Advances in the History of Rhetoric

ISSN: 1536-2426 (Print) 1936-0835 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/uahr20

Address By Comrade Nicolae Ceauşescu

Nicolae Ceauşescu

To cite this article: Nicolae Ceauşescu (2004) Address By Comrade Nicolae Ceauşescu,
Advances in the History of Rhetoric, 7:1, 297-303, DOI: 10.1080/15362426.2004.10557242

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15362426.2004.10557242

Published online: 26 Nov 2012.

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 RHETORIC AT THE GATES OF REVOLUTION 297

ADDRESS BY COMRADE NICOLAE CEAU~ESCU

Nicolae Ceau~escu

Dear Comrades and Friends,

Citizens of the Capital of Socialist Romania
First I want to address all participants at this large popular assembly,
all citizens of Bucharest Municipality and express my warm regards,
a revolutionary greeting along with my best wishes of success in all
areas of your activities! (Prolonged applause and cheers; Chanting
cheers: "Ceau~escu- Romania/Our Pride and respect")
I also want to thank the leaders and organizers of this great
popular event in Bucharest, considering it a symbol of the decision of
our entire population to firmly act together with our Party in defending
Romanian independence, integrity and sovereignty. This is one of the
fundamental problems for our entire nation. (Applause and loud cheers;
Chanting cheers: "Ceau~escu-PCR.!; Ceau~escu and the Nation!" 1)
First of all, I wish to inform you all about an important decision
made today by the Political Executive Committee of the Central
Committee of our Party, a decision in regard to the standard of living
of our working people. This morning we decided that by January 1st
of next year, to raise throughout the year the minimum salary from
2,000 to 2,200 lei.2 (Cheers and prolonged applause). Over 1,500,000
working people will benefit from this raise.
Starting also January 1st, we will raise children's allowances
by 30-50 lei, on basis of the number of children per family and on
basis of salary level of the working people-measure representing an
important implementation for circa 4,400,000 children in our country
(Cheers and prolonged applause).
In addition, birth allowances of 1,000 lei will be introduced for
all women having their first borne; for women who have 2 or more
children, the allowance will be 2,000 lei for each child-
298 NOEMI MARIN

ceea ce constituie, de asemenea, un puternic stimulent, up ajutor pentru

mamele, pentru femeile patriei noastre. (Aplauze ~i urale puternice,
prelungite)
Am hotarit sa majoram pensiile minime de la 800 la 900 lei. Am
hotarlt, totodata, ca pensia de urma~ sa fie majorata cu 100 de lei. Yom
cre~te, de asemenea, ajutorul social de la circa 500 lei la 800 de lei.
Yom asigura, In acest fel, conditii bune, corespunzatoare, de munca ~i
viata pentru toti cetatenii patriei noastre.
Aceste masuri demonstreaza cu putere ca-pe masura dezvoltarii
economiei- facem totul pentru a asigura ridicarea continua a
nivelului de trai, material ~i spiritual al poporului, potrivit hotarlrilor
Congresului partidului. (Aplauze, urale, se scandeaza: ,Ceau~escu
~i poporul!").
In ce prive~te evenimentele de la Timi~oara, am vorbit despre ele
aseara. Apare tot mai clar ca este o actiune conjugata a cercurilor care
vor sa distruga integritatea ~i suveranitatea Romaniei, sa opreasca
constructia socialismului, sa puna din nou sub staplnire straina poporul
nostru. De aceea, trebuie sa aparam cu toate fortele integritatea ~i
independenta Romaniei! (Urale, aplauze, se scandeaza: ,Vom
munci ~i vom lupta, tara o vom apara!", ,Pace!", ,Pace!")
Cred ca slnt printre dumneavoastra multi care l~i reamintesc de
marea manifestare din 1968, pentru apararea independentei Romaniei.
Fermitatea, unitatea poporului nostru au asigurat independenta ~i
constructia mai departe a socialismului In Romania! ~i acum trebuie
sa actionam In deplina unitate, cu fermi tate lmpotriva tuturor celor care
lncearca sa slabeasca forta, unitatea natiunii noastre, care actioneaza
In slujba diferitelor servicii de spionaj ~i cercuri imperialiste, pentru a
lmparti din nou Romania, pentru a lnrobi poporul nostru!
Este necesar, mai mult decit oriclnd, sa aqionam In spiritul
democratiei noastre muncitore~ti, sa dezbatem cu deplina raspundere
toate problemele privind dezvoltarea societatii noastre, avlnd
permanent In vedere ca tot ceea ce realizam in Romania trebuie sa
asigure bunastarea popurului, cii socialismulll construim cu poporul ~i
pentru popor, cii trebuie, In orice lmprejurari, sa asiguram integritatea
~i independenta Romaniei! (Aplauze ~i urale puternice;
 RHETORIC AT THE GATES OF REVOLUTION 299

