h Gheorghe Buzatu, Stela Cheptea, Marusia Cirstea: Istorie si societate, vol. III, pages 27ff and 57–63. Editura Mica Valahie, Bukarest 2011
- ^ a b c d Enciclopedia Identitatii Romanesti Personalitati 2011, page 117: Brătianu, Constantin (Bebe)
- ^ a b c d e f Alianta Dreptei: Memoria istoriei – Noaptea demnitarilor – 5/6 mai 1950
- ^ Encyclopaedia Britannica, vol 12, page 113. London 1964
- ^ Boris Ponomaryov, Andrei Gromyko, Vladimir Khvostov: History of Soviet Foreign Policy 1945–1970, page 41ff. Progress Publishers, Moscow 1974
- ^ Martin Mevius: Agents of Moscow – The Hungarian Communist Party and the Origins of Socialist Patriotism, 1941–1953, page 144f. Clarendon Press, Oxford 2005
- ^ Dennis Deletant: Romania under Communism – Paradox and Degeneration. Routledge, New York 2018