But according to one of the men who killed the couple, Elenas final words, were far from diplomatic. These awards included honorary fellowships at foreign universities, even in the West. The Romanian embassy then turned to the Royal Society of Chemistry, which made Elena an honorary fellow, and the Polytechnic of Central London, which gave her the title of honorary professor. [2] Victor Stnculescu, who was Ceauescu's last defence minister before going over to the revolution, wanted a quick execution, as did Gelu Voican Voiculescu. [29], After the execution, the bodies were covered with canvas. It was impossible for him to discover the extent of her knowledge of chemistry, for she never discussed the scientific aspects of the institutes work, concerning herself only with political and administrative matters Corciovei discovered she didnt know what a chromatograph was, and didnt recognise the formula for sulphuric acid H2SO4 taught to first-year chemistry students.. To avoid the public defense of a thesis that she likely did not write, the law was changed so that she only needed to submit a written defense. Ion Iliescu, Romania's provisional president, supported holding a trial first. Jan 21, 2020 12:01 AM. The pair had fled from power in a . His 1936 mugshot at age 18 still haunts the internet. But even a necessarily brief reading makes one think that the field of research surveyed by the author is vast and recent.. She gave orders, she wanted no arguments, Behr writes. This cult positioned Elena as the doyen of the European scientific community and as an academic powerhouse whose publications and international recognition were the result of sustained hard work. A title like "The rise and fall of Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu" suggested that this was a biography of Romania's power couple and the author's credentials as a renowned Oxford historian gave hope that this would be an in depth history but I was disappointed in both respects. Deletants wife, Andrea, who taught Romanian at Bradford University, acted as interpreter at a meeting with the societys president, the Nobel prize-winning chemist Alexander Todd. Ceauescus scientific reputation may have had the full resources of the Romanian state behind it, but it could not have reached international proportions without the help of western publications, institutions and political leaders. Account. Both the University of London and the Royal Society rejected the Romanian requests. For instance, she was never supposed to be shown in profile because of her large nose and overall homely appearance.[3]. Elena and Nicolae Ceauescu during their brief trial before a military tribunal on 25 December 1989. We never saw her, we never heard from her at any time during our research or afterward. Betea says Ceauescu is now perceived less harshly than when she was alive. The only problem was that she pretty much illiterate due to her lack of education as a child. She is said to have spent hours listening to the tapes, in particular the people she didnt like within the party such as Violeta Andrei. Arrival ceremony for President Ceausescu of Romania, south balcony of the White House. He says: The Romanian embassy in London made strenuous efforts to persuade certain British academic institutions to recognise Elenas scientific achievements she was trumpeted in the Romanian press as a scientist of world renown, even though her doctorate was the work, I was reliably informed by Romanian sources, of a professor at the University of Iai. Young Pioneer Tours are the leading budget adventure travel company to off the wall, and off the beaten track destinations. Ceausescu ruled Romania for 25 years with an iron fist before being ousted and executed during the 1989 anti-communist revolt in which more than 1,000 people were killed. Romanian law decreed that doctoral candidates had to publicly defend their theses. They stopped a car driven by a Dr. Nicolae Dec, who took them to Vcreti, after which he informed the local authorities that the Ceauescus were going toward Trgovite. At the show trial that took place, she answered only a few questions since her husband took a protective role, asked her to calm down, and shook his head each time her mouth opened to reply in anger. As Elena traveled the world, she became more and more jealous of what others had. Militia and army officials at Tirgoviste said the couple was tried and executed at the local military barracks, near the railway station. The author of numerous scientific publications and the recipient of multiple honorary fellowships and degrees, Elena Ceausescu was one of the most respected scientists of her time. [1], The main charge was genocide - namely, murdering "over 60,000 people" during the revolution in Timioara. She was known