What happened was that he was misled by Centralized Information. What defamation, what provocations! Sections in italic type are from the austrian television comentary: The prosecutor quotes Ceauescu, Ceauescu's program. One of the most decisive moments in the Romanian Revolution of 1989 was Ceausescus December 21st speech (or lack thereof). The hardship exemption rules, for example, let anyone who experienced domestic violence avoid the mandate, without providing any documentation of abuse. We have sufficient data on this period. You cannot talk to me in such a way! He would be executed a few days later. I have observed that she is not even able to read correctly, but she calls herself an university graduate. And the next moment he was lying in the dust. They were not really interested in the people. COUNSEL FOR THE DEFENSE: Even though he -- like her -- committed insane acts, we want to defend them. In the footage, Romanian president Nicolae Ceausescu can be seen delivering a speech from the balcony of the Central Committee building overlooking Palace Square, now know as "Revolution Square," where he praised the achievements of Romania's socialist regime and its "multi-laterally developed socialist society." From Wikipedia: NICOLAE CEAUESCU: No, the people are fighting for freedom and against the new forum. The prosecutor agrees, but stresses that they lived in them while the people suffered. ELENA CEAUESCU: We will not sign any statement. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: We will discuss this before the Grand National Assembly. Why did you starve the people? . Workers from a Bucharest power plant started chanting Ti-mi-oa-ra! The prosecutor cites all academic titles she had always claimed to have. Video of Ceausescu's Last Speech, December 1989 Plenara Comitetului Central al Partidului, Consiliul de Stat, Guvernul, repr. They were only busy enslaving the people and building up an apparatus of power. Nicolae Ceauescu (Romanian pronunciation: [nikola.e ta.uesku]; 26 January 1918 25 December 1989) was a Romanian politician who was the Secretary Gener. In the uprising by people against Ceausescu during this speech and in subsequent days 1,058 people lost there lives. The final speech of the prosecutor follows: PROSECUTOR: It is very difficult for us to act, to pass a verdict on people who even now do not want to admit to the criminal offenses that they have committed during 25 years and admit to the genocide, not only in Timisoara and Bucharest, but primarily also to the criminal offenses committed during the past 25 years. Here Nicolae Ceausescu steps in and defends her. If you had had a mental illness and admitted this, you would not be responsible for your acts. Ceauescu's speech of 21 August 1968 was a public address by Nicolae Ceauescu, General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party and President of the State Council of Romania, strongly condemning the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia. Ceauescu answers: As I said before, the people are fighting for their freedom and against this putsch, against this usurpation. I told you right at the beginning that I will not answer a single question. In the wake of growing tension over an uprising in Timioara in which thousands were reportedly killed, Ceauescu decided to give a nationally televised speech before a crowd in Palace Square (now known as Revolution Square) in Bucharest. You were so impertinent as to cut off oxygen lines in hospitals and to shoot people in their hospital beds. PROSECUTOR: We now have another leading organ. CEAUSESCU: Nobody can change the state structures. It is simply an accumulation of multitudes ignoring the official line bit by bit and thereby gradually placing themselves unwittingly in opposition to it. Here Nicolae Ceauescu steps in and defends her. Romania 1989: Ceauescu goes down in blood - archive, 1989 Answer this question! The problem with the Narrative is that it suppresses the dispersed information by insisting on the centralized knowledge, on stories the elite make up themselves. Are they the people, or are you paying them? We want a legal trial. CEAUSESCU: I do not recognize you. The Ceauescu administrations Prime Minister, Mr Constantin Dsclescu, and his government were said to have resigned. I just couldnt convince myself to do it., He is not alone. The archive focuses largely on the period from 1965, when Romania was ruled over by the Ceausescus, until. Only a few hours before the Genius of the Carpathians had been in apparently complete command. You held monologues and the people had to applaud, like in the rituals of tribal people. PROSECUTOR: This is how you worked with the people and exercised your functions! PROSECUTOR: This situation is known. You have acted in a very irresponsible manner; you led the country to the verge of ruin and you will be convicted on the basis of the points contained in the bill of indictment. They were even worse than the king, the former king of Romania. The next he was a hunted man. PROSECUTOR: Did you hear the charges? PROSECUTOR: Please, make a note: Nicolae Ceauescu refuses to cooperate with the court-appointed counsel for the defense. I have so many issues with the presidents policies, including the most recent ones, he told me ruefully. What happened? Not a single shot. Ceauescu's speech of 21 August 1968 [English Subtitles] Transcrierea discursului lui Ceauescu: 