Who was the dictator of Romania from 1965 to 1989?

Nicolae Ceaușescu was the dictator of Romania from 1965 to 1989. He became general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party in March 1965, succeeding Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej, and gradually concentrated political power around himself and his family.

Ceaușescu initially gained some popularity by pursuing a more independent foreign policy within the Soviet bloc. Romania even criticized the 1968 Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia. His rule later became increasingly authoritarian, marked by censorship, surveillance, forced industrialization, and an extensive personality cult.

In the 1980s, his government imposed severe austerity measures to repay Romania’s foreign debt. Food, fuel, electricity, and consumer goods became scarce while official propaganda celebrated the leadership. Public unrest grew, and a revolution began in December 1989. Ceaușescu and his wife, Elena, were captured, tried by a military tribunal, and executed on December 25, 1989. The name is also commonly written as Ceausescu when diacritics are omitted.