The bill of indictment contains the following points: Genocide, in accordance with Article 356 of the penal code. PROSECUTOR: But not of our army, you are not the commander in chief of our army. Despite this, I ask the court to make a decision which we will be able to justify later as well. 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 new committee declared its immediate aim was an end to the cult of personality which had developed around the Ceauescu family. They not only deprived the people of heating, electricity, and foodstuffs, they also tyrannized the soul of the Romanian people. PROSECUTOR: Why do you think that people are fighting today? Shakespeare dramatized the turnabout in his famous scene. 23 December 1989: Nicolae Ceauescus overthrow follows a week of carnage in which thousands of protesters against his regime were killed in cold blood. 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. This gang will be destroyed. 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. 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. Are they the people, or are you paying them? They used to fetch people from orphans' homes or from abroad whom they trained in special institutions to become murderers of their own people. Elena keeps whispering to him. 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 cannot talk to me in such a way! Fanatics, whom you are paying. It is a lie that I made the people starve. Why did you starve the people? It is as if, in that moment, everyday Romanian's saw the possibility, saw the reality of the weakness of Ceausescus regime. You were the most important aide, the number two in the cabinet, in the government. Ceaucescu's Last Speech | half note 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. CEAUSESCU: No, we had no palaces. "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. They are shooting at children; they are shooting arbitrarily into the apartments. It was one of the most pivotal moments in the Romanian Revolution of 1989. We will speak only at the National Assembly, because we have worked hard for the people all our lives. The Times of Israel quotes Israeli oppositionists as accusing Benjamin Netanyahu of loathing Barack Obama so intensely it has endangering the Jewish states security. And I also do not recognize the counsel for the defense. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: Is it possible that we are facing such charges? In addition, the law forbids the IRS from using its normal enforcement tools to collect unpaid penalties. Now we are making a last attempt. Later reports suggested the couple had been captured. The entire intelligentsia of the country ran away. We have data concerning both of them. 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. It is a historic time, given that no military member goes public to speak negatively about the ultimate commander. 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. Elena says: Look, and that they are calling genocide. I will not answer you putschists, Ceauescu says. PROSECUTOR: You claim to have taken measures so that every peasant is entitled to 200 kilograms of wheat. Who pays them? The day began as it ended with vehement anti-Ceauescu demonstrations. At the moment the situation is rather uncertain. As a result, the prosecutor says: Elena has always been talkative, but otherwise she does not know much. PROSECUTOR: The Grand National Assembly has been dissolved. The National Salvation Front is now our supreme body. Video of Ceausescu's Last Speech, December 1989 No one was shot. PROSECUTOR: Nicolae Ceauescu should tell us why he does not answer our questions. Ceausescu and his wife were later captured, tried, and executed. No truth, no survival. He was arrested and imprisoned multiple times. The details are known. The mighty Law of the Land is exposed as all bark and no bite; a fine they cant enforce. The charges are incorrect, and I will not answer a single question here. One of the most decisive moments in the Romanian Revolution of 1989 was Ceausescus December 21st speech (or lack thereof). I am the president of the people. 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 need not admit your mistakes, mister. 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. They were not really interested in the people. He still considers himself to be the country's president and the commander in chief of the army. Tyrannies are buried by the shovel of self-deception. After an outage of transmission of Romanian television, the speaker announces the verdict in the trial of Elena and Nicolae Ceauescu is death sentence. This is where President Ceausescu gave his final speech in December 1989, before fleeing Bucharest. Nicolae Ceausescu delivers his last public speech in Bucharest on December 21, 1989. The truth shall set you free, even if it makes you miserable. Ceauescu's final speech is a speech delivered by Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceauescu on 21 December 1989. It is as if, in that moment, everyday Romanian's saw the possibility, saw the reality of the weakness of Ceausescus regime. Making use of Marxist-Leninist rhetoric, he delivered a litany of the achievements of the "socialist revolution" and Romanian "multi-laterally developed . Video of Ceausescu's Last Speech, December 1989 | Making the History of This is a legal trial, and I honor them by defending them. The people were slaves. Another question to Ceauescu: Who ordered the bloodbath in Timisoara. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: You as officers should know that the government cannot give the order to shoot. PROSECUTOR: Did you know about the genocide or did you, as a chemist, only deal with polymers? NICOLAE CEAUESCU: We had no account in Switzerland. 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. But we are not talking about people. We must not allow the slightest impression of illegality to emerge. PROSECUTOR: And who heads Securitate? NICOLAE CEAUESCU: This is not possible at all. There is still shooting going on, the prosecutor says. They were even worse than the king, the former king of Romania. We must not allow the slightest impression of illegality to emerge. I only recognize the working class and the Grand National Assembly -- no one else. The video- shown live on Romanian television-- shows his confusion and consternation and the barely audible comments. No one can dissolve the National Assembly. At the beginning, Ceausescu claimed that it is a provocation to be asked whether he was sick. ALISON SMALE December 21, 1989. The Ceauescu administrations Prime Minister, Mr Constantin Dsclescu, and his government were said to have resigned. 