Ion Mihalache

{{short description|Romanian politician}} {{redirect|Mihalache|other people of the same name|Mihalache (surname)}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Ion Mihalache | honorific_suffix = | image = File:Ion Mihalache.04.jpg | caption = | birth_date = {{OldStyleDateNY| 3 March|19{{nbsp}}February}} 1882 | birth_place = [[Topoloveni]], [[Muscel County]], [[Kingdom of Romania]] | death_date = {{Death date and age|1963|02|05|1882|03|03}} | death_place = [[Râmnicu Sărat Prison]], [[Socialist Republic of Romania|Romanian People's Republic]] | order = [[Crown Council of Romania|Member of the Crown Council]] | monarch = [[Carol II of Romania|Carol II]] | term_start = 17 April 1940 | term_end = 26 June 1940 | office1 = [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Romania)|Minister of Foreign Affairs]] | term_start1 = 10 October 1930 | term_end1 = 17 April 1931 | prime_minister1 = [[Iuliu Maniu]] [[Gheorghe Mironescu]] | predecessor1 = [[Gheorghe Mironescu]] | successor1 = [[Constantin Argetoianu]] | office2 = [[Ministry of Internal Affairs (Romania)|Minister of Internal Affairs]] | term_start2 = 10 October 1930 | term_end2 = 4 April 1931 | prime_minister2 = [[Iuliu Maniu]] [[Gheorghe Mironescu]] | predecessor2 = [[Alexandru Vaida-Voievod]] | successor2 = [[Nicolae Iorga]] | term_start3 = 11 August 1932 | term_end3 = 8 January 1933 | prime_minister3 = [[Alexandru Vaida-Voievod]] [[Iuliu Maniu]] | predecessor3 = [[Alexandru Vaida-Voievod]] | successor3 = [[George G. Mironescu]] | office5 = President of the [[National Peasants' Party]] | term_start5 = June 1931 | term_end5 = July 1932 | predecessor5 = [[Iuliu Maniu]] | successor5 = [[Iuliu Maniu]] | term_start6 = April 1935 | term_end6 = December 1937 | predecessor6 = [[Alexandru Vaida-Voevod]] | successor6 = [[Iuliu Maniu]] | office7 = Founding Leader of the [[Peasants' Party (Romania)|Peasants' Party]] | term_start7 = 18 December 1918 | term_end7 = 10 October 1926 | successor7 = [[Iuliu Maniu]] (party merged into the [[National Peasants' Party]]) | constituency = | party = [[Peasants' Party (Romania)|Peasants' Party]] [[National Peasants' Party]]. | spouse = | profession = | signature = | footnotes = }} '''Ion Mihalache''' ({{IPA|ro|iˈon mihaˈlake}}; {{OldStyleDateNY| 3 March|19{{nbsp}}February}} 1882 {{ndsh}} February 5, 1963) was a [[Romania]]n [[Agrarianism|agrarian]] politician, the founder and leader of the [[Peasants' Party (Romania)|Peasants' Party]] (PȚ) and a main figure of its successor, the [[National Peasants' Party]] (PNȚ).

==Early life== A schoolteacher born into a peasant family of [[Topoloveni]], [[Muscel County]], he served as a [[lieutenant]] in the [[Romanian Army]] during [[World War I]].<ref name="Rouček, p.84-85">Rouček, p.84-85</ref> Mihalache, who soon became popular among [[Romanian Orthodox Church|Orthodox]] priests and village teachers, served as president of the local teachers' association.<ref name="Rouček, p.84-85"/>

He founded the PȚ in the [[Romanian Old Kingdom]] in 1918; under his leadership, it emerged from northern [[Muntenia]] and became a grouping with national appeal.<ref>Rouček, p.85</ref> The PȚ had much success in the [[1919 Romanian general election|elections of November 1919]], forming a coalition government with the [[Transylvania]]n [[Romanian National Party]] (PNR), under [[Alexandru Vaida-Voevod]]. As a politician, Mihalache made himself known for supporting a political option that mixed traditionalist reserve towards [[industrialization]] and calls for preserving the rural base of Romanian economy through voluntary [[cooperative farming]] (allowing for a peasant-based industry) with a vision of [[left-wing]] [[Corporatism]]. In 1929, he wrote: <blockquote>"Many have thought that [economic success] was only possible for the large-scale agricultural entrepreneur. And this is why they have supported that only on the basis of large-scale property can there be carried out a wise and lucrative agriculture, and that dividing the land leads to a decrease in production. Perhaps it would be this way, if the small-scale agricultural entrepreneur will not 'organize' himself and will not enlighten himself. But the cure was found: the association of peasants into agricultural cooperatives, which bring: money, as well as utensils, as well as ''regulated sales'', as well as ''industrialization''."<ref>Mihalache, "A patra scrisoare către plugari", ''[[Dreptatea]]'', September 15, 1929, in Niculae ''et al.'', p.153 (Mihalache's italics)</ref></blockquote>

