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. I am the president of the people. 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. Usurpers have been punished severely during the past centuries in Romania's history. 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. Elena and Nicolae reject this. A flight into peril, flashbacks to underground action. Some people will continue to believe the narrative, but even among the acolytes, the fatal smoke of doubt has entered the temple. Then he is treated like a normal citizen. ALISON SMALE December 21, 1989. PROSECUTOR: Note: He does not recognize the points mentioned in the bill of indictment. You were not used to talking to the people. Who pays them? NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I do not recognize this court. 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once and for all that this military court is absolutely legal and that the former positions of the two Ceauescus are no longer valid. PROSECUTOR: Did you know about the genocide in Timisoara? Their son, Nicu, was shown on television under arrest. We are all equal. "Video of Ceausescus Last Speech, December 1989," Making the History of 1989, Item #696, https://chnm.gmu.edu/1989/items/show/696 (accessed May 28 2021, 3:24 pm). If you had had a mental illness and admitted this, you would not be responsible for your acts. [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." PROSECUTOR: That is to say, as a deputy prime minister you did not know about the genocide? I only recognize the working class and the Grand National Assembly -- no one else. Only the front rows supported Ceauescu with cheers and applause, with most of the crowd remaining impassive. What do you say as a citizen? Thousands of workers were bussed into the square under threat of being fired. No one can ask Bergdahl, since he is now reported as being unable to speak to anyone including his family. The Lion and the Unicorn: Gladstone vs. Disraeli Ceauescu's final speech is a speech delivered by Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceauescu on 21 December 1989. CEAUSESCU: You as officers should know that the government cannot give the order to shoot. Elena and Nicolae Ceausescu should be punished in a really legal trial. 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 . By the way, I will not answer any more questions. He refused to undergo a psychiatric examination. Tens of thousands of people gathered in the early hours in front of the Intercontinental Hotel in Bucharest, undeterred by armoured vehicles. The charges are incorrect, and I will not answer a single question here. CEAUSESCU: I do not recognize this court. The hardship exemption rules, for example, let anyone who experienced domestic violence avoid the mandate, without providing any documentation of abuse. Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu appeared on the balcony of the Central Committee of Comunmunist Party of Romania building, in Bucharest, Romania, on 21 December 1989, and began as he had in years past, with a speech laden with the usual `wooden language`. One of the most decisive moments in the Romanian Revolution of 1989 was Ceausescus December 21st speech (or lack thereof). Nobody has opened an account. CEAUSESCU: I do not recognize this court. What about the accounts? No one can deprive me of these functions. It is as if, in that moment, everyday Romanian's saw the possibility, saw the reality of the weakness of Ceausescus regime. Usurpers have been punished severely during the past centuries in Romania's history. Teams of doctors with emergency medical supplies were being flown in from Geneva last night. Any actual attempts to fine 30 million Americans would end in a political disaster. Why do the peasants then buy their bread in Bucharest? ELENA CEAUSESCU: We will not sign any statement. PROSECUTOR: This is how you worked with the people and exercised your functions! Only a president who is still confirmed in his position can demand to speak at the Grand National Assembly. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I repeat: I am the president of Romania and the commander in chief of the Romanian army. The archive focuses largely on the period from 1965, when Romania was ruled over by the Ceausescus, until. We live in a normal apartment, just like every other citizen. You are guilty of these offenses even if you do not want to admit it. You were not used to talking to the people. 23 December 1989: Nicolae Ceauescus overthrow follows a week of carnage in which thousands of protesters against his regime were killed in cold blood. Rebranding Christianity (The World of Information) Quantum: Einstein, Bohr and the Great Debate About the Nature of Reality PROSECUTOR: You have never been able to hold a dialogue with the people. In the essay The Use of Knowledge in Society, Hayek argued that in complex systems the relevant facts are dispersed among many people. That is why the people are fighting all over the country. Those moments of Ceausescus weakness and the power of popular pressure explain why, a mere 48 hours later, Ceausescu was attempting to flee Romania, all power lost. 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. Why do the peasants then buy their bread in Bucharest? PROSECUTOR: Mr. Chairman, we find the two accused guilty of having committed criminal actions according to the following articles of the penal code: Articles 162, 163, 165 and 357. [1] The crowd, now totaling up to 80,000, were given orders on where to stand, when to applaud and what to sing. All Rights Reserved. You were the most important aide, the number two in the cabinet, in the government. Forget the pontifications from the myriad talking heads on TV and radio. You told us about it here. CEAUSESCU: No, the people are fighting for freedom and against the new forum. I have observed that she is not even able to read correctly, but she calls herself an university graduate. Stanley double-crossed Richard at the crucial moment. 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. Tell us! He still considers himself to be the country's president and the commander in chief of the army. His talks with Dubcek focused primarily on the events that had unfolded in Czechoslovakia over the last several months. But rebellion begins involuntarily, at the Hayekian level. Yet there is a big difference between grousing, which is endemic to the military, and actual rebellion. Why did you starve the people? CEAUSESCU: Nu recunosc nici un tribunal in afara de Marea Adunare Nationala. Richard III of England rode into Bosworth Field relying on his ally Baron Stanely to come to his aid. 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. Therefore, it is a mistake for the two accused to refuse to cooperate with us. There is still shooting going on, the prosecutor says. We want a legal trial. 