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`. It must be cleared up whether Ceausescu wants to, should, must or can answer at all. However, why are your programs not implemented? You are guilty of these offenses even if you do not want to admit it. However, why are your programs not implemented? CEAUSESCU: No, the people are fighting for freedom and against the new forum. PROSECUTOR: Did you know about the genocide in Timisoara? These two defendants have robbed the people, and not even today do they want to talk. The prosecutor quotes Ceauescu, Ceauescu's program. Workers from a Bucharest power plant started chanting "Ti-mi-oa-ra! He still considers himself to be the country's president and the commander in chief of the army. Sections in italic type are from Austrian television comentary: NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I only recognize the Grand National Assembly. But those who shot at the young people were the security men, the terrorists. All strategic points in the country were said to be under the control of the people. PROSECUTOR: Whether you have ever had a mental illness. It doesnt happen as one big wave. Here Nicolae Ceausescu steps in and defends her. Ceauescu's final speech is a speech delivered by Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceauescu on 21 December 1989. The English translation is by the U.S. government's Foreign Broadcast Information Service. 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. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Mr. President, I would like to know something: The accused should tell us who the mercenaries are. 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. You held monologues and the people had to applaud, like in the rituals of tribal people. Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway They are cowards. Tip Jar or Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the Belmont Club. Historical place Mark's spot where Ceausescu had his last speech 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. 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. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: No, the people are fighting for freedom and against the new forum. Paper is patient. The defendant has not recognized us. But by then there was nowhere to hide. They were given red flags, banners and large pictures of Ceauescu and his wife. Machine guns splattered against a background of church bells ringing in triumph. George thought about it for awhile and concluded he just couldnt. PROSECUTOR: Please, make a note: Ceausescu does not recognize the new legal structures of power of the country. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: Nobody can change the state structures. I do not recognize this court. We are all equal. 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: 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. This is our home. CEAUSESCU: Is it possible that we are facing such charges? NICOLAE CEAUESCU: No, we had no palaces. PROSECUTOR: Do you not know anything about the order to shoot? Ceausescu claims that the putsch was organized from abroad. CEAUSESCU: She was not a deputy prime minister, but the first deputy prime minister. Trump says "this is the final battle" as he lays out grievances, 2024 I do not recognize the court. I have no statement to make, and I will not sign one. Romanian Revolution - Wikipedia . Bucharest television said that they had left the country. I will only speak at the Grand National Assembly. PROSECUTOR: So you know the new forum. 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. Like a jalopy falling apart on the road, dropping a screw here and a spring there, the Obama administration is gradually shaking itself to pieces. They cultivated the soil in line with your orders and had nothing to eat. Another question . 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. Why did you starve the people? And we will not betray our people here. Not a single shot. Therefore, it is a mistake for the two accused to refuse to cooperate with us. PROSECUTOR: That is to say, as a deputy prime minister you did not know about the genocide? In the essay The Use of Knowledge in Society, Hayek argued that in complex systems the relevant facts are dispersed among many people. 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. PROSECUTOR: Whether you have ever had a mental illness. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: Her scientific papers were published abroad! 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. Furnish proof! This page was last modified on 10 April 2016, at 21:40. The palaces belong to the people. Frederich Hayek identified the primary reason why tyrants fall: they rely on the poisoned cup of centralized knowledge. Ceausescu's Last Speech | History for You and Me 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: The terrorists are from Securitate? For example, George Ciampa, an 89-year old D-Day veteran refused an invitation to meet with President Obama at the White House. Do you want to sign this statement? 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. 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. Transcript of the trial of Nicolae and E. Ceausescu [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. They have lost all respect for their commander in chief. PROSECUTOR: Will you sign the statement now or not? The court notes that the investigations have been concluded. 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. 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. Elena answers: The intellectuals of this country should hear you, you and your colleagues. This speech was an annual event and carefully scripted by the regime to insure both success and the appearance of popular support. There is still shooting going on, the prosecutor says. You need not admit your mistakes, mister. Ceausescu sprinkles snow on his wife's head during yet another hunting trip in 1976. 