Nicolae Ceaușescu was born on 26 January 1918 in Scornicești. A Romanian communist leader, Ceausescu became general secretary of the Communist Party in 1965 and ruled Romania until 1989. Early on he won Western praise for his independent foreign policy, including a refusal to join the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia. Over time his regime turned into a repressive personality cult, supported by the secret police, the Securitate. The austerity imposed to repay foreign debt caused severe shortages, and his plan to demolish villages and build a huge palace in Bucharest provoked wide resentment. He was overthrown in December 1989 and executed after a hasty trial together with his wife Elena.
Before and after
- from 1918 to 1922Japanese intervention in Siberia
- 8 January 1918Fourteen Points
- 15 January 1918Birth of Gamal Abdel Nasser
- 20 January 1918Battle of Imbros
- 26 January 1918Birth of Nicolae Ceaușescu
- from 27 January 1918 to 15 May 1918Finnish Civil War
- 6 February 1918British women over 30 win the vote
- 3 March 1918Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
- from 21 March 1918 to 5 April 1918Operation Michael
More in Wars, politics & history
- from 25 October 1917 to 26 October 1917October Revolution
- from 7 November 1917 to 25 October 1922Russian Civil War
- 23 August 1939Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact
- from 30 November 1939 to 13 March 1940Winter War
- from 22 June 1941 to 7 May 1945Eastern Front
- from 22 June 1941 to 5 December 1941Operation Barbarossa
The era
This moment belongs to the Modern era (1914 CE to 1945 CE), world wars and a changing world. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.