a measure which represents a strong incentive, helping the mothers

and women of our country! (Cheers and prolonged applause).
We decided to raise the minimum retirement pensions from 800
to 900 lei. We also decided to raise inheritance pensions by 100 lei.
Social welfare will also increase from circa 500 lei to 800 lei. In doing
so, we will ensure good and appropriate conditions of living and work
for all citizens of our country.
All these measures demonstrate that-as we continue to grow
economically- we will do everything in our power to ensure a
continuous raise of the standard of material and spiritual well-being
of our people, in accordance to the decisions taken by the Congress of
the Communist Party! (Cheers and prolonged applause; Chanting and
Cheers: "Ceau~escu and the People!") .
As for the Timisoara events, we addressed them last night. It is
obvious this is a conjectured action by [subversive] circles who intend
to destroy Romanian integrity and sovereignty, stop the construction of
socialism, and place our people under foreign rule. Therefore, we need
to protect by all means, and with all our power Romania's integrity
and independence! (Cheers and applause; Chanting and Cheers: "We
will work and we will fight/Our Country we will protect!" "Peace!"
"Peace!").
I believe there are many people among you who remember
the1968 large popular meeting, protecting and defending Romania's
independence. Our nation's firm, strong unity ensured our independence
as well as our determination to continue and build socialism in
Romania! In strong unity, together, we need to act against all who
intend to weaken the strength and unity of our nation, we need to act
against all whose actions are on behalf of foreign espionage services
and imperialist circles, whose actions are intended to divide again
Romania, to enslave our people!
More than any other time, it is imperative to act together in
accordance with our working democracy and debate responsibly all
problems referring to the development of our society. We need to keep
constantly in mind that all our achievements reflect the well-being of
our people, we need to remember that we build socialism with and
for our people, and that we, under all circumstances, need to ensure
Romania's integrity and independence! (Cheers and
300 NOEMI MARIN

se scandeaza indelung: , Vom munci ~i vom lupta, pacea o vom

a para!")
Cunoa§teti ce au facut ~i spuneau lnainta§ii no§tri: ,Murim mai
bine-n lupta, cu gloria deplina, declt sa tim sclavi, iara~i pe vechiu-
ne pamlnt!" ~i, trebuie sa luptam, sa traim liberi §i independenti!
(Urale, aplauze puternice; se scandeaza indelung: ,Ceau§escu §i
poporul!")
Unii ar dori din nou sa se reintroduca §Omajul, sa se reduca nivelul
de trai al poporului ~i-cu scopul deschis formulat-sa dezmembreze
Romania, sa puna In pericol lnSU§i viitorul poporului ~i natiunii
noastre independente. (Urale puternice; se scandeaza indelung:
,Ceau§escu-P.C.R.!")
Dragi tovara~i,
Cel mai bun raspuns pe care trebuie sa-l dam este unitatea tuturor
oamenilor muncii, a lntregii natiuni, actiunea ferma de a realiza
programele de dezvoltare sociala a patriei ~i de ridicare continua a
nivelului de trai, material §i spiritual al poporului. De noi depinde
ca Romania sa ramina in continuu o tara Iibera, independenta,
constructoare a socialismului! ~i doresc sa declar ~i aici ca vom face
totul pentru a apara integritatea §i suveranitatea Romaniei, libertatea §i
viata poporului nostru, bunastarea lntregii natiuni! (Urale §i aplauze
puternice; se scandeaza indelung: ,Vom munci §i vom lupta, pacea
o vom apara!")
Sa aqionam cu intreaga raspundere §i sa demonstram forta §i
capacitatea oamenilor muncii din Capitala, a intregii natiuni, pentru
dezvoltarea patriei noastre, pentru bunastarea ~i independenta
natiunii!
Va doresc succese in intreaga acttvttate, unitate ~i actiune
ferma impotriva tuturor acelora care vor sa distruga independenta
§i socialismul in Romania! Aceasta este obligatia noastra, a tuturor!
(Urale §i aplauze puternice; se scandeaza indelung: ,Vom munci
§i vom lupta, pacea o vom apara!")
 RHETORIC AT THE GATES OF REVOLUTION 301

