A lady has been telling me today that when the communists were in power you could be arrested for listening to anti communist propaganda if they found you listening to the BBC or voice of America.
You had a ration card for bread but there was never enough because the bread disappeared between the factory and the shop and then people would fight to get the bread and the old and the weak got pushed to the bank or crushed. And all the time the Securitate were listening, so if anyone blamed the communists for the lack of food they were likely to be arrested. You could never trust other other people, you didn't know who might report you to the Securitate.
She said people become very cruel to each other when they are hungry.