In 1971, Romanian leaders Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu visited Mao Zedong in China and were captivated by his near-deification. For the Ceaușescus, both born into poverty, this vision of power was intoxicating, and they sought to replicate it in Communist Romania.
Nicolae's megalomania grew, and after becoming President, he and Elena ruled for 18 years, creating a cult of personality through oppressive policies. Their regime became infamous for economic collapse, human rights abuses, and the genocide of thousands, ending with their execution in 1989. Their legacy remains a stark reminder of unchecked power and authoritarianism.
Thanks to Mike Meyers for the theme music, you can follow him on X @themikeshow42.
The background music of this episode is “A Secret Comes Out” by John Bartmann (Free Music Archive)(CC0 1.0) https://tinyurl.com/secretcomesout
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SOURCES
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/how-a-romanian-holocaust-historian-became-a-diplomat-to-israel-680438
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/soviets-announce-boycott-of-1984-olympics
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-47858664
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50821546
https://www.rferl.org/a/romanian-prosecutors-indict-ex-leader-for-1989-uprising-deaths/29174615.html
https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2014/12/24/369593135/25-years-after-death-a-dictator-still-casts-a-shadow-in-romania
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/22/a-moral-issue-to-correct-the-long-tail-of-elena-Ceaușescus-fraudulent-scientific-work
https://www.rferl.org/a/absolute-power-the-astonishing-personal-photos-of-nicolae-Ceaușescu/31195461.html
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/202402/how-and-why-power-corrupts-people%3famp
https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/romania/ziua-nationalahttps://virtuaalne.ajaloomuuseum.ee/huvasticharlie/index1fe9.html?id=10777
https://archive.vanityfair.com/article/1990/8/elena-Ceaușescu-the-shaping-of-an-ogress
https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/22/a-moral-issue-to-correct-the-long-tail-of-elena-Ceaușescus-fraudulent-scientific-work
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nicolae-Ceaușescu#ref133682
https://paperpile.com/blog/elena-Ceaușescu-scientist-fraud/
https://digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org/people/Ceaușescu-nicolae
https://www.britannica.com/place/Romania/National-communism#ref477028
https://www.britannica.com/place/Romania/Communist-Romania#ref477017
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/was-romania-part-of-the-ussr.html#:~:text=Romania%20was%20never%20part%20of,a%20country%20known%20as%20Moldova.
https://victimsofcommunism.org/award/hon-bishop-laszlo-tokes/
https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/romania/labor-day
https://enrs.eu/article/the-romanian-revolution
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/declassified_138294.htm#:~:text=The%20Warsaw%20Pact%20was%20a,(Albania%20withdrew%20in%201968).
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