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95-440: In 1679, a monastery was built by Șerban Cantacuzino on Cotroceni Hill in the first year of his rule on the place of an old wooden hermitage. The plans of this new monastery kept many of the traditional architectural elements found in the principalities of Romania at the time. The Cotroceni monastery was completed in 1682, and has since been visited frequently by many pilgrims and documented in various Chronicles. Cotroceni Hill

190-568: A "militant, revolutionary" character in artistic productions. The liberalization of 1965 was condemned and an index of banned books and authors was re-established. The Theses heralded the beginning of a "mini cultural revolution" in Romania, launching a Neo-Stalinist offensive against cultural autonomy, reaffirming an ideological basis for literature that, in theory, the Party had hardly abandoned. Although presented in terms of "Socialist Humanism",

285-414: A Communist Spy Chief ( ISBN   0-89526-570-2 ), claimed to expose details of Ceaușescu's government activities, such as massive spying on American industry and elaborate efforts to rally Western political support. Systematization ( Romanian : Sistematizarea ) was the program of urban planning carried out under Ceaușescu's regime. After a visit to North Korea in 1971, Ceaușescu was impressed by

380-836: A decline in industrial output caused by significantly increased material costs. Despite the 1988 decline, the net foreign balance reached its decade-long peak (9.5% of GDP). In 1989, GDP slumped by a further 5.8% due to growing shortages and the increasingly obsolete capital stock. By March 1989, virtually all external debt had been repaid, including all medium- and long-term external debt. The remaining amount, totalling less than 1 million, consisted of short-term credits (mainly short-term export credits granted by Romania). A 1989 decree legally prohibited Romanian entities from contracting external debt. The CIA World Factbook edition of 1990 listed Romania's external debt as "none" as of mid-1989. A tentative coup d'état planned in October 1984 failed when

475-539: A full socialist consciousness in the people, and that a full socialist consciousness could only come about if the entire population was made aware of socialist values that guided society. The Communist Party was to be the agency that would so "enlighten" the population and in the words of the British historian Richard Crampton "...the party would merge state and society, the individual and the collective, and would promote 'the ever more organic participation of party members in

570-588: A number of joint party-state organizations were founded such as the Council for Socialist Education and Culture, which had no precise counterpart in any of the other communist states of Eastern Europe, and the Romanian Communist Party was embedded into the daily life of the nation in a way that it never had been before. In 1974, the party programme of the Romanian Communist Party announced that structural changes in society were insufficient to create

665-554: A number of townspeople marched against economic policies in Socialist Romania and Nicolae Ceaușescu's policies of rationing of basic foodstuffs , rationing electricity and central heating . The first protests began practically on 14 November 1987, at the 440 "Molds" Section of the Red Flag truck company. Initially, the protests were for basic needs: "We want food and heating!", "We want our money!", "We want food for

760-492: A petition protesting against the trial of railway workers and twice more for other similar activities. By the mid-1930s, he had been in missions in Bucharest, Craiova , Câmpulung and Râmnicu Vâlcea , being arrested several times. The profile file from the secret police, Siguranța Statului , named him "a dangerous Communist agitator" and "distributor of Communist and antifascist propaganda materials". For these charges, he

855-598: A place of daily reunion for the royal family. King Carol I was a most enthusiastic advocate of this style and no doubt wished to impose it in the rooms of Cotroceni. Built in 1926 under the guidance of the Czech architect Karel Liman, the Hunting Room showcases some of King Ferdinand's personal trophies. The Flowers' Room was named the Golden Room in the times of Queen Marie. The rich stucco flower decoration was, at

950-488: A project had to be commissioned for restoration and consolidation. The Cotroceni National Museum is the old Royal Palace, built in 1895. In 1991 the palace became the headquarters of the Romanian Presidency and the old wing of the ensemble was opened to the public as Cotroceni National Museum , envisioned as an insight into past ages. Many of the palace's function rooms were decorated to the taste of Marie,

1045-782: A speech before the executive committee of the Romanian Communist Party. This quasi- Maoist speech, which came to be known as the July Theses , contained seventeen proposals. Among these were: continuous growth in the "leading role" of the Party; improvement of Party education and of mass political action; youth participation on large construction projects as part of their "patriotic work"; an intensification of political-ideological education in schools and universities, as well as in children's, youth and student organizations; and an expansion of political propaganda, orienting radio and television shows to this end, as well as publishing houses, theatres and cinemas, opera, ballet, artists' unions, promoting

