The execution of Ceausescu has become one of the most famous episodes of the Romanian Revolution. The death sentence was carried out in 1989. Thus ended the reign of one of the most brutal dictators in Europe, who led the country for almost a quarter of a century. The former general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party was shot along with his wife.
Ceausescu's crimes
The execution of Ceausescu was the sad finale of a cruel ruler who, in more than 20 summers, completely usurped power in the country.
He became General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party in 1965. In the first decade of the country's leadership, he pursued a predominantly cautious and even liberal policy within the country, and in the foreign policy arena he demonstrated maximum openness to Western countries and America.
At the same time, relations with the Soviet Union remained tense. Here he continued the course of his predecessor, Kivu Stoica, whoin every possible way distanced himself from most of the initiatives of the USSR. For example, Romania ignored the entry of troops into Czechoslovakia in 1968. At the same time, Ceausescu had emphasized good relations with the rest of the countries of the Eastern bloc.
Ceausescu created a cult of personality in the country. At the same time, the economic situation in the country was catastrophic. For example, in 1977, disability benefits were abolished and the retirement age was raised. Mass unrest and discontent were brutally suppressed, but at the same time they did not become less.
Romanian Revolution
In December 1989, the Romanian Revolution began, which led to the fall of the socialist system in the country. On December 16, it all started with unrest in Timisoara. The Hungarians were outraged: their pastor Laszlo Tekes was removed from his post and evicted from his house. Laszlo was known to be an anti-communist. The parishioners came to his defense, and soon several thousand people took part in the rally. The participants began to put forward anti-government and anti-communist slogans, forgetting about the real reason.
Ceausescu gave the order to bring in troops, but Defense Minister Vasile Milu refused to obey. For this, he was killed by order of the President. On the night of December 17, troops and detachments of the "Securitate" (Romanian political police) nevertheless entered the city. The uprising was brutally suppressed, at least 40 people were killed.
Coup d'état
At this time, a coup d'état took place in Bucharest. 21 Decemberthe mayor of the Romanian capital organized a rally, which was supposed to demonstrate the people's support for the regime. Ceausescu at 12.30 began to make a speech, but his words were drowned in the roar of the crowd.
Secretary General believed in his popularity, but the rally contributed to the aggravation of protest moods. Anti-government demonstrations soon escalated into clashes with the police, workers began to seize factories and plants.
21 December Ceausescu declared a state of emergency in Timis County. About 100 thousand people gathered at the Palace Square in Bucharest. Due to the suspicious death of the Minister of Defense, the army began to go over to the side of the rebels. The protesters seized the television center and announced the overthrow of Ceausescu.
Ceausescu managed to escape from Bucharest, but he was recognized and soon arrested. The former Secretary General appeared before the tribunal, which was organized by the new authorities.
Trial of a dictator
The decision to execute Ceausescu was made by the court. He and his wife were accused of destroying the national economy and state institutions, genocide, armed uprising against the people and the state.
The trial itself took place on December 25th. The accused were brought to the garrison located in Targovishte. It lasted only about two hours, the decision to execute Ceausescu and his wife was made fairly quickly.
Ceausescu denied all accusations, insisting that he provided the nation with stable jobs and housing, while neither he nor his wife answered questions from accusers. The only thing they claimed was that they lived in the most ordinary apartment, withoutforeign accounts. At the same time, they refused to sign a document on the transfer of any money in favor of the state, which could be found in foreign accounts. Also, the couple did not admit that they were mentally ill, although the chairman of the court suggested this to them.
Everything that happened at the trial was recorded on camera, but the judges and the prosecutor did not get into the frame. A detailed transcript of the process has also been preserved.
Sentence
According to the results of the hearing, the verdict was announced. Both defendants were sentenced to capital punishment - the death pen alty. Ceausescu and his wife were found guilty on all counts. They were sentenced to execution with the confiscation of all property.
One of the soldiers who participated in the trial, named Dorin-Marian Chirlan, then stated that the trial was flawed. Everything was really well acted out. For example, lawyers, according to Chirlan, were more like prosecutors.
Execution of the sentence
Appeal against the execution of Nicolae Ceausescu, according to the verdict, could within 10 days. But at the same time, the revolutionaries feared that members of the "Securitate" could recapture him, so it was decided to organize an execution as soon as possible.
The execution of Ceausescu and his wife took place at about ten minutes to three. They were taken to the courtyard of the barracks. Eyewitnesses recalled that outwardly they were as calm as possible. Elena asked why she was being shot.
The military was brought straight from the unit. Volunteers participated in the execution, but they were not explained what would happen.be their mission. General Stanculescu himself chose an officer and three soldiers who were to carry out the sentence. There is a photo of the execution of Ceausescu and his wife. They were placed against the wall of the soldiers' restroom.
The dictator's last words were: "I don't deserve…", but he was not allowed to finish. The bodies of the killed lay for about a day at the football stadium of the Steaua club, only after that they were buried. Footage of the trial and execution of Nicolae Ceausescu on December 28 was shown on Romanian television.
International reaction
Western countries were in euphoria from the "velvet revolutions" of 1989. But the transience of the process, which ended with the execution of Ceausescu, they were disappointed. Due to the fact that there was no full-scale trial of the communist dictator, rumors began to circulate that the spouses were completely killed without trial and investigation, and the whole process was falsified.
The Americans, analyzing the photo of the execution of Ceausescu, put forward the version that they could have been killed before the expected date of the process. French experts claimed that some frames of the video were faked. They also claimed that Ceausescu was tortured before his death, perhaps his death was due to a heart attack.
On March 1, 1990, Major General Jiku Popa, who was on trial as public prosecutor, shot himself.
Domestic estimates
The dictator's heirs were his son and son-in-law, who registered the "Ceausescu brand", even tried to ban a performance called "Last DaysCeausescu", which is still successfully performed in many Romanian theaters. At the same time, they managed to sue the state's collection of sculptures and paintings of the Romanian ruler, which was initially confiscated by decision of the tribunal.
In 2010, it was decided to exhume the bodies of Ceausescu and his wife, as there were doubts about the authenticity of their remains. It turned out that this is indeed the case. Ceausescu were buried under the names of Colonels Enache and Petrescu.
The leader of the Romanian Association of Revolutionaries, Teodor Maries, then published a decree signed by the previous President of Romania, Ion Iliescu, who seized power after the overthrow of the communist leader. The decree stated that Ceausescu should have been spared his life by replacing the shooting with a life sentence. Mariesh was convinced of the authenticity of the documents, he even planned to prove it with the help of special examinations.
At the same time, he was convinced that Iliescu signed this decree in exchange for Ceausescu's order given to the "Securitate" to stop all resistance. Iliescu himself claimed that the document was a forgery, he never signed such decrees and orders.
Most experts believe that the death of the Romanian dictator was beneficial to both the Soviet Union and the United States. Otherwise, Romania could get nuclear weapons, which would upset the balance in the world.
