Nicolae Ceaușescu was a Romanian Communist politician and the head of state from 1967 to 1989. He served as the General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and was the country’s second and last communist leader.
As a member of the Romanian Communist youth movement, Ceaușescu succeeded the leadership of Romania’s Communist party as General Secretary, following the death of Gheorghiu-Dej in 1965, and rose to power over Romania.
In March 1965, three days after Gheorghiu-Dej's death, one of Ceaușescu’s first acts was to change the name of the Romanian Workers' Party back to the Communist Party of Romania, and declare the country a socialist republic rather than a people's republic.
Prior to his high government status, Ceaușescu was frequently imprisoned for his communist activities. Ceaușescu went on to lead a totalitarian state and did not tolerate internal opposition. His secret police maintained rigid controls over free speech and media. In result, all media and broadcasting were closely monitored and filtered.
The Romanian Revolution originated in the city of Timișoara and rapidly spread throughout the country as a result of Ceaușescu ordering his security forces to fire on antigovernment protesters in the city on December 16, 1989.
The trial of Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu was brief and lasted only an hour and a half. Nicolae and his wife, Elena, were both found guilty of all of the accused charges, which included genocide of over 60,000 victims, deflation of the national economy, abuse of state power, and attempting to flee the country using over $1 billion in funds deposited in foreign banks. Various uncertainties over these accusations arose post-trial.
The Romanian Revolution, which marked the end of the Socialist Republic of Romania, ultimately resulted in the violent overthrow and execution of Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife on December 25, 1989.
As a member of the Romanian Communist youth movement, Ceaușescu succeeded the leadership of Romania’s Communist party as General Secretary, following the death of Gheorghiu-Dej in 1965, and rose to power over Romania.
In March 1965, three days after Gheorghiu-Dej's death, one of Ceaușescu’s first acts was to change the name of the Romanian Workers' Party back to the Communist Party of Romania, and declare the country a socialist republic rather than a people's republic.
Prior to his high government status, Ceaușescu was frequently imprisoned for his communist activities. Ceaușescu went on to lead a totalitarian state and did not tolerate internal opposition. His secret police maintained rigid controls over free speech and media. In result, all media and broadcasting were closely monitored and filtered.
The Romanian Revolution originated in the city of Timișoara and rapidly spread throughout the country as a result of Ceaușescu ordering his security forces to fire on antigovernment protesters in the city on December 16, 1989.
The trial of Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu was brief and lasted only an hour and a half. Nicolae and his wife, Elena, were both found guilty of all of the accused charges, which included genocide of over 60,000 victims, deflation of the national economy, abuse of state power, and attempting to flee the country using over $1 billion in funds deposited in foreign banks. Various uncertainties over these accusations arose post-trial.
The Romanian Revolution, which marked the end of the Socialist Republic of Romania, ultimately resulted in the violent overthrow and execution of Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife on December 25, 1989.