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1140-523: A week before the invasion to offer moral support to his Czechoslovak counterpart, Alexander Dubček . Although the Soviet Union largely tolerated Ceaușescu's recalcitrance, his seeming independence from Moscow earned Romania maverick status within the Eastern Bloc . All of Ceaușescu's economic, foreign and demographic policies were meant to achieve his ultimate goal: turning Romania into one of

1235-420: A whole. Effectively, Ceaușescu now held all governing power in the nation; virtually all party and state institutions were subordinated to his will. The principles of democratic centralism, combined with the legislature's infrequent sessions (it sat in full session only twice a year) meant that for all intents and purposes, his decisions had the force of law. Starting with the 1973–74 Arab oil embargo against

1330-433: Is divided into the following collections: religious arts (wood painted icons), which is representative for the late period of Romanian religious arts (18th- 19th century) and Russian workshops. The Romanian painting collection gathers paintings by famous Romanian painters of the end of the 19th century up to now. The vast majority of these painters were trained in the renowned Arts school of Bucharest and Iasi while others had

1425-776: Is situated in a wing also designed by Cerchez in the Neo-Romanian style, and features a Neo-Byzantine round table, an original design by Queen Marie. The second floor houses the private apartments of the members of the royal family, such as King Ferdinand's apartment, Queen Marie's apartment or the German apartment. Comprising approximately 20,000 objects, the collection of the Cotroceni National Museum has been continuously enriched through transfers from other institutions and museums (The National Commission for Administrating State Heritage, The Peles National Museum,

1520-406: Is the uprising of Vadu Roșca (Vrancea county) which opposed the state program of expropriation of private holdings, when military units opened fire on the rebelling peasants, killing 9 and wounding 48. Ceaușescu personally led the investigation which resulted in 18 peasants being imprisoned for "rebellion" and "conspiring against social order". When Gheorghiu-Dej died on 19 March 1965, Ceaușescu

1615-578: Is well represented in the permanent exhibitions and includes furniture, ceramics, glass, metal and textiles. The furniture collection is one good reminder of the variety of European styles and evolving techniques. In terms of interior pieces of furniture one can notice wood tables and chairs (Neoromanian style), specific ensembles (Empire, Napoleon the 3rd, Napoleon 3rd, Louis 15th and 16th and oriental furniture). The ceramics collection include valuable pieces of renowned workshops in Germany , France , Italy ,

1710-493: The Juche ideology of that country, and began a major campaign shortly afterwards. Beginning in 1974, systematization consisted largely of the demolition and reconstruction of existing villages, towns, and cities, in whole or in part, with the stated goal of turning Romania into a "multilaterally developed socialist society ". The policy largely consisted in the mass construction of high-density blocks of flats ( blocuri ). During

1805-549: The Central Committee months after the party's "Muscovite faction" led by Ana Pauker had been purged. In the late 1940s-early 1950s, the Party had been divided into the "home communists" headed by Gheorghiu-Dej who remained inside Romania prior to 1944 and the "Muscovites" who had gone into exile in the Soviet Union. With the partial exception of Poland, where the Polish October crisis of 1956 brought to power

1900-526: The Communist Party of Romania and to declare the country a socialist republic , rather than a people's republic . In 1967, he consolidated his power by becoming president of the State Council , making him head of state. His political apparatus sent many thousands of political opponents to prison or psychiatric hospitals. Initially, Ceaușescu became a popular figure, both in Romania and in

1995-503: The Netherlands , and Russia . The Sèvres, Meissen, and Kuznetzov porcelain is truly remarkable. The glass collection includes valuable artistic and historical pieces : the table set of Queen Mary (Neo Byzantine style) and Italian and French workshops. The textile collection includes carpets of famous workshops of Buchara, Sumak Shirvan . The collection of the museum also comprises a number of Art Nouveau objects, created by

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2090-773: The Romanian Revolution in December 1989, part of a series of anti-communist uprisings in Eastern Europe that year. Born in 1918 in Scornicești , Ceaușescu was a member of the Romanian Communist youth movement. He was arrested in 1939 and sentenced for "conspiracy against social order", spending the time during the war in prisons and internment camps: Jilava (1940), Caransebeș (1942), Văcărești (1943), and Târgu Jiu (1943). Ceaușescu rose up through

2185-726: The Western bloc and the European Community : an agreement including Romania in the Community's Generalised System of Preferences was signed in 1974 and an Agreement on Industrial Products was signed in 1980. On 4 April 1975, Ceaușescu visited Japan and met with Emperor Hirohito . In June 1978, Ceaușescu made a state visit to the UK where a £200m licensing agreement was signed between the Romanian government and British Aerospace for

