The execution of Ceausescu became 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 cruel dictators of Europe, who ruled the country for almost a quarter century. The former Secretary General of the Romanian Communist Party was shot with his wife.
Crimes of Ceausescu
The execution of Ceausescu became the sad ending of the cruel ruler, who over the 20-plus summers completely usurped power in the country.
He became Secretary General of the Romanian Communist Party in 1965. In the first decade of leadership, the country pursued a predominantly cautious and even liberal policy within the country, and in the foreign policy arena showed maximum openness to Western countries and America.
At the same time, relations with the Soviet Union remained tense. Then he continued the course of his predecessor, Kivu Stoyka, who in every 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, good relations were emphasized with Ceausescu with other countries of the eastern bloc.
Ceausescu created a personality cult in the country. Moreover, the economic situation in the country was disastrous. For example, in 1977 disability benefits were canceled and the retirement age raised. Mass unrest and discontent were brutally suppressed, but at the same time they did not become smaller.
Romanian revolution
In December 1989, the Romanian revolution began, which led to the fall of the socialist system in the country. December 16, it all started with the unrest in Timisoara. Hungarians were indignant: their pastor Laszlo Tekes was ousted from his post and evicted from his house. Laszlo was known to be an anti-communist. Parishioners came to his defense, and soon several thousand people took part in the rally. Participants began to put forward anti-government and anti-communist slogans, forgetting the real excuse.
Ceausescu gave the order to send troops, but Minister of Defense Vasile Milu refused to obey. For this, he was killed by order of the president. On the night of December 17, the troops and units of the Securitate (Romanian political police) nevertheless entered the city. The uprising was brutally crushed, at least 40 people were killed.
Coup d'etat
At this time, a coup d'etat took place in Bucharest. On December 21, the mayor of the Romanian capital organized a rally, which was to demonstrate the support of the regime by the people. Ceausescu at 12.30 began to give a speech, but his words were drowned in the hum of the crowd.
The Secretary General believed in his popularity, but the rally contributed to the aggravation of protest moods. Anti-government protests soon escalated into clashes with the police, and workers began to seize factories.
On December 21, 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 side with the rebels. Protesters seized the television center and announced the overthrow of Ceausescu.
Ceausescu managed to escape from Bucharest, but he was recognized and was soon arrested. The former secretary general appeared before the tribunal, which was organized by the new authorities.
The trial of the 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, and armed uprising against the people and the state.
The trial itself took place on December 25. 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 quickly enough.
Ceausescu rejected all the charges, insisting that he provided the nation with stable work and housing, while neither he nor his wife answered questions from the prosecutors. The only thing they claimed was that they lived in the most ordinary apartment, without foreign accounts. However, they refused to sign a document on the transfer of any money in favor of the state that could be found on foreign accounts. Also, the couple did not recognize themselves as insane, although the chairman of the court offered them this.
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 hearings the verdict was announced. Both accused were sentenced to capital punishment - the death penalty. Ceausescu and his wife were found guilty on all counts. They were assigned execution with confiscation of all property.
One of the soldiers who participated in the trial, named Dorin-Marian Chirlan, then stated that the trial was in violation. Everything was really a well-played production. For example, lawyers, according to Chirlan, were more like prosecutors.
Execution of sentence
Appeal to the execution of Nicolae Ceausescu, according to the verdict, could for 10 days. But at the same time, the revolutionaries were afraid that members of the Securitate could repel him, so it was decided to organize the execution as soon as possible.
The execution of Ceausescu with his wife took place at about ten 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 directly from the unit. Volunteers took part in the execution, but they were not explained what their mission would be. General Stankulescu himself chose an officer and three soldiers who were to carry out the sentence. A photo of the execution of Ceausescu and his wife has been preserved. They were put to the wall of the soldiers' restroom.
The last words of the dictator were: "I do not deserve ..." - but they did not let him finish. The bodies of the dead lay for about a day at the football stadium of the Steaua club, only after that they were buried. On December 28, footage of the trial and execution of Nicolae Ceausescu was shown on Romanian television.
International reaction
Western countries were euphoric from the 1989 "velvet revolutions" . 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 Ceausescu's execution, put forward a version that they could have been killed before the estimated date of the process. French experts claimed that some frames of the video were faked. It was also claimed that Ceausescu was tortured before his death, perhaps his death came from a heart attack.
On March 1, 1990, Major General Jiku Popa, who was a public prosecutor at the trial, shot himself.
Estimates within the country
The heirs of the dictator were his son and son-in-law, who registered the "Ceausescu brand", even tried to prohibit staging a performance called "The Last Days of Ceausescu", which is still successfully performed in many Romanian theaters. At the same time, they managed to seize the state's collection of sculptures and paintings of the Romanian ruler, which was initially confiscated by the decision of the tribunal.
In 2010, it was decided to exhume the bodies of Ceausescu and his wife, as doubts arose about the authenticity of their remains. It turned out that this is actually so. Ceausescu was buried under the names of Colonels Enache and Petrescu.
The leader of the Romanian Association of Revolutionaries, Theodor Maries, then issued a decree signed by previous Romanian President Ion Iliescu, who seized power after the overthrow of the communist leader. The decree stated that Ceausescu should have been saved by replacing the execution with life imprisonment. Mariesch was convinced of the authenticity of the documents, 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 the order Ceausescu issued to the Securitate to stop all resistance. Iliescu himself claimed that the document was a fake, 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 of the world.