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. Then he is treated like a normal citizen. ELENA CEAUESCU: Such impudence! This was a coup d'etat. They are speaking about injustice, ineptitude and impeachment. If you had had a mental illness and admitted this, you would not be responsible for your acts. If he no longer has a certain function, he cannot demand anything at all. No one was shot. Elena and Nicolae reject this. What do you say as a citizen? Why were people screaming during Ceausescu's last speech? What - Quora Its just that he makes it so hard to do so.. The prosecutor wants to find out on which basis the trial can be continued. And who brought them into the country? 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. 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 Richard III of England rode into Bosworth Field relying on his ally Baron Stanely to come to his aid. COUNSEL FOR THE DEFENSE: Even though he like her committed insane acts, we want to defend them. Why did you make the peasants starve? Sections in italic type are from the austrian television comentary: One of the most decisive moments in the Romanian Revolution of 1989 was Ceausescus December 21st speech (or lack thereof). 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. Last modified on Sun 29 Mar 2020 07.01 EDT 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. Nicolae Ceausescu LAST SPEECH (english subtitles) 1/2 CEAUSESCU: I do not recognize this court. Ceauescu refused to answer. The destruction of buildings and state institutions, undermining of the national economy, in accordance with Articles 165 and 145 of the penal code. CEAUSESCU: Nobody can change the state structures. Former President Donald Trump speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, on March 4, 2023. What happened? 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. 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. We will speak only at the National Assembly, because we have worked hard for the people all our lives. I have so many issues with the presidents policies, including the most recent ones, he told me ruefully. 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. PROSECUTOR: Note the following: The defendant refuses to sign this statement. The Execution Spot of Nicolae Ceausescu - Dark Tourists The prosecutor wants to find out on which basis the trial can be continued. Grandiose plans are announced, pivots are ordered, Red Lines are drawn, all manner of schemes are announced with a maximum of hoopla but everybody ignores it they know the latest fad will pass and the regime will Move On. PROSECUTOR: Let us now talk about the accounts in Switzerland, Mr. Ceauescu. He also refuses to recognize the new forum. 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. This is not possible. Who are these fanatics? All their property will be impounded. I have nothing to do with them. Nicolae Ceauescu had been making speeches for over a couple of decades. We have sufficient data on this period. 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. What do you think? PROSECUTOR: We now have another leading organ. The Land of Green Plums, Mller, Herta 9780312429942 | eBay He refused to undergo a psychiatric examination. PROSECUTOR: We have always spoken of equality. 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. I will not answer anymore. I told you right at the beginning that I will not answer a single question. 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 workers were augmented by bystanders who were rounded up on Calea Victoriei. This shows again how false the charges are. I am a member and the chairwoman of the Academy of Sciences. And today you are acting in the same megalomaniac way. You cannot talk to me in such a way! , 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. We live in a normal apartment, just like every other citizen. 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. I told you right at the beginning that I will not answer a single question. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: No one recognizes that. The people only received 200 grams per day, against an identity card. PROSECUTOR: We have wonderful programs. Now you know what members of our U.S. military are thinking and saying. They were even worse than the king, the former king of Romania. This source is a part of the The Romanian Revolution of 1989 teaching module. PROSECUTOR: The terrorists are from Securitate? The English translation is by the U.S. government's Foreign Broadcast Information Service. 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. The Lion and the Unicorn: Gladstone vs. Disraeli Usurpers have been punished severely during the past centuries in Romania's history. PROSECUTOR: By now, there have been 34 casualties. Only a president who is still confirmed in his position can demand to speak at the Grand National Assembly. Centralized Information as Hayek points out, eventually becomes the Official Lie. They wanted to separate the people from the army. You, as a scientist, did you know about it? CEAUSESCU: I will not say anything more. The people were slaves. Stanley double-crossed Richard at the crucial moment. Thousands of workers were bused into the square under threat of being fired. 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. An important historical square located on Victoriei Street. PROSECUTOR: Yes, but you are paying the mercenaries. 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. I have nothing to do with them. 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 . 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. All the world should know what is going on here. Who are these fanatics? Workers from a Bucharest power plant started chanting Ti-mi-oa-ra! PROSECUTOR: Please, make a note: Ceauescu does not recognize the new legal structures of power of the country. Sooner or later an administration neuters itself from sheer implausibility. NICOLAE CEAUESCU: I will not answer. Why did you ruin the country so much: Why did you export everything? ELENA CEAUSESCU: Accounts in Switzerland? Bundled in drab winter clothing, she was shoved around by armed guards inside a cold, empty building.