Cold Open

It’s December 22nd, 1989, in Bucharest, Romania.

Hundreds of thousands of revolutionaries are chanting and marching in the street. They’re all here for one reason: to overthrow the Romanian dictatorship once and for all.

The teaming mass heads toward the city’s Central Committee building, the main hub of the Romanian Communist Party. This place is synonymous with the torture and murder of countless Romanians at the hands of the secret police. But today, it’s where the country’s dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, and his wife Elena are in hiding.

For 25 years, Ceausescu has ruled Romania with an iron fist. But his repressive regime has turned the people against him.

A few days ago, hundreds were killed after the dictator ordered his army to open fire on an anti-communist demonstration in the city of Timișoara. For many Romanians, this was the final straw.

What started as a protest of a few thousand people has exploded into a revolution. Ceausescu shows no interest in stepping down. But the Romanian people are determined to remove him, even if it means killing him.

The revolutionaries finally make it to the Central Committee building. They rush in, searching for the dictator. But quickly, news spreads through the crowd — Ceausescu and his wife have already fled by helicopter.

The demonstrators rush back outside just in time to see the helicopter hovering above them. It’s too late to capture the Ceausescu here, but the Romanian people are not going to let them get away. 

During the 20th century, Nicolae Ceausescu was often considered one of the most brutal dictators in the Eastern Bloc. For over twenty years, he kept the Romanian people under his thumb through intimidation and violence. But as his command over the nation slipped, Romanians jumped at the chance to take back their country.

Amid growing protests, the military sided with the revolutionaries. Ceausescu and his wife Elena will only make it 30 miles outside Bucharest before they’re captured by armed forces. What follows will alter the course of Romania forever. After a quick trial, the dictator and his wife will be sentenced to death for crimes against humanity and executed by firing squad, ending decades of communist rule on December 25th, 1989.

Introduction

From Noiser and Airship, I’m Lindsay Graham and this is History Daily.

History is made every day. On this podcast—every day—we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world.

Today is December 25th, 1989: The Execution of Romanian Dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.

Act One: Our Fearless Leader

It’s March 22nd, 1965, in Bucharest, 25 years before Nicolae Ceausescu will be overthrown.

Tension is high at the Politburo, the policymaking arm of the Romanian Communist Party. A few days ago, Romania’s first Communist leader Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej died, and so far nobody can agree on a successor.

Multiple candidates vie for power, and the infighting leaves the committee in a stalemate. But today, finally, the group comes to a compromise. Rather than fight over a pool of names, they choose a man who was one of Gheorghiu-Dej’s favorites: Nicolae Ceausescu.

The two men first met as prison cellmates back in the ‘40s, when they were serving sentences for their involvement in Communist Party activities. During World War II, Communism was outlawed in Romania. But both Gheorghiu-Dej and Ceausescu defied these rules, sharing the same passion for the class struggle.

After the war ended and the Soviets took control over Romania, both men found themselves on the winning side. Suddenly, Communism was the leading political movement of the country, offering up a world of political opportunities.

As Gheorghiu-Dej rose through the ranks and eventually became the country’s leader, Ceausescu was close behind. By the time of Gheorghiu-Dej’s death earlier this week, Ceausescu was the second-most powerful man in the country. So, he seems a safe choice to serve as Gheorghiu-Dej’s successor.

Now, in his new role as first secretary, Ceausescu adopts some of the key components of Gheorghiu-Dej’s administration. Specifically, he takes a strong nationalistic stance that is openly critical of Soviet leadership.

But Ceausescu is careful not to take his criticism too far. The Soviets have controlled Romania and many other Eastern Bloc countries for years, and he doesn’t want to change that. But Ceausescu is willing to publicly disagree with some decisions that the Soviets are making on the world stage.

So, Ceausescu paints himself as a leader who will bring Romania into the modern world and establish it as a major economic player. He stops shy of telling the Soviets to leave the country, but his comments still hint at an “independent” Romania, one where the people do not blindly agree to everything that the Soviets demand of them.

This makes him instantly popular with the Romanian people, who have grown frustrated with the Soviet occupation and feel that Ceausescu offers an exciting path forward for the country. Many wonder if maybe there is a way for Romania to loosen some of the restrictions that have existed under Soviet control. But Ceausescu has his own ideas for how to revitalize the country. And these methods quickly become controversial.