He notably took the initiative in calling for peaceful marches of peasants and members of the rural [[intelligentsia]], and would almost always dress in accordance with the peasant tradition of his native [[Muscel County]].<ref>Scurtu, "Întâlniri pe înserat..."; Veiga, p.28</ref>

==1919-1920== Mihalache became Vaida-Voevod's Minister of Agriculture on December 16, 1919, in a cabinet replacing that of General [[Artur Văitoianu]]. Despite having led a [[Populism|populist]] movement, the [[People's Party (interwar Romania)|People's Party]], Averescu continuously opposed Mihalache's push for widespread [[land reform]].<ref name="Scurtu, Întâlniri pe înserat">Scurtu, "Întâlniri pe înserat..."</ref>

The new minister found himself at odds with the political establishment over the issue of land redistribution: promised by [[Ion I. C. Brătianu]]'s [[National Liberal Party (Romania, 1875)|National Liberal]] (PNL) government during [[World War I]], and partly carried out in December 1918, the move viewed as incomplete - [[Nationalization|expropriations]] had not led to a redefinition of peasant property, and land had remained with provisional cooperatives instead of being allocated to members. Mihalache supported the fragmentation of all land property in a country of medium to small sized landowners. The Peasants' Party calculated leaving no landowner with more than on one square kilometre, which also included expropriating land for common [[pasture]]. At the same time, Vaida-Voevod's government created a conflict over its projects for constitutional reform, clashing with the PNL over the [[Centralized government|highly centralized government]] and support for the [[1866 Constitution of Romania]] advocated by the latter. Mihalache is also known to have traveled incognito to various locations, as a means to observe first-hand abuse by government officials.<ref name="Scurtu, Întâlniri pe înserat"/>

After a deadlock over these issues in [[Parliament of Romania|Parliament]], Averescu's group and the National Liberals began negotiation a new parliamentary majority; advised by [[Nicolae Iorga]], who was president of the [[Chamber of Deputies of Romania|Chamber]], Mihalache handed in his resignation (March 12, 1920), with the expectation that the land reform project was to be endorsed by parliamentary initiative.<ref name="Scurtu, Întâlniri pe înserat"/> It was advanced later in the same day by the PȚ's [[Grigore Iunian]].<ref name="Scurtu, Întâlniri pe înserat"/> [[King of Romania|King]] [[Ferdinand I of Romania|Ferdinand I]] intervened in favor of the National Liberals, installing Averescu, who had reached an agreement with Brătianu, as [[List of Prime Ministers of Romania|Prime Minister]].<ref name="Scurtu, Întâlniri pe înserat"/>

A major factor in this move was pressure from the landowners to remove a threat to the system (notably, [[Constantin Garoflid]] filed a complaint with the king,<ref name="Scurtu, Întâlniri pe înserat"/> while Mihalache caused scandal when he publicly assured peasants that the monarch's opposition was ultimately irrelevant.<ref name="Scurtu, Întâlniri pe înserat"/> At the same time, the PȚ's politics had given way to fears that it was a Romanian equivalent of [[Aleksandar Stamboliyski]]'s [[Bulgarian Agrarian People's Union Alexander Stambolijski|Agrarian Union]] of [[Bulgaria]], or even a parallel to [[Bolshevism]]. To the latter accusation, Mihalache once replied indicating, as other leaders of his party had done, his belief that the peasant's needs identified with the [[national interest]]: <blockquote>"Thus — after so many years of 'harmony', we arrive today as the 'agitators of social order' and clearly state: ''Enough with the lie about social harmony. There is a [[Class conflict|conflict between social classes]]. We do not deny it, but rather bring it to light. We wish to take part in the fight in the name of an underprivileged [[working class]], the peasantry. We wish to rally it in a class party. We shall not ask anybody for power, we shall fight to have the fair number of representatives of the peasant class in Parliament. May each class fight for this'' [that is, for their respective seats] ''and parliament will give itself the government it sees fit.'' As for ''"social harmony"'' — as this has been up to now — we demand ''a particular'' balance between producing classes and wish for ''the abolition of [[Parasitism (social offense)|parasite]] classes'' such as that of ''untrained politicians''. [...]'Bolshevism', cry the parasite politicians, accustomed to govern together with the highest power<ref>As indicated by another passage of the same text, Mihalache is alluding to the [[King of Romania]], [[Ferdinand I of Romania|Ferdinand I]], who was a political associate of the [[National Liberal Party (Romania, 1875)|National Liberal Party]] and its leader [[Ion I. C. Brătianu]] ("[The other parties take confidence in the fact that] ''the king shall give them'' the government to govern in the name of one class, and not over all" — Mihalache, in Niculae ''et al.'', p.79; Mihalache's italics)</ref> and their cries also alert the gentle folk, whose political judgment is chained in 'harmony'-related prejudice. — 'Truth is not [[Anomie|anarchy]]' — we reply."<ref>Mihalache, "Partidul Țărănesc. Partid de clasă?", ''Țară Nouă'', July 6, 1919, in Niculae ''et al.'', p.80 (Mihalache's italics)</ref></blockquote>

