It was one of the most pivotal moments in the Romanian Revolution of 1989. Ceausescu's last speech was interrupted but not by the shouts of the masses. Military base Tirgoviste - December 25th 1989. Ceausescu refused to answer. All their property will be impounded. The crimes against the people grew year by year. They are not only accused of offenses committed during the past few days, but of offenses committed during the past 25 years. 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 Ceausescu should be punished in a really legal trial. The destruction of buildings and state institutions, undermining of the national economy, in accordance with Articles 165 and 145 of the penal code. But those who shot at the young people were the security men, the terrorists. PROSECUTOR: Note - He does not recognize the points mentioned in the bill of indictment. You, as a scientist, did you know about it? The court notes that the investigations have been concluded. Judecator Gica POPA. 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. The counsel for the defense now takes the floor and instructs the Ceausescus once again that they have the right to defense and that they should accept this right. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Mr. President, I would like to know something: The accused should tell us who the mercenaries are. PROSECUTOR: Let us now talk about the accounts in Switzerland, Mr. Ceauescu. This is a vulgar provocation. Elena keeps whispering to him. You were the most important aide, the number two in the cabinet, in the government. It is a historic time, given that no military member goes public to speak negatively about the ultimate commander. They were only busy enslaving the people and building up an apparatus of power. These two defendants have robbed the people, and not even today do they want to talk. 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. There is still shooting going on, the prosecutor says. I have so many issues with the presidents policies, including the most recent ones, he told me ruefully. 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. a silent falling away among American allies. You, as a scientist, did you know about it? And Elena says: It is incredible what they are inventing, incredible. [1], His security guard appeared, disappeared and, finally, hustled Ceauescu off the balcony. The next he was a hunted man. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: We had no account in Switzerland. He also refuses to recognize the new forum. CEAUSESCU: Nu recunosc nici un tribunal in afara de Marea Adunare Nationala. Are they the people, or are you paying them? I guaranteed that every village has its schools, hospitals and doctors. quotes Israeli oppositionists as accusing Benjamin Netanyahu of loathing Barack Obama so intensely it has endangering the Jewish states security. Romanian demonstrators gathered in front of the headquarters of the Romanian Communist Party in Bucharest during the 1989 anti-communist revolution, 22 December 1989. Former President Donald Trump speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, on March 4, 2023. 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. PROSECUTOR: And who heads Securitate? PROSECUTOR: You claim to have taken measures so that every peasant is entitled to 200 kilograms of wheat. 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. 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. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I will not sign anything. The president of the United States is the commander in chief over all branches of the military. I am a member and the chairwoman of the Academy of Sciences. Getting a shut-off notice from a utility is also sufficient to claim a hardship exemption. The next he was a hunted man. What do you say as a citizen? The War of the Words for $3.99, Understanding the crisis of the early 21st century in terms of information corruption in the financial, security and political spheres Paper is patient. You are guilty of these offenses even if you do not want to admit it. 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. Eight minutes into the speech, some in the crowd actually began to scream because there was a shooting that occurred in the background. CEAUSESCU: No one recognizes that. The truth shall set you free, even if it makes you miserable. They organized the putsch. Its just that he makes it so hard to do so.. For example, there isa silent falling away among American allies. 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. ELENA CEAUESCU: Such impudence! At that very moment, many everyday Romanians saw the weakness of Ceauescu's regime for the first time. We have ensured an apartment for every citizen through corresponding laws. At that moment Elena says to Nicolae: Forget about them. The front rows of the assembly were made up of low-level Communist Party officials and members who acted as cheer-leaders. We want a legal trial. Please make a note that here it has been stated that all legal regulations have been observed, that this is a legal trial. 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. Elena answers: The intellectuals of this country should hear you, you and your colleagues. CEAUSESCU: No, we had no palaces. We have ensured an apartment for every citizen through corresponding laws. The palaces belong to the people. PROSECUTOR: We have always spoken of equality. I guaranteed that every village has its schools, hospitals and doctors. PROSECUTOR: Note the following: The defendant refuses to sign this statement. This is a vulgar provocation. There is still shooting going on, the prosecutor says. And we will not betray our people here. 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. Elena Ceauescu's last moments were as pathetic as one could imagine. This is not possible. They used to fetch people from orphans' homes or from abroad whom they trained in special institutions to become murderers of their own people. And Elena says: It is incredible what they are inventing, incredible. In 1947, we assumed power, but under completely different circumstances. Workers from a Bucharest power plant started chanting Ti-mi-oa-ra! Thirty years on, will the guilty pay for horror of Ceauescu orphanages? This work is a translation and has a separate copyright status to the applicable copyright protections of the original content. Elena and Nicolae reject this. 