ceausescu last speech transcript ceausescu last speech transcript

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. I will only speak at the Grand National Assembly. ELENA CEAUSESCU: What genocide? They organized the putsch. And so should such reports chill one to the bone. ALISON SMALE December 21, 1989. Ceausescu relates his recent meeting with Dubcek in Prague in August 1968. Decembrie 25 1989 - Garnizoana Tirgoviste. CEAUSESCU: No, we had no palaces. Here Nicolae Ceauescu steps in and defends her. In 1947, we assumed power, but under completely different circumstances. 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. This shows how little patriotism there is, how many treasonable offenses were committed. PROSECUTOR: So you know the new forum. You were so impertinent as to cut off oxygen lines in hospitals and to shoot people in their hospital beds. Why did you make the peasants starve? 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. In the second stage their edicts become unenforceable from sheer impracticability. 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. COUNSEL FOR THE DEFENSE: Even though he like her committed insane acts, we want to defend them. 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. And today you are acting in the same megalomaniac way. 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. PROSECUTOR: Please, make a note: Ceauescu does not recognize the new legal structures of power of the country. Please make a note that here it has been stated that all legal regulations have been observed, that this is a legal trial. These two defendants have robbed the people, and not even today do they want to talk. 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. 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. PROSECUTOR: Why do you think that people are fighting today? CEAUSESCU: I will not answer this question. The English translation is by the U.S. government's Foreign Broadcast Information Service. PROSECUTOR: The people are fighting against you, not against the new forum. The front rows of the assembly were made up of low-level Communist Party officials and members who acted as cheer-leaders. 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. Elena and Nicolae reject this. Faithless Execution: Building the Political Case for Obamas Impeachment PROSECUTOR: And who heads Securitate? It is as if, in that moment, everyday Romanian's saw the possibility, saw the reality of the weakness of Ceausescus regime. 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. The bill of indictment contains the following points: Genocide, in accordance with Article 356 of the penal code. I am now talking to you as simple citizens, and I hope that you will tell the truth. 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. Nobody has opened an account. This gang will be destroyed. Nicolae Ceauescu (Romanian pronunciation: [nikola.e tea.uesku]; 26 January 1918 -- 25 December 1989) was a Romanian Communist politician. PROSECUTOR: Yes, but you are paying the mercenaries. CEAUSESCU: Her scientific papers were published abroad! They obstructed the normal process of the economy. 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. PROSECUTOR: The Grand National Assembly has been dissolved. "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). 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. And we will not betray our people here. Who are these fanatics? ALISON SMALE December 21, 1989. PROSECUTOR: Note the following: the defendant refuses to sign this statement. I have so many issues with the presidents policies, including the most recent ones, he told me ruefully. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: Her scientific papers were published abroad! 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. 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. Why do the peasants then buy their bread in Bucharest? This is not possible. One day Obama may wake up and find the alliances just gone. The defendant has not recognized us. The prosecutor wants to find out on which basis the trial can be continued. The court notes that the investigations have been concluded. This source is a part of the The Romanian Revolution of 1989 teaching module. They obstructed the normal process of the economy. The story ofCeauescus final speech is a textbook example. This shows again how false the charges are. This speech was an annual event and carefully scripted by the regime to insure both success and the appearance of popular support. This speech was an annual event and carefully scripted by the regime to insure both success and the appearance of popular support. The prosecutor asks the counsel for the defense to ask Ceauescu whether he knows that he is no longer president of the country, that Elena Ceauescu has also lost all her official state functions and that the government has been dissolved. CEAUSESCU: I do not recognize this court. They not only deprived the people of heating, electricity and foodstuffs, they also tyrannized the soul of the Romanian people. No one was shot. Elena and Nicolae Ceauescu must be held fully responsible for this. The workers were augmented by bystanders who were rounded up on Calea Victoriei. Getting a shut-off notice from a utility is also sufficient to claim a hardship exemption. , 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. The prosecutor turns to Elena: You have always been wiser and more ready to talk, a scientist. For example, George Ciampa, an 89-year old D-Day veteran refused an invitation to meet with President Obama at the White House. Ford said of his resignation,I was no longer in a position where I felt I could defend the American policy. Sooner or later inability to credit yoga or videos produced in Los Angeles as actual factors becomes more and more widespread. Elena Ceauescu's last moments were as pathetic as one could imagine. 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. CEAUSESCU: I will not say anything more. And I also do not recognize the counsel for the defense. The Ceauescu administrations Prime Minister, Mr Constantin Dsclescu, and his government were said to have resigned. The Rise of Ceausescu Nicolae was a member of the communist youth movement. I guaranteed that every village has its schools, hospitals and doctors. If you had had a mental illness and admitted this, you would not be responsible for your acts. You have information about it. 23 December 1989: Nicolae Ceauescus overthrow follows a week of carnage in which thousands of protesters against his regime were killed in cold blood. Free shipping for many products! There is still shooting going on, the prosecutor says. Did you know that you can purchase some of these books and pamphlets by Richard Fernandez and share them with you friends? These two defendants have robbed the people, and not even today do they want to talk. For example, there isa silent falling away among American allies. The collapse of the narrative doesnt happen in a single big step, but through an accumulation of small, personal, often innocuous refusals. You were not used to talking to the people. Later reports suggested the couple had been captured. 