Romanian demonstrators gathered in front of the headquarters of the Romanian Communist Party in Bucharest during the 1989 anti-communist revolution, 22 December 1989. Richard is soon unhorsed on the field at the climax of the battle, and cries out, A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse! But wags through the ages have rewritten the lines perhaps less poetically, but more accurately as a hearse, a hearse, my kingdom for a hearse. That sad funereal vehicle is always drawn by teams of corrupt information. They not only deprived the people of heating, electricity, and foodstuffs, they also tyrannized the soul of the Romanian people. What do you say as a citizen? The English translation is by the U.S. government's Foreign Broadcast Information Service. But we are not talking about people. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I do not recognize you. PROSECUTOR: We have always spoken of equality. PROSECUTOR: Please, make a note: Nicolae Ceausescu refuses to cooperate with the court-appointed counsel for the defense. Another question to Ceausescu: Who ordered the bloodbath in Timisoara. I will not answer you putschists, Ceausescu says. And who brought them into the country? Usurpers have been punished severely during the past centuries in Romania's history. Ceauescu answers: As I said before, the people are fighting for their freedom and against this putsch, against this usurpation. Forget what the politicians on Capitol Hill are saying about the prisoner swap. He was arrested and imprisoned multiple times. The crimes against the people grew year by year. I do not recognize the court. And today you are acting in the same megalomaniac way. 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. Central planning in economics leads to a mismatch in prices and a collapse in the economy while a Central Narrative in politics leads to an increased incidence of involuntary rebellion. They will receive a link in their email and it will automatically give them access to a Kindle reader on their smartphone, computer or even as a web-readable document. PROSECUTOR: Note the following: The defendant refuses to sign this statement. COUNSEL FOR THE DEFENSE: Even though he like her committed insane acts, we want to defend them. Copyright 2023 PJMedia.com/Salem Media. Ceausescu and his wife were later captured, tried, and executed. [1] The crowd, now totaling up to 80,000, were given orders on where to stand, when to applaud and what to sing. The court notes that the investigations have been concluded. Only a president who is still confirmed in his position can demand to speak at the Grand National Assembly. Everybody should be paid according to his performance. KGB technicians and agents made one of the most brilliant moves and played a recording of whistles and protests through installed speakers in the square. One of the fundamental defenses of a democracy is the truth. This is not possible. PROSECUTOR: Yes, but you are paying the mercenaries. Elena and Nicolae Ceasescu state: Well, you told us about it. Robert Ford, 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. You were the most important aide, the number two in the cabinet, in the government. PROSECUTOR: Will you sign the statement now or not? Ceausescu relates his recent meeting with Dubcek in Prague in August 1968. There is still shooting going on, the prosecutor says. One momentCeauescu was in total control of Romania, determined to crush his enemies. . Furnish proof! NICOLAE CEAUESCU: No, we will not sign. ELENA CEAUSESCU: I will not answer. We have sufficient data on this period. They are speaking about injustice, ineptitude and impeachment. PROSECUTOR: Note - He does not recognize the points mentioned in the bill of indictment. Now the counsel for the defense, who was appointed by the court, asks whether Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu know the aforementioned facts -- that he is no longer president, that she has lost all official functions. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I repeat: I am the president of Romania and the commander in chief of the Romanian army. It was one of the most pivotal moments in the Romanian Revolution of 1989. 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. Watch the exact moment when a brutal dictator realizes the - DeadState From the archive, 23 December 1989: Celebration as a nation emerges from the dark, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. We live in a normal apartment, just like every other citizen. 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. Fuelled by the events taking place in Berlin (the wall had come down just a few weeks before) and the ripple impact of the weakening Iron Curtain, Romanians had taken to the streets in . PROSECUTOR: In all district capitals, which you grandly called municipalities, there is shooting going on. PROSECUTOR: Why do you think that people are fighting today? Then he is treated like a normal citizen. You held monologues and the people had to applaud, like in the rituals of tribal people. I have no statement to make, and I will not sign one. PROSECUTOR: The terrorists are from Securitate? In response, the two laugh, and she says: We do not stay abroad. Eight minutes into the speech, some in the crowd actually began to scream because there was a shooting that occurred in the background. I have nothing to do with them. Earlier, joyful crowds had paraded through the city after reports that Mr Ceauescu had been arrested after trying to flee from the roof of the party headquarters by helicopter. One moment Ceauescu was in total control of Romania, determined to crush his enemies. The two defendants should also know that they are entitled to a counsel for defense, even if they reject this. Defendant, if you had no accounts in Switzerland, will you sign a statement confirming that the money that may be in Switzerland should be transferred to the Romanian state, the State Bank. He refused to undergo a psychiatric examination. We must not allow the slightest impression of illegality to emerge. The prosecutor agrees, but stresses that they lived in them while the people suffered. Military base Trgovite - December 25th 1989. The Securitate had hidden food reserves on which Bucharest could have survived for months, the whole of Bucharest. The Soviet Parliament expressed its approval of the fall of President Ceauescu and sent to the Romanian people a special message of support proposed by President Gorbachev. They organized the putsch. