1/ History doesn't rhyme, but it does have a beat you can dance to:
On Dec 21, 1989 Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu demanded a massive rally in Bucharest in response to unrest.
bit.ly/3qjWUd3
On Dec 21, 1989 Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu demanded a massive rally in Bucharest in response to unrest.
bit.ly/3qjWUd3
2/ For Bucharest at the time, 100,000 was a massive rally by any standard.
It didn't go well.
After 25 years of dictatorship under NC and his wife Melania, communism's end was coming.
Shots (possible fireworks) rang out, and Ceaușescu desperately tried to regain control.
It didn't go well.
After 25 years of dictatorship under NC and his wife Melania, communism's end was coming.
Shots (possible fireworks) rang out, and Ceaușescu desperately tried to regain control.
3/ The day before, NC and his wife held the country in an iron grip. He had declared martial law a few days before. His security service was feared by all.
But as rally became protest, they fled.
The country was inflamed. Ready for change.
But as rally became protest, they fled.
The country was inflamed. Ready for change.
4/ The security services struck, hard. It was as brutal as you can imaginable.
NC struggled to hold on to control. On the 22nd, his iron control broke, and he, his wife, and a handful of aides fled by helicopter.
Caught after near-comical escape attempts, they were trapped...
NC struggled to hold on to control. On the 22nd, his iron control broke, and he, his wife, and a handful of aides fled by helicopter.
Caught after near-comical escape attempts, they were trapped...
5/ ...in a storage room by a bike repairman.
They were turned over to the provisional government. The trail was over in 2 hours.
The once all-powerful couple were dragged against a wall and shot.
Dictators rarely die in bed.
They were turned over to the provisional government. The trail was over in 2 hours.
The once all-powerful couple were dragged against a wall and shot.
Dictators rarely die in bed.
6/ The perception of invulnerability, once cracked, is never the same.
So, when you think no one can get to Putin, think again.
When you think he can't be shoved against a wall when his government falls, a last look of confusion and shock on his face, think again.
So, when you think no one can get to Putin, think again.
When you think he can't be shoved against a wall when his government falls, a last look of confusion and shock on his face, think again.
7/ Good book on this period is "The Romanian Revolution of December 1989" by Nicolai Sanai Davis.
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