Ceausescu, Nicolae, << chow SHEHS koo, `nee` kaw LY >> (1918-1989), ruled Romania from 1965 to 1989 as head of the country’s Communist Party. In 1968, he also became head of state. Ceausescu worked to make Romania independent from the Soviet Union, which was Europe’s top Communist power. This policy was supported by the United States. But Ceausescu was a dictator and placed strict controls on the lives of the people. He also established economic programs that caused severe shortages of consumer goods. Ceausescu illegally used his power to gain great wealth and put many of his relatives in high government positions. By the late 1980’s, the United States had withdrawn its support of Ceausescu.
In 1989, Ceausescu refused to follow democratic reforms that had swept through other European Communist countries. Tens of thousands of Romanians protested his rule. Thousands were killed when his security forces tried to crush the demonstrations. After fierce fighting, an antigovernment group overthrew Ceausescu. Ceausescu and his wife, Elena, were executed on Dec. 25, 1989, after the new government found them guilty of murder and embezzlement.
Ceausescu was born in Scornicesti, near Pitesti. He served in the Union of Communist Youth from 1933 to 1936, and then joined the Communist Party. In 1948, he was elected to the party’s Central Committee. He served as a committee secretary from 1954 to 1965. He became a member of the Politburo in 1955.
