A discussion of the mechanism of totalitarian indoctrination institutionalized in the Romanian educational system focuses on verbal interaction in school and school-related situations before the revolution of December 1989. Pragmatic analysis of the political language used in a variety of academic contexts (political science, political education, ideological instruction for political science teachers, political meetings, and politically-based student organizations) suggests that this language is characterized by the breaking of discourse rules at three levels: discourse, speech act, and textualization of discourse. Further, youth are manipulated by a process of engagement from the early school years. In the long run, these methods have proven ineffectual. It is the students who undertook the revolution and refuted the doctrine imposed by the dictatorship. The very manner in which the totalitarian discourse functions and the weakness of the manipulation strategies used in the academic situation are at fault for the failure. Defense mechanisms adopted by parents and teachers, such as cooperative academic and scholarly projects, have also been important, creating lines of communication and exchange parallel to those imposed by the authorities. (MSE)