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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https://www.instagram.com/notyourhistoryclass/https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566814031230https://x.com/nyhcpodcasthttps://www.tiktok.com/@notyourhistoryclass

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).