2280-495: The World Health Organization (WHO). In May 1969, Marcolino Candau, Director General of this organization, visited Romania and declared that the visits of WHO staff to various Romanian hospital establishments had made an extraordinarily good impression. The social and economic transformations resulted in improved living conditions for Romanians. Economic growth allowed for higher salaries which, combined with

2375-479: The communists . At that point, the new government had control of the palace which was then uninhabited by the royal family. On February 13, 1948, the new government held a meeting in which the destiny of the palace would be decided while an inventory of the royal goods was taking place. There were multiple requests for different functions the palace could serve, from the location of the University of Medicine to

2470-664: The headquarters for the National Union of Romanian Students. On May 26 that year, decree number 38 was issued, in which the Presidium of the Great National Assembly of the People's Republic of Romania decided that "all goods and estates that were found from the date of March 6, 1945 in the possession of the former king Mihai and other members of the former royal family shall be passed into the possession of

2565-597: The "Muscovites" in 1952. In 1954, Ceaușescu became a full member of the Politburo, effectively granting him one of the highest positions of power in the country. As a high-ranking state official in the Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Defence Ceaușescu had an important role in the forced collectivisation, according to own Romanian Workers' Party data, between 1949 and 1952 there were over 80,000 arrests of peasants and 30,000 ended with prison sentences. One example

2660-453: The 1980s, Ceaușescu became obsessed with building himself a palace of unprecedented proportions, along with an equally grandiose neighborhood, Centrul Civic , to accompany it. The mass demolitions that occurred in the 1980s under which an overall area of eight square kilometres of the historic center of Bucharest were leveled, including monasteries, churches, synagogues, a hospital, and a noted Art Deco sports stadium, in order to make way for

2755-449: The 20th century and encouraged by Queen Mary. Among them: Leon Al. Biju ("Balcic Landscape"), Kimon Loghi ("Balcic coffee shop"), Nicolae Grant ("Landscape"). The graphic arts collection includes numerous drawings, watercolours and engravings from the 19th and 20th century, and Japanese prints. This particular collection was extended through acquisitions and donations of Romanian modern and contemporary graphics. The decorative art domain

2850-542: The Communist prisoners much freedom in running their cell block, provided they did not attempt to break out of prison. At Târgu Jiu, Gheorghiu-Dej ran " self-criticism sessions" where various Party members had to confess before the other Party members to misunderstanding the teachings of Karl Marx , Friedrich Engels , Vladimir Lenin , and Joseph Stalin as interpreted by Gheorghiu-Dej; journalist Edward Behr claimed that Ceaușescu's role in these "self-criticism sessions"

2945-768: The English wife of Carol's heir, his nephew Crown Prince Ferdinand. Her extensive art collection is also on display. Largely kept intact since the 1890s, the Hall of Honour, built in the French style of Napoleon III , boasts an original Italian marble staircase. The decorations are inspired by the French Opera Garnier . Decorated in the German Neorenaissance style, the German Living room was

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3040-546: The Ministry of Health. After the new administrator of the palace has settled in, around 1,000 objects, including paintings, sculptures, icons, furniture, rugs, draperies, dishes, and other decorative items were missing. They were taken by the Ministry of Art and Information at the proposal of a special commission "to take objects of art from the Cotroceni Palace." The majority of the remaining objects were redistributed to various institutions and organizations, including

3135-591: The National Arts Museum of Romania) and particularly through acquisitions and generous private donations. The collection of the National Cotroceni Museum is divided into the following domains: plastic arts (Romanian and international paintings, graphic arts, Romanian and foreign sculpture, religious art), decorative arts (ceramics, glass, metal, textile, furniture), numismatics, medals, history, archaeology. The plastic arts domain

3230-567: The Romanian dictator. In 1978, Ion Mihai Pacepa , a senior member of the Romanian political police ( Securitate , State Security), defected to the United States. A two-star general, he was the highest-ranking defector from the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War . His defection was a powerful blow against the administration, forcing Ceaușescu to overhaul Romania's state security architecture. Pacepa's 1986 book, Red Horizons: Chronicles of

3325-581: The Romanian state. Ceaușescu's speech of 21 August 1968 represented the apogee of Ceaușescu's rule. It marked the highest point in Ceaușescu's popularity, when he openly condemned the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia . Ceaușescu visited China, North Korea, Mongolia and North Vietnam in 1971. He took great interest in the idea of total national transformation as embodied in the programmes of North Korea's Juche and China's Cultural Revolution . He

