Are they the people, or are you paying them? But by then there was nowhere to hide. This speech was an annual event and carefully scripted by the regime to ensure both success and the appearance of popular support. Dressed in a black Persian lamb hat with matching coat collar, Ceausesecu, 71, was . 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. I guaranteed that every village has its schools, hospitals and doctors. I ask the chairman of the prosecutor's office to read the bill of indictment. The crimes against the people grew year by year. It was one of the most pivotal moments in the Romanian Revolution of 1989. Because of this indictment, I call for the death sentence and the impounding of the entire property of the two accused. 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. Ceauescu was finally cornered in a small town, where he and his wife were subjected to a summary trial, taken out to the courtyard and shot. Powered by Omeka, Roy Rosenzweig Center for History & New Media. They obstructed the normal process of the economy. CEAUSESCU: Her scientific papers were published abroad! PROSECUTOR: Did you know about the genocide in Timisoara? 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. As the crowd becomes more unruly, Ceausescu becomes more confused and he begins arguing with the unseen hecklers. Elena answers: The intellectuals of this country should hear you, you and your colleagues. No truth, no survival. Another question to Ceausescu: Who ordered the bloodbath in Timisoara. 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. "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. Since the old government has been dissolved and Ceauescu has lost his functions, he no longer has the right to be treated as the president. Elena says: Look, and that they are calling genocide. He did not realize, however, that a real revolution was starting right before his eyes. Elena and Nicolae Ceauescu state: Well, you told us about it. I only recognize the working class and the Grand National Assembly no one else. Any actual attempts to fine 30 million Americans would end in a political disaster. PROSECUTOR: Note: He does not recognize the points mentioned in the bill of indictment. Elena keeps whispering to him. 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. Soon afterwards, Bucharest television reported that Mr Ceauescu and his wife were no longer in the country. Do you want to sign this statement? At the beginning, Ceausescu claimed that it is a provocation to be asked whether he was sick. PROSECUTOR: This would serve your defense. This is a legal trial, and I honor them by defending them. The notorious programme of razing villages in the countryside would be halted. Now we are making a last attempt. PROSECUTOR: Who ordered shooting into the crowd? Who are these fanatics? PROSECUTOR: Note the following: The defendant refuses to sign this statement. In 1947, we assumed power, but under completely different circumstances. ELENA CEAUESCU: The terrorists are from Securitate. PROSECUTOR: Who gave the order to shoot in Bucharest, for instance? 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. You have information about it. How can one say something like this? [1], His security guard appeared, disappeared and, finally, hustled Ceauescu off the balcony. PROSECUTOR: Please, make a note: Ceausescu does not recognize the new legal structures of power of the country. Tell us! The people only received 200 grams per day, against an identity card. For example, George Ciampa, an 89-year old D-Day veteran refused an invitation to meet with President Obama at the White House. Elena keeps whispering to him. [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. And you might perhaps have achieved the understanding of the Romanian people if you had now admitted your guilt. Nobody has opened an account. The video- shown live on Romanian television-- shows his confusion and consternation and the barely audible comments. Only the front rows supported Ceauescu with cheers and applause, with most of the crowd remaining impassive. I ask the chairman of the prosecutor's office to read the bill of indictment. PROSECUTOR: Why do you think that people are fighting today? ELENA CEAUESCU: Accounts in Switzerland? The video- shown live on Romanian television-- shows his confusion and consternation and the barely audible comments. Perhaps the biggest example of thisis a CBO report that while 30 million people will technically be liable to pay the Obamacare Individual Mandate fine but in practice all but 4 million will have their fines waived or exempted. Forget the pontifications from the myriad talking heads on TV and radio. PROSECUTOR: You claim to have taken measures so that every peasant is entitled to 200 kilograms of wheat. This source is a part of the The Romanian Revolution of 1989 teaching module. Sooner or later an administration neuters itself from sheer implausibility. You told us about it here. The charges are incorrect, and I will not answer a single question here. The entire intelligentsia of the country ran away. Are they the people, or are you paying them? At that very moment, many everyday Romanians saw the weakness of Ceauescu's regime for the first time. Judecator Gica POPA. The trial of Nicolae and Elena Ceauescu was held on 25 December 1989 by an Exceptional Military Tribunal, a drumhead court-martial created at the request of a newly formed group called the National Salvation Front. Tax experts say the best it can do is withhold the penalty amount from any tax refund due. A little noticed article in the, notes that Australia will support Japans effort to repeal its pacifist constitution. 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. I will not speak with you provocateurs anymore, and I will not speak with the organizers of the putsch and with the mercenaries. Ceausescu claims that the putsch was organized from abroad. Its provisional leader is the 73-year-old former Foreign Minister, Mr Corneliu Mnescu. PROSECUTOR: Do you not know anything about the order to shoot? And Elena says: It is incredible what they are inventing, incredible. The process usually follows this path. ELENA CEAUESCU: I will not answer. They were only busy enslaving the people and building up an apparatus of power. And we will not betray our people here. 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. The defendant has not recognized us. No one can dissolve the National Assembly. They cultivated the soil in line with your orders and had nothing to eat. PROSECUTOR: You have never been able to hold a dialogue with the people. The president of the United States is the commander in chief over all branches of the military. It can go on for a long time shedding parts, but eventually the axle falls out. They are speaking about injustice, ineptitude and impeachment. Have you understood them? 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. He refused to undergo a psychiatric examination. ALISON SMALE December 21, 1989. The English translation is by the U.S. government's Foreign Broadcast Information Service. This is our home. You were not used to talking to the people. . PROSECUTOR: The Grand National Assembly has been dissolved. CEAUSESCU: I do not recognize you. The crowd, now totaling up to 80,000, were given orders on where to stand, when to applaud and what to sing. As a result, the prosecutor says: Elena has always been talkative, but otherwise she does not know much. 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. The Rise of Ceausescu Nicolae was a member of the communist youth movement. But who gave the order to shoot? In 1947, King Michael showed more dignity than you. "Stenographic transcript of meeting of the Executive Committee of the Central Committee of the Romanian Communist Party," August 17, 1968, 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. The defendant has not recognized us. PROSECUTOR: Esteemed Mr. Chairman, I have been one of those who, as a lawyer, would have liked to oppose the death sentence, because it is inhuman. I just couldnt convince myself to do it., He is not alone. And today you are acting in the same megalomaniac way. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: No one recognizes that. Not a single shot. I would not call for the death sentence, but it would be incomprehensible for the Romanian people to have to go on suffering this great misery and not to have it ended by sentencing the two Ceausescus to death. I will not say anything here. In the second stage their edicts become unenforceable from sheer impracticability. They are shooting at children; they are shooting arbitrarily into the apartments. George thought about it for awhile and concluded he just couldnt. 1967 dime mint mark location,