01:08 Nicolae Ceauescu: Dragi tovari. Elena and Nicolae Ceausescu must be held fully responsible for this. CEAUSESCU: Nu recunosc nici un tribunal in afara de Marea Adunare Nationala. It must be cleared up whether Ceausescu wants to, should, must or can answer at all. The Three Conjectures at Amazon Kindle for $1.99, reflections on terrorism and the nuclear age Finally, I would like to refer once more to the genocide, the numerous killings carried out during the past few days. Do you want to sign this statement? The next he was a hunted man. And that assumes more dont simply dodge paying the penalty because of the ease with which they can claim a hardship exemption, or because the law places strict limits on the IRS ability to collect the money. What should he ask us? Two: Armed attack on the people and the state power, in accordance with Article 163 of the penal code. By 6 pm, Romanian television was broadcasting live reports of victory rallies attended by thousands in Bucharest. PROSECUTOR: But not of our army, you are not the commander in chief of our army. This occurs when the official line becomes so ridiculous that ordinary people dont even realize they are falling out of step with the Party Line. PROSECUTOR: The terrorists are from Securitate? A caretaker government was announced within an hour of the dictators capture. The Execution Spot of Nicolae Ceausescu - Dark Tourists The prosecutor says: The world already knows what has happened here. Only the front rows supported Ceauescu with cheers and applause, with most of the crowd remaining impassive. Despite this, I ask the court to make a decision which we will be able to justify later as well. Description One of the most decisive moments in the Romanian Revolution of 1989 was Ceausescu's December 21st speech (or lack thereof). Ti-mi-oa-ra!a chant that was soon picked up by others in the crowd. [1] The crowd, now totaling up to 80,000, were given orders on where to stand, when to applaud and what to sing. But who gave the order to shoot? This speech was an annual event and carefully scripted by the regime to insure both success and the appearance of popular support. Elena answers: The intellectuals of this country should hear you, you and your colleagues. I do not recognize this court. You were the most important aide, the number two in the cabinet, in the government. As a simple citizen, I tell you the following: For the first time I guaranteed that every peasant received 200 kilograms of wheat per person, not per family, and that he is entitled to more. No one was shot. CEAUSESCU: I do not recognize this court. The message was apparently sent on the understanding that Mr Ceauescu had been arrested. Why do the peasants then buy their bread in Bucharest? PROSECUTOR: Did you know about the genocide in Timisoara? I have no statement to make, and I will not sign one. The prosecutor wants to find out on which basis the trial can be continued. The video- shown live on Romanian television-- shows his confusion and consternation and the barely audible comments. PROSECUTOR: That is to say, as a deputy prime minister you did not know about the genocide? Romania's dictator Nicolae Ceausescu's final speech (executed Later reports suggested the couple had been captured. This shows how little patriotism there is, how many treasonable offenses were committed. He always claimed to act and speak on behalf of the people, to be a beloved son of the people, but he only tyrannized the people all the time. Elena and Nicolae Ceausescu should be punished in a really legal trial. A lie, a lie in my face. Any actual attempts to fine 30 million Americans would end in a political disaster. Bucharest television said that they had left the country. Copyright 2023 PJMedia.com/Salem Media. Now we are making a last attempt. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I will not sign anything. The counsel for the defense now takes the floor and instructs the Ceauescus once again that they have the right to defense and that they should accept this right. This speech was an annual event and carefully scripted by the regime to insure both success and the appearance of popular support. However, they will be indicted, and a sentence will be passed on the basis of the new legal system. PROSECUTOR: This is how you worked with the people and exercised your functions! Ceausescu's Last Speech | History for You and Me We will speak only at the National Assembly, because we have worked hard for the people all our lives. His country passed from traditional monarchy to troubled democracy to royal dictatorship to military control to occupied territory. . They used to fetch people from orphans' homes or from abroad whom they trained in special institutions to become murderers of their own people. The Balcony from Which the Romanian Dictator Nicolae Ceausescu About Why were people screaming during Ceausescu's last speech? What - Quora CEAUSESCU: I will not answer. PROSECUTOR: And who wrote the papers for you, Elena? They not only killed children, young people and adults in Timisoara and Bucharest; they allowed Securitate members to wear military uniforms to create the impression among the people that the army is against them. Shakespeare dramatized the turnabout in his famous scene. An important historical square located on Victoriei Street. Queen Victoria and Her Prime Ministers These two defendants have robbed the people, and not even today do they want to talk. The defendant has not recognized us. The following is a transcript of the closed trial of Romanian Dictator Nicolae Ceauescu and his wife, Elena, as shown on Romanian and Austrian television. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I do not recognize this court. Elena says: Look, and that they are calling genocide. PROSECUTOR: In all district capitals, which you grandly called municipalities, there is shooting going on. At some point the entire structure of governance becomes a system of workarounds with all real power devolved to the man on the ground. Ceauescu's speech of 21 August 1968 - Wikipedia Who are these fanatics? This speech was an annual event and carefully scripted by the regime to insure both success and the appearance of popular support. I now ask the court to pass a verdict on the basis of the law, because everybody must receive due punishment for the offenses he has committed. PROSECUTOR: So you know the new forum. I only recognize the working class and the Grand National Assembly no one else. [2], Ceauescu appeared on the balcony of the Central Committee building and began as he had in years past, with a speech laden with the usual "wooden language." In the second stage their edicts become unenforceable from sheer impracticability. No, no, he says. The English translation is by the U.S. government's Foreign Broadcast Information Service. They cultivated the soil in line with your orders and had nothing to eat. This shows how little patriotism there is, how many treasonable offenses were committed. PROSECUTOR: Will you sign the statement now or not? , the former US ambassador to Syria, has effectively accused the Obama administration of abandoning genuinely pro-American rebels in Syria thereby allowing the ascendance of al-Qaeda. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I will not answer this question. I have nothing to do with them. PROSECUTOR: Did you hear the charges? Workers from a Bucharest power plant started chanting "Ti-mi-oa-ra! But those who shot at the young people were the security men, the terrorists. PROSECUTOR: Do you not know anything about the order to shoot? I have done everything to create a decent and rich life for the people in the country, like in no other country in the world. The bill of indictment contains the following points: Genocide, in accordance with Article 356 of the penal code. Centralized Information as Hayek points out, eventually becomes the Official Lie. I hope that you do not also work for the foreigners and for the destruction of Romania. How to Debate Leftists and Destroy Them: 11 Rules for Winning the Argument. Storm Over the South China Sea $0.99, how China is restarting history in the Pacific Transcript of the closed trial of Nicolae and Elena Ceauescu, https://en.wikisource.org/w/index.php?title=Transcript_of_the_closed_trial_of_Nicolae_and_Elena_Ceauescu&oldid=6470911, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Richard III of England rode into Bosworth Field relying on his ally Baron Stanely to come to his aid. In the early evening, it was announced that a National Democracy Committee had been formed, made up of uncompromised military commanders, students and intellectuals. It should be stated once and for all that this military court is absolutely legal and that the former positions of the two Ceauescus are no longer valid. Everybody should be paid according to his performance. Elena keeps whispering to him. No one can dissolve the National Assembly. No one can dissolve the National Assembly. ELENA CEAUESCU: Accounts in Switzerland? 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He then tried to placate the crowd by offering to raise workers' salaries by 200 lei per month (about 18 U.S. dollars at the time, yet a 10%-20% raise for a modest salary) and student scholarships from 100 to 110 lei while continuing to praise the achievements of the past 42 years. I do not recognize this court. They were not really interested in the people. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: No, we will not sign. Diane Dimond writes in Real Clear Politicsabout the low level grumbling that risen to detectable levels since the Bergdahl affair. This work is a translation and has a separate copyright status to the applicable copyright protections of the original content. Mr Ceauescus overthrow followed a week of carnage in which thousands of men, women and children protesting against his regime were killed in cold blood, and probably tens of thousands wounded. His talks with Dubcek focused primarily on the events that had unfolded in Czechoslovakia over the last several months. You are faced with charges that you held really sumptuous celebrations on all holidays at your house. Answer this question! This is where President Ceausescu gave his final speech in December 1989, before fleeing Bucharest. Watch the exact moment when a brutal dictator realizes the - DeadState I will not answer you putschists, Ceauescu says. Have you understood them? Immediately before them were plainclothes Securitate agents and a row of police militia, who kept the mass of the crowd about thirty meters back from the front of the Central Committee building. PROSECUTOR: We have always spoken of equality. Powered by Omeka, Roy Rosenzweig Center for History & New Media. One of the fundamental defenses of a democracy is the truth. Forget the pontifications from the myriad talking heads on TV and radio. PROSECUTOR: Why do you think that people are fighting today? 