3420-406: The Romanian state." Finally, on June 18, 1948, the Council of Ministers has decided that the Cotroceni Palace, its "five bodies, 150 rooms, park, the property of the state" would be placed under the administration of the Ministry of Interior. The same decree stipulated that other valuables found within the palace would be redistributed among various ministries, including the Ministry of Agriculture and

3515-553: The Shah was overthrown . In an attempt to correct this, Ceaușescu decided to repay Romania's foreign debts . He organised the 1986 military referendum and managed to change the constitution, adding a clause that barred Romania from taking foreign loans in the future. According to official results, the referendum yielded a nearly unanimous "yes" vote. Romania's record—having all of its debts to commercial banks paid off in full—has not been matched by any other heavily indebted country in

3610-497: The Theses in fact marked a return to the strict guidelines of Socialist Realism and attacks on non-compliant intellectuals. Strict ideological conformity in the humanities and social sciences was demanded. In a 1972 speech, Ceaușescu stated he wanted "a certain blending of party and state activities... in the long run we shall witness an ever closer blending of the activities of the party, state and other social bodies". In practice,

3705-529: The West, a period of prolonged high oil prices set in that characterised the rest of the 1970s. Romania as a major oil equipment producer greatly benefited from the high oil prices of the 1970s, which led Ceaușescu to embark on an ambitious plan to invest heavily in oil-refining plants. Ceaușescu's plan was to make Romania into Europe's number one oil refiner not only of its own oil, but also of oil from Middle Eastern states such as Iraq and Iran, and then to sell all of

3800-494: The West, because of his independent foreign policy, which challenged the authority of the Soviet Union . In the 1960s, he eased press censorship and ended Romania's active participation in the Warsaw Pact , but Romania formally remained a member. He refused to take part in the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact forces and even actively and openly condemned it in his 21 August 1968 speech . He travelled to Prague

3895-459: The artistic movement of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. Visiting hours are Tuesday to Sunday, from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM. The church can be visited with no prior reservation, from Wednesday to Saturday, 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM and on Sunday, the Liturgy can be attended. Visits are made only within a guided tour. There are two types of tours: the "classic" tour takes 60 minutes and includes

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3990-578: The benefits offered by the state (free medical care, pensions, free universal education at all levels, etc.) were a leap compared to the pre-WWII situation of the Romanian population. Certain extra retributions were allowed for the peasants, who started to produce more. In October 1966, in an attempt to reverse the Romania's low birth and fertility rates, Ceaușescu issued Decree 770 to restricted abortion and contraception . The government targeted rising divorce rates and made divorce more difficult — marriages could only be dissolved in exceptional cases. By

4085-526: The catalogs of Scornicești Primary School, which certifies that Nicolae A. Ceaușescu passed the first grade with an average of 8.26 and the second grade with an average of 8.18, ranking third, in a class in which 25 students were enrolled. Journalist Cătălin Gruia claimed in 2007 that he ran away from his supposedly extremely religious, abusive and strict father. He initially lived with his sister, Niculina Rusescu. He became an apprentice shoemaker , working in

4180-640: The children!", "We want light and heat!" and "We want bread without a card!". Next to the County Hospital, they sang the anthem of the revolution of 1848, " Deșteaptă-te, române! ". Upon arriving in the city center, thousands of workers from the Tractorul Brașov and Hidromecanica factories, pupils, students, and others joined the demonstration. From this moment on, the protest became political. Participants later claimed to have chanted slogans such as "Down with Ceaușescu!", "Down with communism!", "Down with

4275-649: The country. The demonstrations, which reached Bucharest , became known as the Romanian Revolution —the only violent overthrow of a communist government in the course of the Revolutions of 1989 . Ceaușescu and his wife Elena fled the capital in a helicopter enrouting to Vatican via Vienna , Austria , but they were captured in Romanian territory by the military after the armed forces defected. After being tried and convicted of economic sabotage and genocide , both were sentenced to death, and they were immediately executed by firing squad on 25 December . Ceaușescu

4370-460: The deterioration of foreign relations, even with the Soviet Union . As anti-government protesters demonstrated in Timișoara in December 1989, Ceaușescu perceived the demonstrations as a political threat and ordered military forces to open fire on 17 December, causing many deaths and injuries. The revelation that Ceaușescu was responsible resulted in a massive spread of rioting and civil unrest across

4465-668: The development of cancer. He continued to follow an independent policy in foreign relations—for example, in 1984, Romania was one of few communist states (notably including the People's Republic of China and Yugoslavia ) to take part in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, despite a Soviet-led boycott. Also, the Socialist Republic of Romania was the first of the Eastern bloc nations to have official relations with