The land reform that was ultimately carried out did however reflect the influence of some ideas supported by Mihalache, and was itself favorable to small holdings.

==PȚ-PNR union== [[File:Iuliu Maniu si Ion Mihalache.jpg|thumb|[[Iuliu Maniu]] and Mihalache]] Mihalache became vice-president of the National Peasants' Party (PNȚ) in 1926, when the PNR and PȚ groups decided to unite in order to combat the effective monopoly the PNL had ensured after the voting of the [[1923 Constitution of Romania|1923 Constitution]]. The new political group moderated many of its demands, and was not as adverse to industrialization as it had previously been.<ref>Veiga, p.100-101</ref> However, in 1928, Mihalache's voiced the party's call for a march on Bucharest, meant to topple [[Vintilă Brătianu]]'s PNL cabinet: in May, large crowds gathered in [[Alba Iulia]] — despite the initial success in rallying all forces opposed to the National Liberals, the PNȚ did not capitalize on the gains, and continued instead to block activity in parliament.<ref>Veiga, p.101-102</ref>

He served as Minister of Agriculture in the [[Iuliu Maniu]]'s government of 1928–1930 (being seconded by [[Armand Călinescu]]), then, between 1930 and 1933, he was the [[List of Romanian Interior Ministers|Minister of Internal Affairs]] (he also held the office of [[List of Romanian Foreign Ministers|Foreign Minister]] between late 1930 and early 1931). In this latter capacity, Mihalache outlawed the [[Fascism|fascist]] [[Iron Guard]] in January 1931 (under the premiership of [[Gheorghe Mironescu]]), following a period of violence and agitation by the movement.<ref>Ornea, p.295; Veiga, p.126</ref> The measure was to prove inefficient in time, as the new cabinet allowed [[Corneliu Zelea Codreanu]], leader of the Guard, to run in the [[1931 Romanian general election|1931 elections]] on a new platform (the ''Corneliu Codreanu Grouping'').<ref>Ornea, p.295</ref>

During the period, he also became a noted opponent of [[Carol II of Romania|Carol II]]: as [[heir apparent]], the latter had been denied the right of ascension after the war, and returned to the throne with Maniu's backing in 1930. The relations between the PNȚ and the monarch soured, however, especially after Vaida-Voevod's second cabinet fell in 1932, due to disagreement over several policies — as Minister of the Interior, Mihalache was directly involved in the dispute, as the scandal erupted when [[Gavrilă Marinescu]], the prefect of police in Bucharest, refused to hand in his resignation, and instead called for the king's verdict.<ref>Ornea, p.224; Scurtu, "Ianuarie 1933"</ref> In 1935, Mihalache briefly took charge of the party upon Maniu's resignation, and steered it to the Left, charging [[Mihai Ralea]] and the PNȚ's Study Circle ([[Constantin Rădulescu-Motru]], [[Mihail Ghelmegeanu]], [[Ernest Ene]], and [[Petre Andrei]]) with drafting a new party program that adapted [[Poporanism|Poporanist]] ideals.<ref>Ornea, p.119-120</ref>

