«The Revolution Has Been Televised…». Television as Historical Agent in the Romanian Revolution

«The Revolution Has Been Televised…». Television as Historical Agent in the Romanian Revolution

The article analyses the role of television in the 1989 Romanian revolution. Based on documents of the Romanian secret services, audiovisual material and interviews with former television employees, it sheds new light onto the revolutionary events. The participation of television in the overthrow of Ceaus˛escu should be understood as the climax of a decade-long process of power struggles between audiences, Ceaus˛escu and the Securitate. The televising of the revolution was a central act in transferring elements from the Communist regime into the new era and representing them as the new democratic leadership. The article argues that television is a localised, naturalised and figurative agent. In order to understand the role of television in historical events, these different instances of televisual agency need to be addressed.