4560-401: The entire social life'". Ceaușescu had been head of state since 1967, though nominally only as first among equals, deriving his real power from his status as party leader. In 1974, Ceaușescu however introduced a full-fledged executive presidency as the nation's top decision-maker. He was first elected to this post in 1974 and would be reelected every five years until 1989. As President he

4655-532: The few Communist countries to participate in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles (going on to win 53 medals, trailing only the United States and West Germany in the overall count) while most of the Eastern Bloc's nations boycotted this event. Ceaușescu refused to implement measures of economic liberalism . The evolution of his regime followed the path begun by Gheorghiu-Dej. He continued with

4750-582: The first and second floors, while the "complete" tour, which lasts 100 minutes, also includes the medieval areas of the Palace, the church and the cellars. Museum reservations have to be made 48 hours beforehand. Cotroceni Cotroceni is a neighbourhood in western Bucharest , Romania, located around the Cotroceni hill, in Bucharest's Sector 5 . The nearest Metro stations are Eroilor , Academia Militară , and Politehnica . The Hill of Cotroceni

4845-614: The grandiose Centrul Civic (Civic center) and the House of the Republic, now officially renamed the Palace of Parliament , were the most extreme manifestation of the systematization policy. In 1988, a massive rural resettlement program began . Ceaușescu's political independence from the Soviet Union and his protest against the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 drew the interest of Western powers, whose governments briefly believed that he

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4940-404: The ground floor. In October 1915, the space was refitted to accommodate central heating . In 1925, architect Grigore Cerchez began his work on the Cotroceni Palace by adding a living room with a gazebo on the first floor. On the second floor, he added a small terrace on the northern face along with an additional gazebo. Cerchez continued to work on the two adjacent salons on the first floor of

5035-411: The information recorded in his autobiography, Nicolae Ceaușescu was born on 26 January 1918. His father Andruță (1886–1969) owned 3 hectares (7.4 acres) of agricultural land and a few sheep, and Nicolae supplemented his large family's income through tailoring. He studied at the village school until the age of 11, when he left for Bucharest . The Olt County Service of National Archives holds excerpts from

5130-604: The late 1960s, the population began to swell. In turn, a new problem was created, child abandonment, which swelled the orphanage population (see 1980s-1990s Romanian orphans phenomenon ). Many of the children in these orphanages suffered mental and physical deficiencies see Cighid ). Measures to encourage reproduction included financial motivations for families who bore children, guaranteed maternity leave, and childcare support for mothers who returned to work, work protection for women, and extensive access to medical control in all stages of pregnancy, as well as after it. Medical control

5225-787: The military unit assigned to carry out the plan was sent to harvest maize instead. Romanian workers began to mobilize against the economic policies of Ceaușescu. Spontaneous labor conflicts, limited in scale, took place in major industrial centers such as Cluj-Napoca (November 1986) and the Nicolina platform in Iași (February 1987), culminating in a massive strike in Brașov . The draconian measures taken by Ceaușescu involved reducing energy and food consumption, as well as lowering workers' incomes, leading to what political scientist Vladimir Tismăneanu called "generalized dissatisfaction". Over 20,000 workers and

5320-480: The north wing, as well as the Grand Reception Hall that distinguished this part of the building, until 1926. In 1929, Cerchez achieved the functional completion of the north-eastern corner of the palace, having created a loggia at the library's level. Above the library, a large storage area was built as an annex to the royal dormitory. On 30 December 1947, King Michael I was forced to abdicate by

5415-828: The only Eastern European countries that entered into trade agreements with the European Economic Community before the fall of the Eastern Bloc. A series of official visits to Western countries (including the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Spain and Australia) helped Ceaușescu to present himself as a reforming Communist, pursuing an independent foreign policy within the Soviet Bloc. He also became eager to be seen as an enlightened international statesman, able to mediate in international conflicts, and to gain international respect for Romania. Ceaușescu negotiated in international affairs, such as

5510-544: The opening of US relations with China in 1969 and the visit of Egyptian president Anwar Sadat to Israel in 1977. In addition, Romania was the only country in the world to maintain normal diplomatic relations with both Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization . In 1980, Romania participated in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow with its other Soviet bloc allies, but in 1984 was one of