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. It was one of the most pivotal moments in the Romanian Revolution of 1989. 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. Plenara Comitetului Central al Partidului, Consiliul de Stat, Guvernul, repr. VIENNA, Austria (AP) _ For the first time that anybody could remember, Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu was interrupted at a public speech by boos and jeers that began a huge demonstration against him in Bucharest Thursday. By the way, I will not answer any more questions. PROSECUTOR: Children cannot even buy plain candy, and you are living in the palaces of the people. 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. The story of Ceauescu's final speech is a textbook example. I hope that you do not also work for the foreigners and for the destruction of Romania. Shakespeare dramatized the turnabout in his famous scene. You have destroyed the Romanian villages and the Romanian soil. At that moment Elena says to Nicolae: Forget about them. This source is a part of the The Romanian Revolution of 1989 teaching module. We live in a normal apartment, just like every other citizen. The prosecutor quotes Ceausescu, Ceausescu's program. When the crisis comes the Leader Maximus discovers to his absolute surprise that all support has vanished. VIENNA, Austria (AP) _ For the first time that anybody could remember, Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu was interrupted at a public speech by boos and jeers that began a huge demonstration against him in Bucharest Thursday. All their property will be impounded. PROSECUTOR: Note the following: the defendant refuses to sign this statement. I told you right at the beginning that I will not answer a single question. The prosecutor cites all academic titles she had always claimed to have. One momentCeauescu was in total control of Romania, determined to crush his enemies. The prosecutor wants to find out on which basis the trial can be continued. Nobody is likely to rise up and become a Man on Horseback. Fanatics, whom you are paying. PROSECUTOR: You have never been able to hold a dialogue with the people. The entire intelligentsia of the country ran away. Bucharest television said that they had left the country. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: This is not possible at all. COUNSEL FOR THE DEFENSE: Even though he -- like her -- committed insane acts, we want to defend them. The Rise of Ceausescu Nicolae was a member of the communist youth movement. 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`. "This is the final battle," he said. I will not answer any question. They were not really interested in the people. As the crowd becomes more unruly, Ceausescu becomes more confused and he begins arguing with the unseen hecklers. The entire intelligentsia of the country ran away. Dressed in a black Persian lamb hat with matching coat collar, Ceausesecu, 71, was . PROSECUTOR: We have wonderful programs. Elena and Nicolae Ceauescu state: Well, you told us about it. He then tried to placate the crowd by offering to raise workers salaries He did not realize, however, that a real revolution was starting before his eyes. This speech was an annual event and carefully scripted by the regime to insure both success and the appearance of popular support. PROSECUTOR: Please, make a note: Nicolae Ceauescu refuses to cooperate with the court-appointed counsel for the defense. The prosecutor wants to find out on which basis the trial can be continued. CEAUSESCU: Is it possible that we are facing such charges? 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. 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. 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. Witnesses saw scores of people shot down in the centre of Bucharest in the evening and around the burning royal palace where the Ceauescu family had made their home. What prevents him from doing so? Her husband, Nicolae. It must be cleared up whether Ceausescu wants to, should, must or can answer at all. PROSECUTOR: So you know the new forum. Tell the people that I will answer all their questions. I will not say anything here. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I will not say anything more. Answer this question! Are they the people, or are you paying them? 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. The prosecutor quotes Ceauescu, Ceauescu's program. The court notes that the investigations have been concluded. CEAUSESCU: Her scientific papers were published abroad! PROSECUTOR: Nicolae Ceauescu should tell us why he does not answer our questions. A voice in the studio said that the army was wholly on the side of the people. Elena and Nicolae reject this. It is surpassingly perilous not only for the country, but also for the ruler who relies on it. Tax experts say the best it can do is withhold the penalty amount from any tax refund due. The produce which the peasants grew was exported, and the peasants came from the most remote provinces to Bucharest and to the other cities in order to buy bread. At the beginning, Ceausescu claimed that it is a provocation to be asked whether he was sick. Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway "Stenographic transcript of meeting of the Executive Committee of the Central Committee of the Romanian Communist Party," August 17, 1968, History . CEAUSESCU: We will discuss this before the Grand National Assembly. 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: In the early evening, it was announced that a National Democracy Committee had been formed, made up of uncompromised military commanders, students and intellectuals. Elena and Nicolae Ceausescu must be held fully responsible for this. 