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: This is not possible at all. The Three Conjectures at Amazon Kindle for $1.99, reflections on terrorism and the nuclear age A caretaker government was announced within an hour of the dictators capture. Ti-mi-oa-ra! All Rights Reserved. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: Her scientific papers were published abroad! Making use of Marxist-Leninist rhetoric, he delivered a litany of the achievements of the "socialist revolution" and Romanian "multi-laterally developed . By the way, I will not answer any more questions. Only a president who is still confirmed in his position can demand to speak at the Grand National Assembly. You held monologues and the people had to applaud, like in the rituals of tribal people. They were given red flags, banners and large pictures of Ceauescu. Now we are making a last attempt. No one wanted to do anything for you anymore. Print. He still considers himself to be the country's president and the commander in chief of the army. He also refuses to recognize the new forum. Any actual attempts to fine 30 million Americans would end in a political disaster. I have observed that she is not even able to read correctly, but she calls herself an university graduate. Powered by Omeka, Roy Rosenzweig Center for History & New Media. You have destroyed the Romanian villages and the Romanian soil. Who pays them? Nicolae Ceausescu - Last Speech, Trial and Execution - History Channel (ENG subtitled) ac agencija 258 subscribers Subscribe 743 Save 111K views 3 years ago Notice Age-restricted video (based. We will speak only at the National Assembly, because we have worked hard for the people all our lives. PROSECUTOR: The people are fighting against you, not against the new forum. CEAUSESCU: I will not answer this question. A tyrant stops knowing the difference. Quantum: Einstein, Bohr and the Great Debate About the Nature of Reality Elena and Nicolae reject this. At that very moment, many everyday Romanians saw the weakness of Ceauescu's regime for the first time. Richard III of England rode into Bosworth Field relying on his ally Baron Stanely to come to his aid. What do you think? The English translation is by the U.S. government's Foreign Broadcast Information Service. They carried out acts that are incompatible with human dignity and social thinking; they acted in a despotic and criminal way; they destroyed the people whose leaders they claimed to be. The Balcony from Which the Romanian Dictator Nicolae Ceausescu But we are not talking about people. , Now career military personnel are speaking out through gritted teeth, insisting they speak for active-duty personnel who cannot talk without being punished. Elena answers: The intellectuals of this country should hear you, you and your colleagues. It doesnt happen as one big wave. The Defence Minister, General Vasile Milea, was said to have committed suicide although it is equally possible he was shot by a member of the Ceauescu retinue. It should be stated once and for all that this military court is absolutely legal and that the former positions of the two Ceausescus are no longer valid. They were only busy enslaving the people and building up an apparatus of power. 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. The people only received 200 grams per day, against an identity card. ELENA CEAUESCU: What genocide? The prosecutor says: The world already knows what has happened here. Another question . Have you understood them? What about the accounts? The balcony where Ceauescu delivered his last speech, taken over by the crowd during the Romanian Revolution of 1989 The speech was typical of most of Ceauescu's speeches over the years. PROSECUTOR: Whether you have ever had a mental illness. This shows how little patriotism there is, how many treasonable offenses were committed. And we will not betray our people here. PROSECUTOR: Note: He does not recognize the points mentioned in the bill of indictment. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: No one recognizes that. Nicolae Ceauescu (Romanian pronunciation: [nikola.e ta.uesku]; 26 January 1918 25 December 1989) was a Romanian politician who was the Secretary Gener. The prosecutor cites all academic titles she had always claimed to have. ELENA CEAUESCU: I will not answer. But those who shot at the young people were the security men, the terrorists. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: What? Nicolae Ceausescu - Last Speech, Trial and Execution - YouTube PROSECUTOR: You claim to have taken measures so that every peasant is entitled to 200 kilograms of wheat. And today you are acting in the same megalomaniac way. TheWashington Timesreports that a top intelligence official is accusing the Obama admininistration of funding a terror network for the next ten years, alleging the administration paid a cash ransom to redeem Bowe Bergdahl. PROSECUTOR: The terrorists are from Securitate? Despite this, I ask the court to make a decision which we will be able to justify later as well. PROSECUTOR: We now have another leading organ. PROSECUTOR: So you know the new forum. 