23 December 1989: Nicolae Ceauescus overthrow follows a week of carnage in which thousands of protesters against his regime were killed in cold blood. In 1947, we assumed power, but under completely different circumstances. The catastrophic situation of the country is known all over the world. You were not used to talking to the people. The prosecutor quotes Ceausescu, Ceausescu's program. He still considers himself to be the country's president and the commander in chief of the army. We want a legal trial. Making use of Marxist-Leninist rhetoric, he delivered a litany of the achievements of the "socialist revolution" and Romanian "multi-laterally developed . NICOLAE CEAUESCU: As a citizen, as a simple citizen, I tell you the following: At no point was there such an upswing, so much construction, so much consolidation in the Romanian provinces. This demonstrates their lack of understanding. Ceausescu and his wife were later captured, tried, and executed. The prosecutor turns to Elena: You have always been wiser and more ready to talk, a scientist. The National Salvation Front is now our supreme body. CEAUSESCU: I will not say anything more. CEAUSESCU: No, no. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I will not answer. Ceauescus hated son, Nicu, a one-time candidate to follow his father as the countrys leader, was said to have been arrested in the city of Sibiu as he was trying to take hostages. CEAUSESCU: No, the people are fighting for freedom and against the new forum. Why did you make the peasants starve? NICOLAE CEAUESCU: We had no account in Switzerland. Fiction. A flight into peril, flashbacks to underground action. They are speaking about injustice, ineptitude and impeachment. This page was last edited on 8 October 2016, at 23:48. ELENA CEAUESCU: Such impudence! Only a president who is still confirmed in his position can demand to speak at the Grand National Assembly. PROSECUTOR: Please, make a note: Ceauescu does not recognize the new legal structures of power of the country. You are faced with charges that you held really sumptuous celebrations on all holidays at your house. The slippage that attracts the most attention of course, is discontent within the United States military. Dressed in a black Persian lamb hat with matching coat collar, Ceausesecu, 71, was . Teams of doctors with emergency medical supplies were being flown in from Geneva last night. A little noticed article in the, notes that Australia will support Japans effort to repeal its pacifist constitution. This was a coup d'etat. Elena Ceauescu's last moments were as pathetic as one could imagine. Watching the "Video of Ceausescu's Last Speech" on the Making the History of 1989 website, a speech which Nikolae Ceausescu made on 21 December 1989, I was curious to see what the disturbance was that so rattled Ceausescu because by the end of the speech it appears a semblance of order had returned. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I do not recognize this new forum. Within hours Ceauescu was beseiged inside the Central Committee building by irate crowds. They were only busy enslaving the people and building up an apparatus of power. ELENA CEAUESCU: The intelligentsia of the country will hear what you are accusing us of. Furnish proof! PROSECUTOR: We have always spoken of equality. CEAUSESCU: As a citizen, as a simple citizen, I tell you the following: At no point was there such an upswing, so much construction, so much consolidation in the Romanian provinces. CEAUSESCU: We will discuss this before the Grand National Assembly. Tell us! Thirty years on, will the guilty pay for horror of Ceauescu orphanages? The palaces belong to the people. Now we finally saw your villa on television, the golden plates from which you ate, the foodstuffs that you had imported, the luxurious celebrations, pictures from your luxurious celebrations. Behind The Facade Of The Ceausescu Regime - Rferl.org This year, the crowd begins to chant unscripted comments back at the dictator. He did not realize, however, that a real revolution was starting right before his eyes. President Nicolae Ceauescu was overthrown yesterday and became a fugitive in the country he has ruled for 24 years as remnants of his personal troops fought bitter last battles with regular soldiers and demonstrators in the streets of the Romanian capital. "Stenographic transcript of meeting of the Executive Committee of the Central Committee of the Romanian Communist Party," August 17, 1968, History . The prosecutor agrees, but stresses that they lived in them while the people suffered. The president of the United States is the commander in chief over all branches of the military. Sooner or later an administration neuters itself from sheer implausibility. They are cowards. They were even worse than the king, the former king of Romania. PROSECUTOR: And who heads Securitate? As the other primary sources reveal, the Ceausescus were tried a few days later and executed as enemies of the new Romanian state. Did you know that you can purchase some of these books and pamphlets by Richard Fernandez and share them with you friends? In response, Ceauescu raised his right hand in hopes of silencing the crowd; his stunned expression remains one of the defining moments of the end of Communism in Eastern Europe.