The Romanian Revolution
The Romanian Revolution
Author(s): Anneli Ute GabanyiSubject(s): History, Military history, Recent History (1900 till today), Transformation Period (1990 - 2010)
Published by: Academia Română – Centrul de Studii Transilvane
Keywords: revolution; coup d’état; Romanian deviation; crisis of Soviet-style communist system; CMEA; Warsaw Pact; Gorbachev Doctrine; Soviet-Western rapprochement; domestic opposition; coup attempts;
Summary/Abstract: The Romanian revolution of 1989 was part and parcel of the disintegration of the Soviet bloc and the collapse of the East European communist regimes. Despite a number of common features, Romania took a special course. It experienced a violent military coup d’état in the course of which the national-minded Ceaușescu elite was replaced by a group of long-time pro-Soviet conspirators. The head of state was imprisoned and executed. The main reasons for the outbreak of the popular uprising preceding the coup d’état were: the dissatisfaction of the population with the austerity policy imposed by the regime during in the 1980s, the emergence of a domestic opposition, pressure from the Soviet Union and the loss of the Western support for Romania.
Journal: Transylvanian Review
- Issue Year: XXVIII/2019
- Issue No: 3
- Page Range: 3-27
- Page Count: 25
- Language: English