ChronoFive
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Setting the scene
The Romanian Revolution occurred December 16-25, 1989, overthrowing Nicolae Ceaușescu's communist dictatorship, the only Eastern European revolution that turned violent. The revolution began in Timișoara on December 16 when security forces tried to evict dissident pastor László Tőkés, sparking protests. Ceaușescu ordered troops to fire, killing dozens.
What happened
Protests spread to Bucharest. On December 21, Ceaușescu held a rally that turned against him when crowds booed. He and his wife Elena fled by helicopter on December 22 as the army defected. They were captured, tried by a kangaroo court on December 25, and executed by firing squad on Christmas Day. The trial and execution were filmed and broadcast.
Why it still matters
The revolution killed 1,100 people, mostly in confused fighting between army units and Securitate secret police loyalists. The National Salvation Front, led by former communists, took power. The revolution ended 24 years of Ceaușescu's brutal rule, which had impoverished Romania through disastrous economic policies. The violent nature of Romania's revolution contrasted with peaceful transitions elsewhere in Eastern Europe, showing how personalized dictatorships could end in bloodshed.
Background
The Romanian revolution was a period of violent civil unrest in the Socialist Republic of Romania during December 1989 as a part of the revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several countries around the world, primarily within the Eastern Bloc. The Romanian revolution started in the city of Timișoara and soon spread throughout the country, ultimately culminating in the drumhead trial and execution of longtime Romanian Communist Party (PCR) General Secretary Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife Elena, and the end of 42 years of Communist rule in Romania. It was also the last removal of a Marxist–Leninist government in a Warsaw Pact country during the events of 1989, and the only one that violently overthrew a country's leadership and executed its leader; according to estimates, over one thousand people died and thousands more were injured. Communism collapsed across Eastern Europe.