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. Fanatics, whom you are paying. The people were slaves. By 6 pm, Romanian television was broadcasting live reports of victory rallies attended by thousands in Bucharest. CEAUSESCU: No, we had no palaces. The prosecutor agrees, but stresses that they lived in them while the people suffered. Workers, military units and other popular organizations were bused to the capitol and given orders on where to stand, when to applaud and what to sing. A lie, a lie in my face. It must be cleared up whether Ceauescu wants to, should, must or can answer at all. And today you are acting in the same megalomaniac way. What happened was that he was misled by Centralized Information. Fanatics, whom you are paying. The process usually follows this path. The following is a transscript of the closed trial of Romanian Dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife, Elena, as shown on Romanian and Austrian television. PROSECUTOR: Did you know about the genocide or did you, as a chemist, only deal with polymers? In the uprising by people against Ceausescu during this speech and in subsequent days 1,058 people lost there lives. The prosecutor turns to Elena: You have always been wiser and more ready to talk, a scientist. As the other primary sources reveal, the Ceausescus were tried a few days later and executed as enemies of the new Romanian state. CEAUSESCU: We had no account in Switzerland. And who brought them into the country? NICOLAE CEAUESCU: Her scientific papers were published abroad! 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 story ofCeauescus final speech is a textbook example. The collapse of the narrative doesnt happen in a single big step, but through an accumulation of small, personal, often innocuous refusals. 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. The prosecutor cites all academic titles she had always claimed to have. They were given red flags, banners and large pictures of Ceauescu. A lie, a lie in my face. PROSECUTOR: The terrorists are from Securitate? The notorious programme of razing villages in the countryside would be halted. But those who shot at the young people were the security men, the terrorists. Why did you ruin the country so much: Why did you export everything? You see, there is no use in talking to these people. The prosecutor asks the counsel for the defense to ask Ceausescu whether he knows that he is no longer president of the country, that Elena Ceausescu has also lost all her official state functions and that the government has been dissolved. The new committee declared its immediate aim was an end to the cult of personality which had developed around the Ceauescu family. A little noticed article in the Sydney Morning Herald notes that Australia will support Japans effort to repeal its pacifist constitution. We will speak only at the National Assembly, because we have worked hard for the people all our lives. Then he is treated like a normal citizen. They were not really interested in the people. It is a historic time, given that no military member goes public to speak negatively about the ultimate commander. PROSECUTOR: Children cannot even buy plain candy, and you are living in the palaces of the people. They cultivated the soil in line with your orders and had nothing to eat. Answer this question! This page was last modified on 10 April 2016, at 21:40. Now the counsel for the defense, who was appointed by the court, asks whether Nicolae and Elena Ceauescu know the aforementioned facts that he is no longer president, that she has lost all official functions. Those moments of Ceausescus weakness and the power of popular pressure explain why, a mere 48 hours later, Ceausescu was attempting to flee Romania, all power lost. 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. Who are these fanatics? After many people began to exit the square, Ceauescu shouted over the public address system for them to "remain seated". Eight minutes into the speech, some in the crowd actually began to jeer, boo and whistle at hima reaction considered unthinkable for most of Ceauescus 24 years in power. His security guard appears, disappears and, finally, hustles Ceausescu off the balcony. 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. Storming the Castle at Amazon Kindle for $3.99, why government should get small Here Nicolae Ceauescu steps in and defends her. 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. Elena keeps whispering to him. Finally, I would like to refer once more to the genocide, the numerous killings carried out during the past few days. They are speaking about injustice, ineptitude and impeachment. As the crowd becomes more unruly, Ceausescu becomes more confused and he begins arguing with the unseen hecklers. I ask the court, as the plaintiff, to take note that proof has been furnished for all these points, that the two have committed the offenses mentioned. Not a single shot was fired in Palace Square. Elena and Nicolae Ceauescu state: Well, you told us about it. PROSECUTOR: The people are fighting against you, not against the new forum. The next he was a hunted man. CEAUSESCU: She was not a deputy prime minister, but the first deputy prime minister. PROSECUTOR: Well, Mr. The prosecutor says: The world already knows what has happened here. Why did you make the peasants starve? PROSECUTOR: Mr. Chairman, we find the two accused guilty of having committed criminal actions according to the following articles of the penal code: Articles 162, 163, 165 and 357. ELENA CEAUSESCU: Such impudence! PROSECUTOR: Please, ask Nicolae and Elena Ceauescu whether they have ever had a mental illness. Former President Donald Trump speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, on March 4, 2023. PROSECUTOR: Note the following: The defendant refuses to sign this statement. Not a single shot was fired in Palace Square. PROSECUTOR: This would serve your defense. This is a legal trial, and I honor them by defending them. They wanted to separate the people from the army. We have ensured an apartment for every citizen through corresponding laws. One announcer called it the heart of our nation. PROSECUTOR: Yes, but you are paying the mercenaries. PROSECUTOR: We have always spoken of equality. The great Ceauescu escape attempt came after it had become clear that most of the army had gone over to the people. 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. Within hours Ceauescu was beseiged inside the Central Committee building by irate crowds. I told you right at the beginning that I will not answer a single question. This year, the crowd begins to chant unscripted comments back at the dictator. PROSECUTOR: You have never been able to hold a dialogue with the people. PROSECUTOR: Well, Mr. This is not possible. a silent falling away among American allies. Are they the people, or are you paying them? The day began as it ended with vehement anti-Ceauescu demonstrations. We have data concerning both of them. ALISON SMALE December 21, 1989. How can one say something like this? This is a legal trial, and I honor them by defending them.