as an exceptionally vindictive person whose bad side you did not want to be on. Initially Iliescu did not wish to carry out the executions immediately, and he instead favored a formal trial to be carried out several weeks later. [2], On 22 December 1989, during the Romanian Revolution, Nicolae and Elena Ceauescu left the Central Committee building in Bucharest by helicopter toward Snagov, from which they left soon after towards Piteti. They were tried based on references, solely by offense-name or hearsay, to criminal acts they had committed in the opinion of prosecutors, or as alleged in press reports. She was born Lenua Petrescu into a peasant family in Petreti commune, Dmbovia County, in the historical region of Wallachia. Over the course of the 1970s she was appointed or elected to more and more positions within the government and Communist Party, and in 1980, she was made First Deputy Prime Minister second in power only to her husband. Or just her? As his rule went on, Ceausecu not only fostered his own cult of personality, but became prey to it. If you think that people who deliberately engage in dubious scientific practices like plagiarism, falsification of results, or attendance at fake conferences represent the worst of scientific misconductthen you have clearly never heard of Elena Ceausescu. According to these accounts, he and his wife were spotted being driven by their chauffeur to a metallurgy complex whose manager was a friend, and Ceausescu shot dead a factory guard who recognized him. Feel free to get in contact with us if you have anymore enquiries. Photo by Andr Cros CC BY-SA 4.0. Chris Isloi, a neuroscience and psychology researcher based in London, and Andrei Dumbrav, a doctor and senior lecturer at the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University in Iai, are leading the call to have the scientific record corrected. Nicolae is said to have begun to mumble before singing the first verse of the Internationale. Our institute, as it is now, has no [qualification] in determining whether Elena Ceauescu would have asked to be the co-author of some scientific works to which she did not contribute, and even more, to ask the publishers to withdraw her name from the published works, she said. Nicolae Ceausescu et Mobutu Sese Seko et leurs pouses respectives Elena et Bobi Ladawa en avril 1987 au Zare. The troops then led them to a wall, took six steps back, and unloaded their Kalashnikov assault rifles. Starting in July 1972, Elena Ceauescu started getting various offices at senior levels in the Romanian Communist Party. Behr, Edward.Kiss the Hand You Cannot Bite: The Rise and Fall of the Ceausescus. Bloody revolution broke out in December, and on Christmas Day, Elena and her husband were convicted after a short show trial and shot. This sparked the violent Romanian Revolution in December of 1989. Join one of our many Group Adventures through the Central-Asian Stans (including Afghanistan), or let us plan an independent trip for you from our office Almaty, Kazakhstan. When Nicolae became Communist Party General Secretary, Elena rose through the ranks to become a significant figure in the Romanian communist party. Breaking the strict taboo against conversations with foreigners which Ceausescu imposed, soldiers, policemen, taxi drivers and waitresses eagerly discussed the hunting down and capture of their former leader with two journalists visiting Tirgoviste, a town of 60,000 inhabitants northwest of Bucharest. Nicolae refused to share power with her and Elena's gender and lack of education barred her from true political ascendancy within the Party. I tried my best to explain that the American president did not have the same power that the Romanian did, Pacepa wrote. I will not!" While we canno, according to one of the men who killed the coupl, Turkmenistan reopens to tourism March 1st 2023. A spokesperson for Wiley said: We take all allegations of authorship abuse very seriously and thank the individuals who brought this to our attention. He argued that it was a coup d'tat organized by the Soviets. Apollo, 2021. Ultimately, when an offer from a Washington-based organization did not appear, she was forced to accept the honorary membership from the IAS. En 3 minutos recibirs en tu email COMPLETAMENTE GRATIS todo lo que necesitas para aumentar las ventas de tu empresa. Regnery Publishing, 1987. Honorary Member of the Mexican Chemical Society (1975), This page was last edited on 27 February 2023, at 07:50. A commotion broke out and one of the Romanian soldiers escorting them is said to have screamed at Elena to get a move on. She. One question in particular, posed by a prosecutor to Elena, not only sums up the Professor Doctor Engineer's entire trajectory, but also speaks to us today, as more and more instances