5605-727: The palace. The train station was relocated by the communist regime and was later used for transporting materials for the construction of Casa Poporului . Important Romanian figures who lived in this neighborhood: Ion Barbu , Nicolae Herlea , Ion Minulescu , Marin Preda , and Liviu Rebreanu . 44°25′58″N 26°04′18″E  /  44.43278°N 26.07167°E  / 44.43278; 26.07167 Nicolae Ceau%C8%99escu Nicolae Ceaușescu ( / tʃ aʊ ˈ ʃ ɛ s k uː / chow- SHESK -oo , Romanian: [nikoˈla.e tʃe̯a.uˈʃesku] ; 26 January [ O.S. 13 January] 1918 – 25 December 1989)

5700-461: The population led to a growing number of illegal abortions and increased the number of orphans in state institutions. Economic mismanagement due to failed oil ventures during the 1970s led to very significant foreign debts for Romania. In 1982, Ceaușescu directed the government to export much of the country's agricultural and industrial production in an effort to repay these debts. His cult of personality experienced unprecedented elevation, followed by

5795-421: The possibility that what Ceaușescu had seen in both China and North Korea were "vast Potemkin villages for the hoodwinking of gullible foreign guests" was something that never seemed to have crossed his mind. Shortly after returning home, he began to emulate North Korea's system. North Korean books on Juche were translated into Romanian and widely distributed inside the country. On 6 July 1971, he delivered

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5890-487: The press arm of the Ministry of Art and Information, the "Bee" Society (Societatea "Albina"), and the restaurant union "Ambasador". On April 30, 1949, a school children's program called the " Pioneers " was about to receive its first group ceremony, which would mark a moment in the Cotroceni Palace's history in which it would be re-purposed for the use of these children who were preparing to become "dignified citizens devoted to their homeland and The Romanian Worker's Party." It

5985-458: The previously imprisoned "home communist" Władysław Gomułka , Romania was the only Eastern European nation where the "home communists" triumphed over the "Muscovites". In the rest of the Soviet bloc, there were a series of purges in this period that led to the "home communists" being executed or imprisoned. Like his patron Gheorghiu-Dej, Ceaușescu was a "home communist" who benefited from the fall of

6080-475: The privilege of studying abroad in the famous European schools. After returning, some of them became professors, thus contributing to the improvement of plastic arts and educating a new generation of painters. Lately, one of the priorities in the heritage acquisitions of Cotroceni National Museum have been the works of artists in the Artistic Youth society, whose activity was prominent at the beginning of

6175-617: The production of more than eighty BAC One-Eleven aircraft. The deal was said at the time to be the biggest between two countries involving a civil aircraft. This was the first state visit by a Communist head of state to the UK, and Ceaușescu was given a knighthood by the Queen, which was revoked on the day before his death in 1989. Similarly, in 1983, Vice President of the United States George H. W. Bush and in 1985 United States Secretary of State George Shultz also praised

6270-436: The program of intensive industrialization aimed at the economic self-sufficiency of the country which since 1959 had already doubled industrial production and had reduced the peasant population from 78% at the end of the 1940s to 61% in 1966 and 49% by 1971. However, for Romania, like other Eastern People's Republics, industrialization did not mean a total social break with the countryside. The peasants returned periodically to

6365-415: The ranks of Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej 's Socialist government and, upon Gheorghiu-Dej's death in 1965, he succeeded to the leadership of the Romanian Communist Party as general secretary. Upon achieving power, Ceaușescu eased press censorship and condemned the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in his speech of 21 August 1968 , which resulted in a surge in popularity. However, this period of stability

6460-517: The refined oil at a profit on the Rotterdam spot market. As Romania lacked the money to build the necessary oil refining plants and Ceaușescu chose to spend the windfall from the high oil prices on aid to the Third World in an attempt to buy Romania international influence, Ceaușescu borrowed heavily from Western banks on the assumption that when the loans came due, the profits from the sales of

6555-523: The refined oil would be more than enough to pay off the loans. The 1977 earthquake which destroyed much of Bucharest led to delays in the oil plan. By the time the oil refining plants were finished in the early 1980s, a slump in oil prices had set in, leading to major financial problems for Romania. In August 1977 over 30,000 miners went on strike in the Jiu River valley complaining of low pay and poor working conditions. The Jiu valley miners' strike

6650-536: The regime of Nicolae Ceaușescu , the Cotroceni Palace once again changed its purpose after its transfer to the State Protocol (Protocolul de Stat). Its new function would be as a residential building – a guest house. In 1977, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Vrancea County and damaged several buildings in Bucharest . The Cotroceni Palace was among those buildings, and suffered such extensive damage that

