Ceausescu, the Maverick Dictator

So ends the month of Ceausescu. For our final thought on this deceased Eastern European dictator, let us not forget the beginning years, seemingly full of promise.

When Ceausescu came into power in 1965, he carried with him the hope of the Romanian people. He was initially idealistic, and an independent thinker. Though resolutely communist, he refused to simply follow the lead of the Soviet Union, and became known as a “maverick” (in your dreams, John McCain) amongst Soviet-sanctioned leaders. He condemned the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, and pursued a policy of openness towards countries both East and West. He was the first of the Eastern Bloc to recognize West Germany as a country, and at home he seemed to welcome a free and open Romanian press. He was well thought of in the West, and Nixon chose him to be the first of the Warsaw Pact leaders to visit because of this rogue status. Sure, he made abortion illegal and marriage nearly impossible to get out of in 1966, and this perception of him being a Western-friendly maverick made access to the loans from the US and Western Europe that ended up bankrupting Romania all to easy to overdraw from, but he was doing relatively ok in other respects. Though there had been some whackness brewing, it was his inspiring 1971 trip to North Korea and China that showed him the way to becoming a true Whack Dictator. Mao Zedong and Kim Il-Sung became his idols, and it was after this that Ceausescu embraced megalomania as the quality of a true leader, distributing pamphlets authored by Kim Il-sung, and quoting Mao in his speeches.

And so, the moral of Ceausescu is to watch and wait as any new and promising leader takes the stage. Kiev, keep your eyes open and watchful in this moment of transition, and Tunisia, may your leader turn out to be as promising as he seems. May the future keep us from any further whackness at home.

Next month: Pinochet!

Ceausescu’s Whack Wife

For all his whackness, Mr. Ceausescu was, for all that we know, the very model of a faithful and respectful husband. According to the infallible Wikipedia, Elana “met 21-year-old Nicolae Ceaușescu in 1939. Ceaușescu was instantly attracted to her which, reportedly, made him never to look at another woman in a romantic manner.[1]”

Among the Ceausescu’s shared passions was Stalinism and megalomania. Her darling husband not only allowed her her share of political power as Romania’s Deputy Prime Minister, but also seat by his side in the Ceausescu personality cult. Called by some “the Mother of the Nation”, she wanted to be known not only as a beauty but as a brain. Despite dropping out of school at 14, she collected academic honors in chemistry from around the world. Most say that she bought these honors and that her PhD thesis on polymers was plagiarized. And, as with her husband, there were strict rules around how she was photographed. Pictures were not allowed to be taken of her in profile as it emphasized her nose, which could be said to be large, and made her look somewhat homely.

See, isn’t she pretty? She thought so, as did her husband.

Whack Flunkies

Besides the people he oppresses for power and money, every Whack Dictator needs flunkies.   Because the Whack Dictator doesn’t rely on the support of the general population, flunkies are the oil in the machine that keeps the power consolidated around so few, and fear spread so wide.  While I’m going to save a more complete examination of the flunky for when we get to the month that features one of the whackest of all Whack Dictators (begins with an H, ends with an R), Ceausescu’s flunkies bear to be examined because of the manner of his death.

What makes Ceausescu’s flunkies so whack is, as mentioned before, how the dictator and his wife were so quickly and efficiently disposed of.  A speedy kangaroo court after they were arrested decided on the death sentence after an hour and a half long trial, and the Ceausescus’ reign ended in their being shot by a firing squad.  If one is so inclined, their death may be viewed on Youtube.  Not even I’m so morbid. Seeing as how it was Romania’s own army that arrested their former dictator and killed him, there is an implication therefore that some of the same people that Ceausescu had previously depended on had turned against him.  One source makes the intimation that Ceausescu was hastened to death five minutes after the “guilty” verdict in order to keep him from mentioning names.

Though no doubt Ceausescu was whack, and those who approve of the death penalty may argue that he had it coming, but also whack was that trial that held only him and his wife accountable for the twenty-five years of oppression and the genocide.  In contrast, the four of his flunkies that supposedly helped organize the genocide of Timisoara, where a claimed 60,000 people died that in reality has been said to be anywhere from half that number to a little over 600, received 10 to 17 years in jail, with some of them getting out early. Any Whack Dictatorship takes more than just the Whack Dictator to run it.  It seems odd that in the end, only Ceausescu had to pay the ultimate price.  What kind of flunkies would leave their dear leaders to face the music alone?  Whack flunkies, that’s what kind.

Mr. Ceausescu, are you ready for your close up?

Mr. Ceausescu was extremely particular about which images of him were allowed to be made public during his reign. Pictures of him past the age of 40 were rarely released, and he was always made to seem taller than he was, because at 5’5, he was a shorty.

the young Ceausescu, circa 1936

Doesn’t he look the very image of the young, righteous revolutionary?

Mandatory for any Whack Dictator: the propaganda portraits.  Note the scepter in the latter two paintings, which he had made after he started tripping out on megalomania and creating a cult of personality around himself.

Mr. Ceausescu in the days before his execution.

Nicolae Ceausescu

This month’s whack dictator is Romania’s own Nicolae Ceausescu.

Born January 26, 1918, Mr. Ceausescu lived nearly his whole life in politics, from humble beginnings as a youth agitating for Communist party, on to his rise to supreme leader.

As far as whack dictators go, Mr. Ceausescu is not at the top of the list.  At five foot five inches, he may indeed be near the bottom.  The two things stand out, beyond the mandatory personality cult, to make Mr. Ceausescu qualify as a whack dictator.

1) Decree 770.  In 1967, Mr. Ceausescu decided that he needed to boost the population of his country.  By banning abortion, he created incentives to induce women to have more babies, such as government assistance for women with five or more children, and a “heroic mother” status to women who birthed more than ten babies.  The result: poor people became even poorer, orphanages swelled, and street kids became an ordinary phenomena in Bucharest after they were sent there by their families to work.

2) The decision in 1982 to pay off Romania’s debt by exporting nearly all the goods and produce grown in the country.  The result: even more poverty.  And the reason why there was so much debt?  You got it–Mr. Ceausescu was a bit of a borrower, to the tune of 15 billion dollars.

Yes, there were worse, but still, that dude was whack.