That Time an American Television Drama Brought Down a Communist Regime
100% Serious.
Life Under Communist Rule in Romania
As we all know, life in communist Eastern Europe was not all that great, like some want to believe. But in Communist Romania, life was particularly rough as that country’s leader, Nicolae Ceaușescu, was your classic communist hardliner. This was a man who genuinely “believed in the revolution” and led one of the more oppressive regimes within the Eastern Bloc. Even Moscow thought he was a bit too much of a dictator and actually distanced themselves from Ceaușescu’s government.
Unfortunately for the Romanian people, some of the things Ceaușescu did ended up doing more harm than actual good within the country. But one of the more curious things Nicolae Ceaușescu did was allow certain Western shows to be broadcasted within the country, and one of them was the TV drama “Dallas”.
The Impact of “Dallas” on Romanian Society
For those of you who don’t know, Dallas was an incredibly popular drama back in the day. It told the story of the powerful yet broken Ewing family and their feud with the just as powerful Barnes family. This show ran for 14 seasons during its original run and was known for its portrayal of wealth, sex, intrigue, conflict, and power struggles. So obviously it was the perfect show for the Romanian people, as it showed just how “corrupt” and “morally bankrupt” the West truly was. Thus, it was intended to show just how good the people had it in the communist utopia that was Ceaușescu’s Romania.
But despite showing the many flaws of the West, (seriously, the character of “J.R.” was the worst example of a capitalist you will ever see) the Romanian people didn’t see that. Instead, they saw people working well-paying jobs, driving nice cars, buying and wearing nice clothes, and traveling to “exotic” locations on fancy jets. Basically, Romania was seeing a life that was much better than their own, and it caused many of them to start questioning if the communist government was really looking out for them.
The Seeds of Discontent
In a way, Dallas planted the seeds of discontent within Romania’s people. A discontent that would eventually grow and overflow, resulting in the Romanian Revolution on December 16, 1989. A revolution that not only saw the collapse of the communist regime but also the arrest and execution of Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife.
Now, I will admit that it is a stretch to say Dallas single-handedly brought down a communist government. But a number of Romanians admit that the show did have an influence over them and made them question the communist government.
~NC