of research malpractice come to light: "And who wrote the papers for you, Elena?" His death was ruled a suicide. [2][7], As the new authorities heard the news of their apprehending from General Andrei Kemenici, the commander of the army unit, they began to discuss what to do with the Ceauescus. [14][15][16] Ceauescu defended himself by arguing that the tribunal was against the 1965 Constitution of Romania and that only the Great National Assembly had the power to depose him. were outright banned. Before she got her PhD, and before she got her bachelor of science degree in chemistry, she was an unskilled worker in the institute, under the supervision of the person who had most worked on her PhD.. General Victor Stnculescu had brought with him a specially selected team of paratroopers from a crack regiment, handpicked earlier in the morning to act as a firing squad. In March 1975, she was elected to the Great National Assembly, the country's national legislature, holding the seat for Piteti, Arge County, the most important industrial region of the country, until her death in 1989. Only their first wish is granted. Elena Ceauescu was celebrated by state propaganda under her husbands regime as a world-famous chemistry researcher, despite having no credible qualifications. They also want Ceauescus honorary titles, awards and PhD to be revoked, and for institutions that honoured her including the UKs Royal Society of Chemistry and the Polytechnic of Central London (now the University of Westminster) to withdraw recognition and acknowledge that her scientific career was bogus. In 1978, during Nicolae Ceauescu's state visit to the United Kingdom, The Royal Institute of Chemistry admitted Elena Ceauescu into membership as a Fellow. [30] Before the execution, Nicolae Ceauescu declared, "We could have been shot without having this masquerade! By all accounts, her vanity and desire for honours exceeded that of her husband. According to Romania Experience, Elena was involved with the Ceausescu family through being in a casual relationship with Ceaucescus brother before eventually falling in love with Nicolae. [3][4][5] Nevertheless, the charges did not affect the trial. In contrast Elena Ceausescu smelled badly of body odour. Today, the grave is open to the public and is often visited on our range of tours to Romania. Well, kind of, Video shows Memphis jailers beating Black inmate before his death, Skin lesion removed from President Bidens chest last month was cancerous, doctor says, Desperate mountain residents trapped by snow beg for help; We are coming, sheriff says, Newsom, IRS give Californians until October to file tax returns, 15 arrested across L.A. County in crackdown on fraudulent benefit cards. She was born to a peasant family and never finished high school. The Ceauescus personality cult on full display, 1986. Indeed, there was nothing to present. The researchers say some of her work is still being cited and accessed, even though she was barely literate in science and unable to recognise basic formulas taught to first-year chemistry students. "[29], In December 2018, Iliescu, former Deputy Prime Minister Gelu Voican Voiculescu, former Romanian Air Force chief Iosif Rus, and former National Salvation Front council member Emil Dumitrescu were indicted by Romanian military prosecutors for crimes against humanity for the deaths that occurred during the Romanian Revolution, most of which took place after Ceauescu was overthrown. Ceauescus reputation was also promoted by Romanian officials who pushed for recognition from respected institutions in the west. Ultimately, she became Chair of the National Council for Science and Technology and controlled all scientific research in the country, although she knew nothing about it. During a state visit to the People's Republic of China in June 1971, she took note of how Jiang Qing, Chairman Mao Zedong's wife, maintained a position of power. Dumbrav says she had a childish desire to be showered with gifts from around the world as a sign of her prestige. An accusation of genocide was never proven. The only ones who are entitled to do this are the co-authors themselves.. Without them, those like Elena Ceauescu would not have existed as a world-renowned scientist.. Publications steadily appeared under the name of Professor Doctor Engineer Elena Ceaucescu. Have you got what it takes? Dou ministere ar putea fi obligate s acorde despgubiri", "Interviu integral "Marius Tuc Show". After elementary school, she moved along with her brother to Bucharest, where she worked as a laboratory assistant before finding employment in a textile factory. Since the Revolutions of 1989, several scientists have claimed that Ceauescu had forced them to write papers in her name,[3][12][13] and that the university gave her the honour of the doctorate solely because of her political position. 