After 1938, when, faced with the rise of the Iron Guard, Carol imposed his [[Authoritarianism|authoritarian]] regime, the PNȚ party refused collaboration and merger into the [[National Renaissance Front]]. According to the leading party member [[Ioan Hudiță]], Mihalache, together with [[Virgil Madgearu]] and [[Mihai Popovici]], continued to display support for the king and even considered joining the Front.<ref>Hudiță</ref>

==World War II and after== During [[World War II]], he opposed the [[National Legionary State]] created by the Iron Guard, and complained to the Guard's rival partner, ''[[Conducător]]'' [[Ion Antonescu]], that [[Horia Sima]] and his grouping had assumed control of his cooperative organization in [[Muscel County]].<ref name="Scurtu, PNL și PNȚ..., p.7">Scurtu, "PNL și PNȚ...", p.7</ref> Antonescu refused to mediate; Sima replied to Mihalache that the measure had been partly taken as compensation for the Legionaries' "suffering at the hands of Mihalache [in 1930-1931]", but offered to allow some of the Muscel cooperative's former administrators structure to regain their positions.<ref name="Scurtu, PNL și PNȚ..., p.7"/> Attacks and threats towards Mihalache in the Guard's press became widespread, and [[Mille Lefter]] singled him out as a former persecutor of the movement in a conference aired on [[Romanian Radio Broadcasting Company|Romanian Radio]].<ref name="Scurtu, PNL și PNȚ..., p.11">Scurtu, "PNL și PNȚ...", p.11</ref>

Following Antonescu's defeat of the Guard during the [[Legionnaires' Rebellion and Bucharest Pogrom|Legionary Rebellion]] of 1941, Mihalache forwarded a congratulatory message to the former.<ref name="Scurtu, PNL și PNȚ..., p.11"/> In time, he also objected to Antonescu's [[Nazi Germany]]-allied dictatorship (although pressured by the latter to join a [[War Cabinet]]).<ref>Otu, p.17</ref> He did, however, support the recovery of [[Bessarabia]] from the [[Soviet Union]] during [[Operation Barbarossa]], and offered his services as a volunteer in the [[Romanian Army]] (June 1941) — he served for only a few days, and was discharged on orders from Antonescu himself.<ref>Otu, p.17-19</ref>

He eventually joined a semi-clandestine opposition, and then supported the PNȚ's entry into the underground liberation movement, as well as King [[Michael I of Romania|Michael]]'s pro-[[Allies of World War II|Allied]] [[Romania during World War II#The royal coup|August 1944 coup]].

The appearance of the [[Iron Curtain]] and [[Joseph Stalin]]'s plans for Romania singled out the PNȚ, the main supporter of cooperation with the [[Allies of World War II|Western Allies]], as an adversary of growing Soviet influence over the country (''see [[Soviet occupation of Romania]]''). Consequently, he and Maniu were branded "fascists" by the [[Romanian Communist Party]] press,<ref>Frunză, p.139</ref> and Mihalache was especially attacked for his supposedly good relations with Antonescu;<ref>Frunză, p.267; Otu, p.15</ref> the 1941 episode was used against him during the rigged [[1946 Romanian general election|1946 elections]], when Communists prevented him from running for office based on a law forbidding candidatures of former [[Eastern Front (World War II)|Eastern Front]] volunteers.<ref>Frunză, p.287</ref> It is possible, however, that just before the elections, the PNȚ had attempted to resist and profit from a foreseen insurrection against the [[Petru Groza]] government, by forming ''Cercul Militar Professional'' (the "Professional Military Circle") — grouping generals and other officers, it was led by Mihalache himself.<ref>Frunză, p.295</ref>

The [[Communist Romania|Communist regime]] which was installed in late 1947 outlawed the PNȚ altogether, alleging that Mihalache and Maniu had been trying to flee the country from the airfield in [[Tămădău]], and had planned to give Romania a [[Capitalism|capitalist]] [[government-in-exile]].<ref>Frunză, p.300-303</ref> Their capture on July 14, 1947 (''see [[Tămădău Affair]]'') and trial by a [[kangaroo court]] led to sentencing on November 11 to [[life imprisonment]] with requirements of [[penal labour]]. Mihalache, after having been detained in a prison in [[Galați]], was transferred to [[Sighet Prison]] on 15 August 1951.<ref name="Sighet" /> In 1955 he was moved to [[Râmnicu Sărat Prison]], where he died in custody on February 5, 1963,<ref>Frunză, p.388</ref> the cause of death being attributed in the official report to [[cerebral edema]].<ref name="Sighet">{{cite web|url=https://www.memorialsighet.ro/ion-mihalache-55-de-ani-de-la-moarte/|title=Ion Mihalache (18 februarie 1882–5 februarie 1963)|website=www.memorialsighet.ro|date=5 February 2018|language=ro|access-date=May 25, 2020}}</ref>