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. 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. Romania 1989: Ceauescu goes down in blood - archive, 1989 Bucharest television said that they had left the country. PROSECUTOR: So far, they have always claimed that we have built this country, we have paid our debts, but with this they bled the country to death and have hoarded enough money to ensure their escape. Description One of the most decisive moments in the Romanian Revolution of 1989 was Ceausescu's December 21st speech (or lack thereof). We have ensured an apartment for every citizen through corresponding laws. PROSECUTOR: In the same way he refused to hold a dialogue with the people, now he also refuses to speak with us. PROSECUTOR: We have wonderful programs. Ceausescu begins his address to the people as he had in years past but this year the tide turned. Unprecedented Interruption of Ceausescu's Speech With AM - AP NEWS A lie, a lie in my face. PROSECUTOR: But not of our army, you are not the commander in chief of our army. CEAUSESCU: I repeat: I am the president of Romania and the commander in chief of the Romanian army. The prosecutor says: The world already knows what has happened here. No Way In at Amazon Kindle $8.95, print $9.99. Elena and Nicolae reject this. This source is a part of the The Romanian Revolution of 1989 teaching module. Elena answers: The intellectuals of this country should hear you, you and your colleagues. We are all equal. However, why are your programs not implemented? Later reports suggested the couple had been captured. And I also do not recognize the counsel for the defense. Why were people screaming during Ceausescu's last speech? What - Quora [3], From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core, The former headquarters of the Central Committee of the, File:Ceausescu Final Speech - Former Central Committee Building - Bucharest - Romania.jpg, Video of Ceausescus Last Speech, December 1989, Nicolae Ceauescu LAST SPEECH (english subtitles) 1/2, https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=Ceauescu%27s_final_speech&oldid=714636674, Articles with Romanian-language external links, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, About Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core. Storm Over The South China Sea Its bulletins provide a dramatic account of the most important day in Romanias history since the Communist takeover in 1948. The bill of indictment contains the following points: Genocide, in accordance with Article 356 of the penal code. Recent items of interest by Belmont readers based on Amazon click-throughs. Now we are making a last attempt. 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. The court notes that the investigations have been concluded. Sections in italic type are from Austrian television comentary: CEAUSESCU: Is it possible that we are facing such charges? I am now talking to you as simple citizens, and I hope that you will tell the truth. CEAUSESCU: We will discuss this before the Grand National Assembly. Every honest citizen who worked hard here until 22 December knows that we do not have medicines, that you two have killed children and other people in this way, that there is nothing to eat, no heating, no electricity. CEAUSESCU: No, no. The National Salvation Front is now our supreme body. Because of this indictment, I call for the death sentence and the impounding of the entire property of the two accused. Ceauescu claims that the putsch was organized from abroad. Historical place Mark's spot where Ceausescu had his last speech This is our home. Defendant, if you had no accounts in Switzerland, will you sign a statement confirming that the money that may be in Switzerland should be transferred to the Romanian state, the State Bank. At the moment the situation is rather uncertain. This is a vulgar provocation. Ceauescu's final speech - Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core PROSECUTOR: And who heads Securitate? You were not used to talking to the people. In the second stage their edicts become unenforceable from sheer impracticability. What about the accounts? This year, the crowd begins to chant unscripted comments back at the dictator. PROSECUTOR: So you know the new forum. It is simply an accumulation of multitudes ignoring the official line bit by bit and thereby gradually placing themselves unwittingly in opposition to it. In the uprising by people against Ceausescu during this speech and in subsequent days 1,058 people lost there lives. I am now talking to you as simple citizens, and I hope that you will tell the truth. Sooner or later an administration neuters itself from sheer implausibility. You cannot talk to me in such a way! The catastrophic situation of the country is known all over the world. It is a lie that I made the people starve. I have nothing to do with them. Bucharests Broadcasting House was the main source of information yesterday for Romanians about the countrys liberation and the means by which politicians, military officers and dissidents tried to influence the situation. PROSECUTOR: Please, make a note: Ceausescu does not recognize the new legal structures of power of the country. We have data concerning both of them. You are faced with charges that you held really sumptuous celebrations on all holidays at your house. PROSECUTOR: Please, make a note: Ceauescu does not recognize the new legal structures of power of the country. PROSECUTOR: That is to say, as a deputy prime minister you did not know about the genocide? Only the front rows supported Ceauescu with cheers and applause, with most of the crowd remaining impassive. You, as a scientist, did you know about it? They obstructed the normal process of the economy. JUDECATORUL: Va rog sa luati loc. PROSECUTOR: Do you not know anything about the order to shoot? It is surpassingly perilous not only for the country, but also for the ruler who relies on it. 