6745-431: The retrofits, the palace was also to be used as a cinema and auditorium. The Pioneers' Palace, however, was not inaugurated until June 1, 1950 — approximately one year after it was meant to be inaugurated. After the abdication of King Michael I, the new government made several well-documented changes to the palace: On the ground floor On the first floor On the second floor On the third floor In 1976, during

6840-417: The rule of King Ferdinand I and Queen Marie , further improvements were made to the royal palace. At the request of Queen Marie, the north wing of the palace was completed with the space that would be used to house the maids of honor and adjutants in duplex apartments of sorts. A gymnastics hall at the semi-basement was also built, taking up the space where it is assumed that a chapel would have resided on

6935-507: The time, gilded. Also known as King Ferdinand's private study room, the library still sports the original elm wood panelling and, even today, houses part of King Ferdinand's collection of books. Built by the architect Grigore Cerchez in the Neo-Romanian style, the Great Hall of Receptions today also functions as a place for specific activities hosted by the museum, such as concerts, book launches or art exhibitions. The Royal Dining Room

7030-459: The villages or resided in them, commuting daily to the city in a practice called naveta. This allowed Romanians to act as peasants and workers at the same time. Universities were also founded in small Romanian towns, which served to train qualified professionals such as engineers, economists, planners or jurists necessary for the industrialization and development project of the country. Romanian healthcare also achieved improvements and recognition by

7125-470: The words of the British historian Richard Crampton) "... once again à la polonaise , with cries of 'Down with the Red Bourgeoisie!'". Ceaușescu ultimately negotiated a compromise solution to the strike. In the years after the strike, a number of its leaders died of accidents and "premature disease". Rumors emerged that Securitate had doctors give the strike leaders 5-minute chest X-rays to ensure

7220-464: The workshop of Alexandru Săndulescu, a shoemaker who was an active member in the then-illegal Communist Party. Ceaușescu was soon involved in the Communist Party activities (becoming a member in early 1932), but as a teenager he was given only small tasks. He was first arrested in 1933, at the age of 15, for street fighting during a strike and again, in 1934, first for collecting signatures on

7315-584: The world's great powers. During the following years, Ceaușescu pursued an open policy towards the United States and Western Europe . Romania was the first Warsaw Pact country to recognize West Germany , the first to join the International Monetary Fund , and the first to receive a US president, Richard Nixon . In 1971, Romania became a member of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade . Romania and Yugoslavia were also

7410-643: The world. The policy to repay—and, in multiple cases, prepay—Romania's external debt became the dominant policy in the late 1980s. The result was economic stagnation throughout the 1980s and, towards the end of the decade, an economic crisis. The country's industrial capacity was eroded as equipment grew obsolete and energy intensity increased, and the standard of living deteriorated significantly. Draconian restrictions were imposed on household energy use to ensure adequate supplies for industry. Convertible currency exports were promoted at all costs and imports severely reduced. In 1988, real GDP contracted by 0.5%, mostly due to

7505-409: Was a Romanian politician who was the second and last communist leader of Romania , serving as the general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989. Widely classified as a dictator , he was the country's head of state from 1967 to 1989, serving as President of the State Council from 1967 and as the first President of the Republic from 1974. He was overthrown and executed in

7600-669: Was also inspired by the personality cults of North Korea 's Kim Il Sung and China 's Mao Zedong . Journalist Edward Behr claimed that Ceaușescu admired both Mao and Kim as leaders who not only totally dominated their nations but had also used totalitarian methods coupled with significant ultra-nationalism mixed in with communism in order to transform both China and North Korea into major world powers. Furthermore, that Kim and even more so Mao had broken free of Soviet control were additional sources of admiration for Ceaușescu. According to British journalist Edward Behr, Elena Ceaușescu allegedly bonded with Mao's wife, Jiang Qing . Behr wrote that

7695-457: Was also the place of residence of many of Romania's rulers for a time until 1883, when King Carol I of Romania received the residences and ordered them demolished with plans to build a much larger edifice in their stead which would serve to house the future heirs to his throne. Construction of this new royal palace was commissioned to begin in the year 1893, the project being placed under the direction of French architect Paul Gottereau. During

7790-486: Was an anti-Soviet maverick and hoped to create a schism in the Warsaw Pact by funding him. Ceaușescu did not realise that the funding was not always favorable. Ceaușescu was able to borrow heavily (more than $ 13 billion) from the West to finance economic development programs, but these loans ultimately devastated the country's finances. He also secured a deal for cheap oil from Iran , but the deal fell through after