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. Only a few hours before the Genius of the Carpathians had been in apparently complete command. Ceauescu claims that the putsch was organized from abroad. The new committee declared its immediate aim was an end to the cult of personality which had developed around the Ceauescu family. The Lion and the Unicorn: Gladstone vs. Disraeli 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. We must not allow the slightest impression of illegality to emerge. All the world should know what is going on here. 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 . PROSECUTOR: That is to say, as a deputy prime minister you did not know about the genocide? Here Nicolae Ceausescu steps in and defends her. Another question to Ceausescu: Who ordered the bloodbath in Timisoara. Nobody has opened an account. And so should such reports chill one to the bone. Fiction. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: Nobody can change the state structures. 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. But those who shot at the young people were the security men, the terrorists. [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. Tip Jar or Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the Belmont Club. The defendant has not recognized us. The people only received 200 grams per day, against an identity card. He still considers himself to be the country's president and the commander in chief of the army. They were even worse than the king, the former king of Romania. 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PROSECUTOR: We have wonderful programs. ALISON SMALE December 21, 1989. 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. ELENA CEAUSESCU: Incredible. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: No, we had no palaces. What should he ask us? CEAUSESCU: I do not recognize you. And you might perhaps have achieved the understanding of the Romanian people if you had now admitted your guilt. CEAUSESCU: Nobody can change the state structures. It is as if, in that moment, everyday Romanian's saw the possibility, saw the reality of the weakness of Ceausescus regime. You are faced with charges that you held really sumptuous celebrations on all holidays at your house. The message was apparently sent on the understanding that Mr Ceauescu had been arrested. 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. Why did you ruin the country so much: Why did you export everything? You have information about it. Soon afterwards, Bucharest television reported that Mr Ceauescu and his wife were no longer in the country. Who pays them? The administrations threats, so dire on paper, are toothless in practice because they actually cant afford to carry out the threat. George thought about it for awhile and concluded he just couldnt. Mystery surrounded the whereabouts of the former President and his wife, Elena, last night. , Now career military personnel are speaking out through gritted teeth, insisting they speak for active-duty personnel who cannot talk without being punished. Elena and Nicolae Ceasescu state: Well, you told us about it. They are cowards. PROSECUTOR: Do you not know anything about the order to shoot? You were so impertinent as to cut off oxygen lines in hospitals and to shoot people in their hospital beds. What may happen of course, is that like a frog slowly being boiled in a pot, the process happens so slowly that people arent aware of it themselves. 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. ELENA CEAUESCU: How can one tell us something like this? Despite this, I ask the court to make a decision which we will be able to justify later as well. CEAUSESCU: I will not say anything more. Only a president who is still confirmed in his position can demand to speak at the Grand National Assembly. An important historical square located on Victoriei Street. Ceausescu begins his address to the people as he had in years past but this year the tide turned. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I will answer any question, but only at the Grand National Assembly, before the representatives of the working class. PROSECUTOR: Who ordered shooting into the crowd? CEAUSESCU: I do not recognize this new forum. PROSECUTOR: Nicolae Ceausescu should tell us why he does not answer our questions. I have nothing to do with them. You should have stayed in Iran where you had flown to. The Securitate had hidden food reserves on which Bucharest could have survived for months, the whole of Bucharest. This speech was an annual event and carefully scripted by the regime to insure both success and the appearance of popular support. Then follows the reading of the indictment. Bundled in drab winter clothing, she was shoved around by armed guards inside a cold, empty building. You held monologues and the people had to applaud, like in the rituals of tribal people. In one speech, a Romanian politician likened Ceausescu to Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Peter the Great, Abraham Lincoln and other major historical figures. Thousands of workers were bused into the square under threat of being fired. 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. I will not answer any question. One in four of the population is believed to have a member. This page was last edited on 8 October 2016, at 23:48. As the crowd becomes more unruly, Ceausescu becomes more confused and he begins arguing with the unseen hecklers. PROSECUTOR: Will you sign the statement now or not? It is a lie that I made the people starve. "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). All Rights Reserved. Because of the crimes they committed against the people, I plead, on behalf of the victims of these two tyrants, for the death sentence for the two defendants. The two defendants should also know that they are entitled to a counsel for defense, even if they reject this. 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 am now talking to you as simple citizens, and I hope that you will tell the truth. This shows how little patriotism there is, how many treasonable offenses were committed.