prolonged applause; Chanting and prolonged cheers: "We will work

and we will fight/ We will protect our peace!")
You are all familiar with our ancestors' brave actions and their
saying: "Better die in battle, in full glory, rather than become enslaved
again here on our own old land!" Therefore, we need to fight in order
to live free and independent lives! (Cheers and prolonged applause;
Chanting and cheers: "Ceau~escu and the People!").
Some people wish to reintroduce unemployment policies, they
wish to reduce people's standard of living, and-openly stating their
purpose-to dismantle Romania, to endanger the very future of our
people and of our independent nation! (Strong cheers; Chanting and
cheers: "Ceau~escu-PCR!").
Dear Comrades,
Our best response to all of this is to unite all, all working people,
our whole nation under a firm action in order to achieve societal
development programs mentioned for our country, to continue and
raise the material and spiritual standard of living for our people. It
depends on us whether Romania continues to remain a free country,
an independent country, a country building socialism! And I want
to openly declare in this meeting that we will do everything in our
power to protect Romania's integrity and sovereignty, its freedom, our
people's lives as well as our entire nation's well-being! (Cheers and
prolonged applause; Chanting prolonged cheers: "We will work and
we will fight/ We will protect our peace!").
Let us act with full responsibility to demonstrate our strength and
the ability of all working people from the Capital, to demonstrate our
strength and our entire nation's ability to develop our country, create
high standards of living for our people, and protect our independence
in our country!
I wish you all great successes in all your activities, united use firm
actions against all those who intend to destroy Romania's independence
and Romanian socialism! It is our obligation, for all of us, to fight
those people! (Cheers and prolonged applause; Chanting prolonged
cheers: "We will work and we will fight/We will protect our peace!").
302 NOEMI MARIN

Organizati In toate lntreprinderile, peste tot, grupe de ordine, grupe

de aparare a socialismului, a tot ceea ce am realizat, a independentei
tarii .
Cu toti sa aqionam In slujba poporului, a independentei, a
socialismului! (Urale ~i aplauze prelungite; se scandeaza indelung:
,Ceau~escu ~i poporul!", ,Vom munci ~i vom lupta, tara o vom
apara!", ,Ceau~escu-R.S.R!")
 RHETORIC AT THE GATES OF REVOLUTION 303

Let you organize in all companies, factories and institutions,

everywhere, groups responsible for maintaining the social order, groups
responsible for defending socialism, defending all our achievements
and our independence.
All together, we need to act on behalf of our people, on behalf of
our independence, on behalf of our socialism! (Cheers and prolonged
applause; Chanting prolonged cheers: "We will work and we will
fight/ We will protect our peace!;" "Ceau~escu-RSR!"3).

Notes to Ceau~escu Translation

1. PCR is not translated and stands for Partidul Comunist Roman, the Romanian
Communist Party.
2. Romanian currency.
3. RSR is not translated; it stands for Republica Socialista Romania, the Socialist
Republic of Romania.