22nd December 1989: Romanian Communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu overthrown in the Revolution of 1989

Five days before his overthrow, Nicolae Ceausescu had ordered the military to put down a revolt in the western Romanian city of Timisoara. Triggered by government’s attempt to evict an ethnic Hungarian pastor who they accused of inciting ethnic hatred, the Timisoara uprising quickly became a broader anti-government demonstration. News of the government’s crackdown was not shared in the heavily-censored press, but quickly spread through western-operated radio stations such as Radio Free Europe.

With unrest increasing, Ceausescu addressed a staged demonstration from a balcony of the Central Committee of the Romanian Communist Party in Bucharest on 21 December. Despite the presence of the secret police known as the Securitate, the crowd began to heckle him with chants of ‘Ti-mi-soa-ra! Ti-mi-soa-ra!’

Having failed to calm the crowd, Ceausescu was moved back inside the building by his bodyguards. The speech had been televised around Romania and the video feed was only cut after the start of the crowd’s protest. It was clear to anyone watching that something monumental was unfolding in the capital.

Over the next few hours the streets of Bucharest filled with protesters. Unable to regain control, the following morning Ceausescu and his wife fled the Central Committee building by helicopter. Their pilot soon faked a threat of anti-aircraft fire and landed, leading to the later arrest of the Ceausescus. They were subjected to a show trial on Christmas Day and found guilty of crimes including genocide and illegally gathering wealth. Having been sentenced to death they were quickly taken outside and shot.