Somewhere, I recall reading that collective memories begin to take shape some 20-30 years after a traumatic historical event has taken place, because it is the time necessary for a generational shift to occur.
From: BBC News
Romania marks sombre anniversary
By Nick Thorpe
BBC News, Bucharest
The people of Romania are marking the 20th anniversary of the 1989 revolution which brought down Nicolae Ceausescu.Small commemorations have been held at cemeteries and sites associated with the revolution in several cities, including Bucharest and Timisoara.
President Traian Basescu referred to more than 1,100 people who died during the revolution, as he was sworn in for a second, five-year term in office.
He told parliament the full truth was not known about the bloody uprising.
Those responsible for the deaths had not been punished, he added.
Speaking of the people killed in 1989, Mr Basescu said: "Their sacrifice was the foundation stone of today's democratic institutions."
He made his speech in the House of the People, built by the former dictator Ceausescu, which dominates central Bucharest.
Only a handful of top army and secret police officials were ever put on trial over the events of the revolution.
Two army generals began a 15-year sentence only last year.
There is a sense in Romania that the revolution is disappearing into the history books - and that gives a new urgency to this year's celebrations.
They come as a BBC investigation has disclosed that many Romanian orphans who came to international prominence in the 1990s after the end of communist rule are still in institutional care and living in appalling conditions.
The report uncovered widespread evidence of neglect, with some patients left bed-bound and lying in their own faeces.
Many of the thousands of unwanted babies who were left in state orphanages under communist rule are now in adult institutions.
The Romanian government says it is committed to upholding the rights of those with disabilities.
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