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Witness History: The Romanian revolution

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The Romanian Revolution

18/12/2019 GMT

The Romanian revolution

BBC World Service - Witness History, The Romanian revolution

In December 1989 a wave of protests finally deposed communist dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu

In December 1989 a wave of protests finally deposed communist dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu. The uprising began in the city of western city of Timisoara.  authorities.

Of all the revolutions that swept across Eastern Europe 30 years ago in the winter of 1989, the over throw of Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife Elena was the bloodiest.  But few communist regimes had been as brutal as theirs, dominating every aspect of daily life.  The uprising began in the western city of Timisoara, where a local pastor, László Tőkés, took a stand against the authorities and his loyal parishioners stood with him.  László Tőkés tells Rebecca Kesby about the fall of the Ceaușescus and how the revolution started outside his own house. 

(Photo: The army join the revolutionaries in Romania 1989. Credit: Getty Images)

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