==Notes== {{reflist}}

==References== *Victor Frunză, ''Istoria stalinismului în România'' ("The History of Stalinism in Romania"), Humanitas, Bucharest, 1990 *{{in lang|ro}} [[Ioan Hudiță]], [https://web.archive.org/web/20071010050612/http://www.itcnet.ro/history/archive/mi1998/current4/mi24.htm "Pagini de jurnal" ("Diary Pages")], in ''Magazin Istoric'' *Vasile Niculae, Ion Ilincioiu, Stelian Neagoe, ''Doctrina țărănistă în România. Antologie de texte'' ("Peasant Doctrine in Romania. Collected Texts"), Editura Noua Alternativă, Social Theory Institute of the [[Romanian Academy]], Bucharest, 1994 *[[Z. Ornea]], ''Anii treizeci. Extrema dreaptă românească'' ("The Thirties: The Far Right in Romania"), [[Editura Fundației Culturale Române]], Bucharest, 1995 *Petre Otu, "Gh. Brătianu și I. Mihalache. Voluntari sau nu în 1941?" ("[[Gheorghe I. Brătianu|Gh. Brătianu]] and I. Mihalache. Volunteers or not in 1941?"), in ''Magazin Istoric'', July 1996 (p. 15-19) *Joseph Slabey Rouček, ''Contemporary Roumania and Her Problems'', Ayer Publishing, [[Manchester, New Hampshire]], 1971 *Ioan Scurtu, **{{in lang|ro}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20071010051119/http://www.itcnet.ro/history/archive/mi2000/current2/mi16.htm "Întâlniri pe înserat și 'în mare taină'" ("Late Evening and 'Highly Secret' Meetings")], in ''Magazin Istoric'' **{{in lang|ro}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20071011102157/http://www.itcnet.ro/history/archive/mi2000/current6/mi55.htm "Ianuarie 1933. Maiestatea sa Camarila intra în scenă" ("January 1933. Her Majesty the Camarilla Enters the Stage")] - an insight into the fall of Maniu's third cabinet, in ''Magazin Istoric'' **"PNL și PNȚ: Rezerve, nemulțumiri, proteste. Partidele istorice sub guvernarea antonesciano-legionară" ("PNL and PNŢ: Reserves, Dissatisfactions, Protests, Historical Parties under the Antonescu-Legionary Government"), in ''Dosarele Istoriei'', 9/2000 *[[Francisco Veiga]], ''Istoria Gărzii de Fier, 1919-1941: Mistica ultranaționalismului'' ("History of the Iron Guard, 1919-1941: The Mystique of Ultra-Nationalism"), [[Humanitas publishing house|Humanitas]], Bucharest, 1993

==Further reading== *[[Nicholas M. Nagy-Talavera]], ''[[The Green Shirts and the Others]]: A History of Fascism in Hungary and Rumania'', 1970, {{ISBN|0-8179-1851-5}}, {{ISBN|973-9432-11-5}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mihalache, Ion}} [[Category:1882 births]] [[Category:1963 deaths]] [[Category:People from Topoloveni]] [[Category:Ministers of agriculture of Romania]] [[Category:Ministers of interior of Romania]] [[Category:Leaders of political parties in Romania]] [[Category:Peasants' Party (Romania) politicians]] [[Category:National Peasants' Party politicians]] [[Category:Eastern Orthodox Christians from Romania]] [[Category:Members of the Romanian Orthodox Church]] [[Category:Romanian schoolteachers]] [[Category:Romanian Land Forces officers]] [[Category:Romanian military personnel of World War I]] [[Category:Romanian military personnel of World War II]] [[Category:Romanian politicians convicted of crimes]] [[Category:Inmates of Sighet Prison]] [[Category:Inmates of Râmnicu Sărat Prison]] [[Category:Romanian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment]] [[Category:Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Romania]] [[Category:Romanian people who died in prison custody]] [[Category:Prisoners who died in Securitate custody]] [[Category:Neurological disease deaths in Romania]] [[Category:Deaths from cerebral edema]] [[Category:Romanian democracy activists]]