Drapeau troué, lambeaux d’État: la Roumanie, de décembre 1989 à décembre 1991

Abstract

In December 1989, the Romanian revolution rises, and its symbol emerges: the flag with the hole. But this blank conveyed two recollections: of course, the arm of coats of the communist flag, but also the blazon of the past kingdom. Yet, it was crucial to decide how to fill in the flag. And so, two visions of the past are confronted, two golden ages: pre-communist or pre-Ceaușescu. Basically, political stakeholders at that time interpreted the hole in the flag as an opportunity for restoring the past, far more than as an invitation for a fresh start. In this way, these two years, from December 1989 to December 1991, were very unstable, with no clear symbolics for the Romanian State.