report unanimous agreement on all
issues. Some observers indicated that the effect of the campaign has
stimulated opposition to some of Ceausescu's policies. There was no
evidence, however, that such opposition is organized or that it provides
any serious threat to Ceausescu's position, and no leading figure in
either the government or the party has openly expressed views that
differ from those of the general secretary.

POLITICAL VALUES AND ATTITUDES

The Regime and the People

Inasmuch as the PCR has proclaimed itself to be the only legitimate
source of political power and, as well, the leading force in all aspects
of economic and cultural life, the development of independent political
and cultural values has been thoroughly circumscribed. Party control
extends to all aspects of the society and embraces educational and
professional opportunities. Although PCR leaders have promised changes
in the manner of selection for advancement, promotions have been based
more frequently on party activity and doctrinal reliability than on
professional competence.

Because of the breadth of party control, accurate information on the
attitudes of the people toward the regime and toward specific political
issues is difficult to obtain. The Romanian press functions under the
direct supervision of the PCR, and tight restrictions are placed on
foreign correspondents reporting on events inside the country. Observers
have indicated, however, that not all of the regime's domestic policies
have been welcomed by all segments of the population and that some party
policies have left a wake of latent resentments.

Some observers have pointed to the decrease in the number of peasants in
the party (down 3 percent in the 1969-71 period) as an indication of
peasant dissatisfaction with the poor living conditions in the rural
areas and the low income of most of the agricultural cooperatives (see
ch. 2). Frequently the party responds to signs of discontent by any
segment of the population by increasing the ideological propaganda
directed toward it, but the regime has also attempted various reforms to
counter obvious inadequacies.

Among the more overt examples of discontent with party policy is the
resistance to accepting job assignments in rural areas shown by
technical school graduates. Other graduates have also refused to leave
their home areas to work on collectives; all of these were criticized in
the party press for giving priority to