7885-452: Was around this time when the Cotroceni Palace took on another name – Palatul Pionierilor , known in English as The Pioneers' Palace (also known as young communists). The retrofit was to take place in four stages, during which the building would allocate rooms for a bigger library and centers or workshops for chess, miniature aircraft, automobiles, radiophony, photography, painting, choreography and dance, history, and ceramics. In addition to

7980-421: Was arrested again and sentenced for "conspiracy against social order", spending the time during the war in prisons and internment camps : Jilava (1940), Caransebeș (1942), Văcărești (1943), and Târgu Jiu (1943). In 1943, he was transferred to Târgu Jiu internment camp , where he shared a cell with Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej , becoming his protégé. Enticed with substantial bribes, the camp authorities gave

8075-599: Was beginning to fall under Soviet influence, Ceaușescu served as secretary of the Union of Communist Youth (1944–1945). After the Communists seized power in Romania in 1947, and under the patronage of Gheorghiu-Dej, Ceaușescu was elected a member of the Great National Assembly , the new legislative body of communist Romania. In May 1948, Ceaușescu was appointed Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, and in March 1949 he

8170-420: Was born in the small village of Scornicești , Olt County , being the third of nine children of a poor peasant family (see Ceaușescu family ). Based on his birth certificate, he was born on 23 January [ O.S. 5 February] 1918, rather than the official 26 January [ O.S. 8 February] 1918—his birth was registered with a three-day delay, which later led to confusion. According to

8265-459: Was brief, as his government soon became totalitarian and came to be considered the most repressive in the Eastern Bloc . His secret police , the Securitate , was responsible for mass surveillance as well as severe repression and human rights abuses within the country, and controlled the media and press. Ceaușescu's attempts to implement policies that would lead to a significant growth of

8360-579: Was convicted on 6 June 1936 by the Brașov Tribunal to 2 years in prison, an additional 6 months for contempt of court , and one year of forced residence in Scornicești. He spent most of his sentence in Doftana Prison . While out of jail in 1939, he met Elena Petrescu , whom he married in 1946 and who would play an increasing role in his political life over the years. Soon after being freed, he

8455-528: Was empowered to carry out those functions of the State Council that did not require plenums . He also appointed and dismissed the president of the Supreme Court and the prosecutor general whenever the legislature was not in session. In practice, from 1974 onward Ceaușescu frequently ruled by decree. Over time, he usurped many powers and functions that nominally were vested in the State Council as

8550-473: Was not the obvious successor, despite his closeness to the longtime leader. But widespread infighting by older and more connected officials led the Politburo to choose Ceaușescu as a compromise candidate. He was elected general secretary on 22 March 1965, three days after Gheorghiu-Dej's death. One of Ceaușescu's first acts was to change the name of the party from the Romanian Workers' Party back to

8645-412: Was once covered by the forest of Vlăsia , which covered most of today's Bucharest. Here, in 1679 a monastery was built by Șerban Cantacuzino , later to be transformed into a palace in 1888 by King Carol I . Houses were built in the area near the palace by the royal servants and by high-ranking military personnel. Carol I also build a royal train station named Gara Cotroceni  [ ro ] near

8740-714: Was promoted to the position of Deputy Minister. From the Ministry of Agriculture and with no military experience, he was made Deputy Minister in charge of the armed forces, holding the rank of Major General. Later, promoted to the rank of lieutenant general, he became First Deputy to the Ministry of Defense and head of the Army's Higher Political Directorate. Ceaușescu studied at the Soviet Frunze Military Academy in Moscow for two consecutive months in both 1951 and 1952. In 1952, Gheorghiu-Dej brought him onto

8835-423: Was seen as one of the most productive effects of the law, since all women who became pregnant were under the care of a qualified medical practitioner, even in rural areas. In some cases, if a woman was unable to visit a medical office, a doctor would visit her home. Mothers of at least five children were entitled to receive significant benefits, while mothers of at least ten children were declared "heroine mothers" by

8930-441: Was that of the enforcer, the young man allegedly beating those Party members who refused to go with or were insufficiently enthusiastic about the "self-criticism" sessions. These "self-criticism sessions" not only helped to cement Gheorghiu-Dej's control over the Party, but also endeared his protégé Ceaușescu to him. It was Ceaușescu's time at Târgu Jiu that marked the beginning of his rise to power. After World War II , when Romania

9025-463: Was the most significant expression of opposition to Ceaușescu's rule prior to the late 1980s. The striking miners were inspired by similar strikes along Poland's Baltic coast in December 1970, and just as in Poland in 1970, the striking Romanian miners demanded face-to-face negotiations with their nation's leader. When Ceaușescu appeared before the miners on the third day of the strike, he was greeted (in

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