In 1966, Ceausescu puts forth Decree 770, which effectively makes birth control and abortion illegal in Romania. It also requires that doctors monitor their female patients to make sure they aren’t taking any measures that compromise their fertility.

Around this time, many Romanian families are choosing to have fewer children, and Ceausescu claims that this policy is meant to boost Romania’s population. But the actual result is devastating — maternal death rates skyrocket as Romanian women are forced to seek out illegal means of terminating unwanted pregnancies.

This is but one example of how Ceausescu’s leadership is marked by two extremes, where some liberal political actions are accompanied by harsh restrictions. But it's his critique of the Soviet Union that earns him positive attention from Western countries, like the United States. Ceausescu establishes a friendly relationship with US President Richard Nixon and even visits the White House. In 1969, Nixon becomes the first Western leader to visit Romania during the Cold War, further solidifying the connection between the two countries.

And over time, memories of the disastrous Decree 770 fade into the background. Restrictions on social and cultural life seem to relax. Economics change too with PepsiCo reaching an agreement with the country to set up a factory for their products in Romania.

And as the decade comes to a close, Romanians still have hope for Ceausescu and his plans for the country. But in the 1970s, that optimism is washed away.

Ceausescu’s ideas for the future of Romania will plunge the country and its people into a brutal state of oppression. Ceausescu will claim that every decision is made for the betterment of the nation. But as the Romanian people will see, his plans for the country will have terrible consequences.

Act Two: Cracks In The Armor

It’s July 6th, 1971, in Bucharest, five years into Nicolae Ceausescu’s reign as Romania’s leader. 

Ceausescu stands before the executive committee of the Romanian Communist Party with a new proposal that will change the lives of all Romanians.

Rather than allow a limited degree of freedom of expression, Ceausescu demands full governmental control over virtually every aspect of daily life. Newspapers are to be heavily monitored by the Party. They will only be allowed to put out information that supports Ceausescu’s regime. The same goes for TV programs, music, art, and any other kind of creative expression.

The proposal passes without incident and the policy, which becomes known as the July Theses, takes effect immediately.

The arts aren’t the only area targeted by the new rules. In Ceausescu’s new vision for Romania, dissent will not be tolerated in any way. And the secret police, known as the Securitate, is brought in to emphasize this fact.

Since the beginning of the Soviet occupation, the Securitate has served as a surveillance tool for Romanian leaders to spy on its citizens. But now, Ceausescu employs the secret police to destroy any whispers of opposition to his leadership. Any individuals who are deemed threatening are taken to the Central Committee building where they meet an uncertain fate. Sometimes, those targeted by the Securitate are just interrogated. Other times, they’re never heard from again.

And as the Securitate stays busy, it expands its network of informants, encouraging Romanians to spy on their neighbors for the sake of the Party. The constant threat of being surveilled keeps people suspicious and fearful of each other. Anyone could be an informant to the secret police, and there’s no telling if, or when, someone might be next to be taken away.

In the midst of this new oppressive era, Ceausescu gives himself even more power. In 1974, he appoints himself the title of President, which effectively gives him carte blanche to put forth any policy he wants without facing opposition.

It also allows Ceausescu to decide who is appointed to positions of leadership. He quickly takes advantage of this power, filling several high-ranking roles with members of his own family, including his wife Elena. With his relatives occupying the highest posts of government, Ceausescu hopes to avoid any challenges to his leadership from within the Party.

But this ultimately proves ineffective as Ceausescu fails to make good on his promises to the people of Romana. Despite presenting himself as the leader who will single-handedly revitalize the Romanian economy, time and again, Ceausescu makes risky financial decisions that don’t pay off.

And by the 1980s, he’s plunged his country into debt. But that doesn’t stop Ceausescu from making yet another brash move. This time, he decides to export the country’s agricultural resources and raw materials. He figures that trading goods like grain, medicine, and metal will be a surefire way to get cash flowing back into the country.

But like his previous ventures, this move comes at a terrible cost. Exporting raw materials means shortages of the goods at home. And suddenly, Romanians are forced to stand in long lines in the hope of even buying the most basic necessities, like meat or produce.