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. 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 am a member and the chairwoman of the Academy of Sciences. What happened? The archive focuses largely on the period from 1965, when Romania was ruled over by the Ceausescus, until. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I will not say anything more. It can go on for a long time shedding parts, but eventually the axle falls out. They cultivated the soil in line with your orders and had nothing to eat. And you might perhaps have achieved the understanding of the Romanian people if you had now admitted your guilt. 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. No one can dissolve the National Assembly. 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. In the early evening, it was announced that a National Democracy Committee had been formed, made up of uncompromised military commanders, students and intellectuals. In response, the two laugh, and she says: We do not stay abroad. We have data concerning both of them. Elena keeps whispering to him. Have you understood them? CEAUSESCU: No, we will not sign. In response, the two laugh, and she says: We do not stay abroad. We have ensured an apartment for every citizen through corresponding laws. It was one of the most pivotal moments in the Romanian Revolution of 1989. I have no statement to make, and I will not sign one. Sections in italic type are from the austrian television comentary: But those who shot at the young people were the security men, the terrorists. He answers: I am the president of Romania, and I am the commander in chief of the Romanian army. Only the front rows supported Ceauescu with cheers and applause, with most of the crowd remaining impassive. "a chant that was soon picked up by others in the crowd. In the uprising by people against Ceausescu during this speech and in subsequent days 1,058 people lost there lives. In fact, his speech on August 21, 1968 in defiance of the military actions taken by Moscow and a few of her allies in Czechoslovakia roused quite a considerable amount of support for not only himself, but for the Patriot Guards as well. Furnish proof! 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. PROSECUTOR: This situation is known. Elena answers: The intellectuals of this country should hear you, you and your colleagues. CEAUSESCU: I do not answer, I will only answer questions before the Grand National Assembly. CEAUSESCU: We will discuss this before the Grand National Assembly. 600K views 3 years ago Nicolae Ceauescu (Romanian pronunciation: [nikola.e ta.uesku]; 26 January 1918 25 December 1989) was a Romanian politician who was the Secretary General of the Romanian. PROSECUTOR: But not of our army, you are not the commander in chief of our army. PROSECUTOR: Who ordered shooting into the crowd? As a result, the prosecutor says: Elena has always been talkative, but otherwise she does not know much. [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." CEAUSESCU: You as officers should know that the government cannot give the order to shoot. First their narratives become so infested with lies they go out of sync with their own administrators on the ground. The front rows of the assembly were made up of low-level Communist Party officials and members who acted as cheer-leaders. You should have stayed in Iran where you had flown to. The slippage that attracts the most attention of course, is discontent within the United States military. That is why the people are fighting all over the country. At the beginning, Ceausescu claimed that it is a provocation to be asked whether he was sick. George thought about it for awhile and concluded he just couldnt. I will only speak in front of it. The day began as it ended with vehement anti-Ceauescu demonstrations. The Three Conjectures at Amazon Kindle for $1.99, reflections on terrorism and the nuclear age Ceauescu refused to answer. I will not speak with you provocateurs anymore, and I will not speak with the organizers of the putsch and with the mercenaries. The prosecutor turns to Elena: You have always been wiser and more ready to talk, a scientist. The court notes that the investigations have been concluded. Tip Jar or Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the Belmont Club. The catastrophic situation of the country is known all over the world. However, he had badly misread the crowd's mood. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I will answer any question, but only at the Grand National Assembly, before the representatives of the working class. Nobody is likely to rise up and become a Man on Horseback. This is a legal trial, and I honor them by defending them. Finally, I would like to refer once more to the genocide, the numerous killings carried out during the past few days. We have sufficient data on this period. After many people began to exit the square, Ceauescu shouted over the public address system for them to "remain seated". It was one of the most pivotal moments in the Romanian Revolution of 1989. Tell the people that I will answer all their questions. As the other primary sources reveal, the Ceausescus were tried a few days later and executed as enemies of the new Romanian state. 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. Because of this indictment, I call for the death sentence and the impounding of the entire property of the two accused. I will only speak at the Grand National Assembly. The workers were augmented by bystanders who were rounded up on Calea Victoriei. The truth shall set you free, even if it makes you miserable. Are they the people, or are you paying them? Now you know what members of our U.S. military are thinking and saying. Making use of Marxist-Leninist rhetoric, he delivered a litany of the achievements of the "socialist revolution" and Romanian "multi-laterally developed . In the essay The Use of Knowledge in Society, Hayek argued that in complex systems the relevant facts are dispersed among many people. We have sacrificed all our lives to the people. Queen Victoria and Her Prime Ministers NICOLAE CEAUESCU: You as officers should know that the government cannot give the order to shoot. However, they will be indicted, and a sentence will be passed on the basis of the new legal system. "This is the final battle," he said. Sooner or later an administration neuters itself from sheer implausibility. And we will not betray our people here. Elena and Nicolae reject this. 