Editing Michael I of Romania (section)

===Reign under Communism===
In March 1945, political pressures forced King Michael to appoint a pro-Soviet government headed by [[Petru Groza]].  For the next two-plus years, Michael functioned again as little more than a figurehead. Between August 1945 and January 1946, during what was later known as the "royal strike", King Michael tried unsuccessfully to oppose the Groza government by refusing to sign its decrees. In response to Soviet, British, and American pressures,<ref>{{in lang|ro}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20071016155029/http://ziua.ro/display.php?data=2000-08-23&id=49004 "What was done in Romania between 1945 and 1947 it has also been done since 1989"], ''Ziua'', 24 August 2000</ref> King Michael eventually gave up his opposition to the communist government and stopped demanding its resignation.

He did not [[pardon]] ''[[Mareșal (Romania)|Mareșal]]'' Antonescu, the former Prime Minister, who was sentenced to death "for betrayal of the Romanian people for the benefit of Nazi Germany, for the economic and political subjugation of Romania to Germany, for cooperation with the [[Iron Guard]], for murdering his political opponents, for the [[mass murder]] of civilians and [[crimes against peace]]". Nor did King Michael manage to save such leaders of the opposition as [[Iuliu Maniu]] and the [[Bratianu]]s,<ref>{{in lang|ro}} [http://www.bbc.co.uk/romanian/news/story/2007/04/070418_sighet_istoric.shtml Brief history of Sighet prison], [[BBC]], 18 April 2007</ref> victims of Communist political trials, as the Constitution prevented him from doing so without the counter-signature of Communist Justice Minister [[Lucreţiu Pătrăşcanu|Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu]] (who himself was later eliminated by [[Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej|Gheorghiu-Dej]]'s opposing Communist faction). The memoirs of King Michael's aunt [[Princess Ileana of Romania|Princess Ileana]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tkinter.smig.net/PrincessIleana/ILiveAgain/Chapter21.htm |title="I Live Again" by Ileana, Princess of Romania, Chapter 21 |publisher=Tkinter.smig.net |access-date=30 July 2012}}</ref> quoted [[Emil Bodnăraş|Emil Bodnăraș]]—her alleged lover,<ref>{{in lang|ro}}[http://www.jurnalul.ro/articole/18837/istoria-ca-telenovela-barfele-unui-raport-secret-iii "History as a Soap Opera – The Gossips of a Secret Report (III)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016173057/http://jurnalul.ro/articole/18837/istoria-ca-telenovela-barfele-unui-raport-secret-iii |date=16 October 2007 }}, ''[[Jurnalul Naţional]]'', 18 June 2006</ref> Romania's Communist minister of defence, and a Soviet spy<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+ro0197) |title="Development of the Romanian Armed Forces after World War II", Library of Congress Country Studies |publisher=Lcweb2.loc.gov |date=20 August 1968 |access-date=30 July 2012}}</ref>—as saying: "Well, if the King decides not to sign the death warrant, I promise that we will uphold his point of view." Princess Ileana was sceptical: "You know quite well (...) that the King will never of his free will sign such an unconstitutional document. If he does, it will be laid at your door, and before the whole nation your government will bear the blame. Surely you do not wish this additional handicap at this moment!"