As daily life becomes a fight for survival, more and more Romanians start to turn against their president. By 1989, the country deteriorates into a police state, with Ceausescu attempting to control his citizenry through more intimidation, violence, and constant surveillance. But even these aren't enough to keep the Romanian people complacent.

Despite the best efforts of the Ceausescu and the Securitate, opposition reaches a boiling point. On December 17th, thousands of people protest the regime in the city of Timișoara, breaking the government rule that no more than three people are allowed to gather in public at once.

In response, Ceausescu commands his army to shoot into the crowd in order to dispel the demonstration. But the violent response has the opposite effect. This crackdown becomes a catalyst for the Romanian people to launch an all-out revolution.

The days that follow the massacre in Timișoara will become some of the most important events in modern Romanian history. After more than twenty years under Ceausescu, the people will take matters into their own hands and end his brutal reign once and for all. But the aftermath of any revolution is seldom easy, and the road to a peaceful Romania will be long and difficult.

Act Three: Brave New World

It’s December 22nd, 1989, outside of Bucharest, in the middle of a nationwide revolt which will become known as the Romanian Revolution.

A huge crowd of demonstrators approaches the Central Committee building. Inside, Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife Elena panic. It’s no longer safe for them to remain in the capital and they need to get out as quickly as possible.

Together, they dash to a helicopter waiting to take them away from the chaos. They make it just in time. Right at the moment protesters break into the Central Committee building, the helicopter lifts off.

Ceausescu looks out the window at the mass of people below. For a moment, he feels the briefest sense of safety, as the angry faces of the public turn to distant dots. But it’s not long before that feeling of security comes crashing down.

While Ceausescu and his wife were able to escape the protesters, they can’t escape the military, which has now also turned against the president. The couple hardly make it out of Bucharest before the armed forces intercept them, forcing them to ground their aircraft just 30 miles away from the country’s capital. With no chance of escape, the Ceausescus surrender to military custody without resistance.

But behind bars, the dictator isn’t complacent. He tries to bribe the guards, offering them money and a high-ranking position in the army if they let him go. Meanwhile, Elena berates the guards for the poor quality of their living quarters. And if anyone speaks to her husband in a tone she doesn’t like, she spits back at them, “How dare you talk to the Commander-In-Chief like that?”

The Ceausescus continue on like this for three days. But all their posturing and wheedeling does nothing to change their circumstances. And, whether the couple knows this yet, their days are numbered.

While the Ceausescu sit in prison, a group of revolutionaries and established members of the Communist Party meet to decide the fate of the fallen dictator. They quickly reach an agreement — in order to solidify the change of command, and to prove to the Romanian people that the dictatorship is really over, Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu must be executed.

On Christmas Day, the military puts together a show trial. The Ceausescus are led into a courtroom, where they’re promptly convicted of crimes against humanity and sentenced to death by firing squad. The entire ordeal takes only two hours.

The execution itself is even more swift. From the courtroom, Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu are led outside, where a small group of soldiers wait. Despite the couple’s protestations, the soldiers tie their hands behind their backs.

Knowing their fates are sealed, the Ceausescus’ final request is to be executed together, rather than one at a time. Their wish is granted, and in a matter of seconds, both the dictator and his wife are shot dead. It only took a few days for the Romanian people to have successfully ended one of the most brutal dictatorships in the Eastern bloc.

But in the ensuing decades after it will be difficult to recover from the damage that Nicolae Ceausescu inflicted on his own country. Improving the economy will remain a struggle. Systematic corruption in the government will make progress difficult, and protests will continue as Romanians demand better for this new chapter of their history – one that would not have been possible without the violent end of Nicolae Ceausescu's reign on December 25th, 1989.

Outro

Next on History Daily. December 26th, 1919. Baseball’s so-called “Sultan of Swat,” Babe Ruth, is sold to the New York Yankees.

From Noiser and Airship, this is History Daily, hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsay Graham.

Audio editing by Muhammad Shahzaib.

Sound design by Katrina Zemrak.

Music by Lindsay Graham.

This episode is written and researched by Georgia Hampton.

Edited by Dorey Marina.

Executive Producers are Alexandra Currie-Buckner for Airship, and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.