Cornel Burtică (1931-2013)
Cornel Burtică (1931-2013)

Summary/Abstract: Cornel Burtică was a high-ranking Communist leader during the 1960s and the 1970s. Born in 1931 in a poor peasant family, Burtică resented the social inequity during childhood and became drawn to the egalitarian communist ideas. Parallel to being a good student, he enrolled on party youth organization and no later than 1949 he became a secretary of the high school U.T.M. committee. He studied at the Faculty of Geology and Electromechanics. After graduation, Burtică embarked on an academic career and worked as a university assistant at the Institute of Oil, Gas and Geology. Later on, he earned a PhD in world economics. At the beginning of the 1960s, Burtică started his diplomatic career being assigned as counsellor at the Romanian Embassy in Paris. In 1966, he was appointed ambassador to Italy, Morocco and Malta. On his return, he was appointed Ministry of Foreign Exchange during 1969-1972 and 1978-1982. Politically, Burtică advanced in the party hierarchy. In February 1960 he was elected secretary of C.C. of U.T.M. and president of the National Council of U.A.S.R. Ten years later, he was already a member of the C.C. of P.C.R., and in 1972 he was in charged with propaganda, and also became a suplimentary member of C.C. Executive Committee. The peak of his political career registered in 1977, when he was appointed member of the C.P.Ex Permanent Committee, and vice prime minister of the government. Burtică was removed from state and party positions in 1982 due to charges of abuses that damaged the national economy. He was downranked and appointed director of the „1 Mai” factory in Ploiesti, until 1990.

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