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. Its not that we dont want to respect the commander-in-chief, one told me sadly. How can one say something like this? 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. The Lion and the Unicorn: Gladstone vs. Disraeli 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. 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. Bucharest television said that they had left the country. 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. At the beginning, Ceauescu claimed that it is a provocation to be asked whether he was sick. You were so impertinent as to cut off oxygen lines in hospitals and to shoot people in their hospital beds. 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. Former President Donald Trump speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, on March 4, 2023. The prosecutor says: The world already knows what has happened here. CEAUSESCU: Nu recunosc nici un tribunal in afara de Marea Adunare Nationala. However, there is a difference between real sickness that must be treated and mental insanity which leads to corresponding actions, but which is denied by the person in question. PROSECUTOR: Did you know about the genocide or did you, as a chemist, only deal with polymers? Therefore, it is a mistake for the two accused to refuse to cooperate with us. One of the first acts of the new leadership was to place the security forces, the dreaded Securitate, under control of the army. We have sacrificed all our lives to the people. It is as if, in that moment, everyday Romanian's saw the possibility, saw the reality of the weakness of Ceausescus regime. Rebranding Christianity (The World of Information) It is a lie that I made the people starve. The next he was a hunted man. 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. The Securitate had hidden food reserves on which Bucharest could have survived for months, the whole of Bucharest. You told us about it here. ELENA CEAUESCU: Accounts in Switzerland? The two defendants should also know that they are entitled to a counsel for defense, even if they reject this. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Mr. President, I would like to know something: the accused should tell us who the mercenaries are. Ceauescu's speech of 21 August 1968 [English Subtitles] Transcrierea discursului lui Ceauescu: 01:08 Nicolae Ceauescu: Dragi tovari. He still considers himself to be the country's president and the commander in chief of the army. They are shooting at children; they are shooting arbitrarily into the apartments. 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 . But their triumph was marred by the first confused reports of fresh bloodshed in the early evening following heavy machine-gun fire in Bucharests Republic Square. Furnish proof! You should have stayed in Iran where you had flown to. At some point the entire structure of governance becomes a system of workarounds with all real power devolved to the man on the ground. ELENA CEAUSESCU: Accounts in Switzerland? 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. PROSECUTOR: You claim to have taken measures so that every peasant is entitled to 200 kilograms of wheat. 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. Richard III of England rode into Bosworth Field relying on his ally Baron Stanely to come to his aid. What do you say as a citizen? [1] The crowd, now totaling up to 80,000, were given orders on where to stand, when to applaud and what to sing. As hard as it may be to believe, there was a time when . They wanted to separate the people from the army. ELENA CEAUESCU: We will not sign any statement. We live in a normal apartment, just like every other citizen. This speech was an annual event and carefully scripted by the regime to ensure both success and the appearance of popular support. Ceausescu refused to answer. Then he is treated like a normal citizen. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: No, we had no palaces. All the world should know what is going on here. PROSECUTOR: Did you know about the genocide or did you, as a chemist, only deal with polymers? Therefore, it is a mistake for the two accused to refuse to cooperate with us. You are faced with charges that you held really sumptuous celebrations on all holidays at your house. Romania's dictator Nicolae Ceausescu's final speech (executed 12/25) More Notable Events on December 21: 1997 Detroit Lions Barry Sanders is 3rd to run for 2,000 yards in a season 1991 U.S. actress Jane Fonda marries CNN-director Ted Turner 1989 Dan Quayle sends out 30,000 Xmas cards with word beacon spelled beakon You, as a scientist, did you know about it? It must be cleared up whether Ceausescu wants to, should, must or can answer at all. You were the most important aide, the number two in the cabinet, in the government. I will not say anything here. Who pays them? The entire intelligentsia of the country ran away. PROSECUTOR: Well, Mr. PROSECUTOR: The people are fighting against you, not against the new forum. And today you are acting in the same megalomaniac way. Forget the pontifications from the myriad talking heads on TV and radio. It is simply an accumulation of multitudes ignoring the official line bit by bit and thereby gradually placing themselves unwittingly in opposition to it. This page was last modified on 10 April 2016, at 21:40. That is why the people are fighting all over the country. It is a historic time, given that no military member goes public to speak negatively about the ultimate commander. In 1947, King Michael showed more dignity than you. Tax experts say the best it can do is withhold the penalty amount from any tax refund due. He would be executed a few days later. Soon afterwards, Bucharest television reported that Mr Ceauescu and his wife were no longer in the country. But who gave the order to shoot? PROSECUTOR: In the same way he refused to hold a dialogue with the people, now he also refuses to speak with us. You were not used to talking to the people. PROSECUTOR: This is how you worked with the people and exercised your functions! They have lost all respect for their commander in chief. They are shooting at children; they are shooting arbitrarily into the apartments. The people were slaves. The next he was a hunted man. 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. An important historical square located on Victoriei Street. The prosecutor quotes Ceausescu, Ceausescu's program. Sections in italic type are from the austrian television comentary: NICOLAE CEAUSESCU: I only recognize the Grand National Assembly. Suntem in fata unui tribunal al poporului. 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. "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.