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. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work of the United States federal government (see 17U.S.C. This speech was an annual event and carefully scripted by the regime to insure both success and the appearance of popular support. I am a member and the chairwoman of the Academy of Sciences. PROSECUTOR: We have always spoken of equality. ELENA CEAUSESCU: How can one tell us something like this? In the early evening, it was announced that a National Democracy Committee had been formed, made up of uncompromised military commanders, students and intellectuals. This demonstrates their lack of understanding. PROSECUTOR: Please, ask Nicolae and Elena Ceauescu whether they have ever had a mental illness. The palaces belong to the people. I will not speak with you provocateurs anymore, and I will not speak with the organizers of the putsch and with the mercenaries. Then follows the reading of the indictment. CHIEF PROSECUTOR: Esteemed chairman of the court, today we have to pass a verdict on the defendants Nicolae Ceausescu and Elena Ceausescu who have committed the following offenses: Crimes against the people. How can one say something like this? Tens of thousands of people gathered in the early hours in front of the Intercontinental Hotel in Bucharest, undeterred by armoured vehicles. They were not really interested in the people. This was a coup d'etat. ELENA CEAUESCU: Incredible. If you had had a mental illness and admitted this, you would not be responsible for your acts. Not a single shot. The catastrophic situation of the country is known all over the world. 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 Marxist-Leninist wooden language. However, he had badly misread the crowds mood. Shakespeare dramatized the turnabout in his famous scene. A photo of a television screen of Nicolae Ceauescu delivering his last public speech from the balcony of the Romanian Communist Party headquarters, 21 December 1989. Yet there is a big difference between grousing, which is endemic to the military, and actual rebellion. Ceauescu's final speech is a speech delivered by Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceauescu on 21 December 1989. The slippage that attracts the most attention of course, is discontent within the United States military. CEAUSESCU: This is not possible at all. A horse or a hearse? You see, there is no use in talking to these people. ELENA CEAUESCU: The terrorists are from Securitate. Transcript of the trial of Nicolae and E. Ceausescu One of the first acts of the new leadership was to place the security forces, the dreaded Securitate, under control of the army. Nobody has opened an account. The day began as it ended with vehement anti-Ceauescu demonstrations. . Answer this question! If he no longer has a certain function, he cannot demand anything at all. Now you know what members of our U.S. military are thinking and saying. He was a cosignatory of an open letter harshly critical of the Ceauescu region which appeared last march. Not a single shot was fired in Palace Square. "Video of Ceausescus Last Speech, December 1989," in World History Commons, https://worldhistorycommons.org/video-ceausescus-last-speech-december-1989 [accessed March 4, 2023], Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media. I have so many issues with the presidents policies, including the most recent ones, he told me ruefully. The prosecutor turns to Elena: You have always been wiser and more ready to talk, a scientist. Ceausescu's Last Speech | History for You and Me As the other primary sources reveal, the Ceausescus were tried a few days later and executed as enemies of the new Romanian state. Hayek and Ceauescu's Last Speech - PJ Media Then follows the reading of the indictment. What do you think? 20072021 Roy Rosenzweig Center for History & New Media The destruction of buildings and state institutions, undermining of the national economy, in accordance with Articles 165 and 145 of the penal code. Every honest citizen who worked hard here until 22 December knows that we do not have medicines, that you two have killed children and other people in this way, that there is nothing to eat, no heating, no electricity. The defendant has not recognized us. Sections in italic type are from Austrian television comentary: NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I only recognize the Grand National Assembly. His 1936 mugshot at age 18 still haunts the internet. Wilson Center Digital Archive He was Secre. I will not answer anymore. The prosecutor wants to find out on which basis the trial can be continued. Fanatics, whom you are paying. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Mr. President, I would like to know something: The accused should tell us who the mercenaries are. We have sacrificed all our lives to the people. It is a historic time, given that no military member goes public to speak negatively about the ultimate commander. I will not say anything here. Nobody has the right to abolish the Grand National Assembly.