0 Wishlist. [17] At one point, their forcibly-assigned lawyers abandoned their clients' defence and joined with the prosecutor, accusing them of capital crimes instead of defending them. She joined the Bucharest branch of the Romanian Communist Party in 1939 and met 21-year-old Nicolae Ceauescu. Sloppy science is ubiquitous, [much of it] a consequence of Elena Ceauescus nefarious and outsized influence in the 70s and 80s.. He is the author of many best-selling Kindle works on Amazon. Her enemies, real or perceived, found themselves in dead-end jobs in remote parts of the country, or worse, a bunk in a labor camp or at the end of a rifle barrel. After the Communists took power, Elena Ceauescu worked as a secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was an unimportant figure until her husband became Communist Party General Secretary. Now, without further ado, lets delve into five shocking facts about Elena: the wife of the Romanian dictator who ruled the country for over two decades. The Ceauescus took another car and told its driver, Nicolae Petrior, to drive them to Trgovite. Four top Ceauescu aides later admitted complicity in genocide in 1990. [2], Nicolae Ceauescu refused to recognize the tribunal, arguing its lack of constitutional basis and claiming that the revolutionary authorities were part of a Soviet plot. in Behr 184). [13], A group of Romanian scientists are trying to revoke Ceauescu's scientific credentials and argue that her work is still being cited in modern, genuine scientific papers and influences current research despite Ceauescu reportedly being "barely literate in science". Her biographer Betea says it is important that those outside Romania share responsibility for the legitimisation of Ceauescu. Two years later he was elected President of the Republic. ant and dec santander advert cast. Elena Ceauescu was born to a family of farmers and traders in 1916, according to her biography in the Romanian national archives. One of the more awkward facts about the wife of the Romanian dictator took place before the pair actually met. The petitions were turned down and Elena had to settle for an honorary degree from the Central London Polytechnic and an honorary fellowship from the Royal Institute of Chemistry. Deb's father, a coal miner, told his daughter: "Stop complaining and go and do something about it." But in Romania, demands for democracy saw Ceausescu order his troops to open fire on demonstrators. Journal articles under her name appeared in publications such as the Journal of Macromolecular Science and the now discontinued Journal of Molecular Catalysis. But when Corciovei showed up, the door was locked. Dennis Deletant, a historian and emeritus professor of Romanian studies at University College London, says in 1978 he was approached by the principal of London University, who told him Romanian diplomats had been trying to get Ceauescu an honorary title ahead of her state visit in June of that year. Join Young Pioneer Tours on one of our signature African adventures in Eritrea, Somaliland, or Socotra (with new destinations being added all the time), or let us plan an independent trip for you. ", s:Transcript of the closed trial of Nicolae and Elena Ceauescu, "Procese, cazuri celebre- Procesul sotilor Ceausescu. Elena was not only jealous of those women who were better looking or more stylish than she, but of anyone with more education. I knew from the very beginning that all papers resulted from these joint projects would have Elena Ceauescu as the first author, but I accepted the situation due to the location of the laboratory and also because the projects I participated in involved high-quality scientific research which offered me the opportunity to learn a lot and gain research expertise.. Both she and her husband eventually ran the nation less like a communist one and more like their own personal fiefdom many have compared the Ceauescu family to a Mafia organization. She never even acknowledged our existence. Elena Ceausescu - Romanian Dictators Wife and Fake Scientist.Stuff.Co.Nz, 12 July 2017, https://www.stuff.co.nz/science/94679348/roger-hanson-elena-ceausescu--romanian-dictators-wife-and-fake-scientist. elena ceausescu smell. In 1991, a few months before his death, Maxwell sold Pergamon to the academic publishing giant Elsevier, where Ceauescus two books are still available. This was done to ensure and prolong his personal rule, not for the benefit of the country. The suspects could not choose their own lawyers. Not a single scientist in either the West or the East ever wondered why she never participated in scientific debates. April 22, 1990 PARIS (AP) _ Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu wept silently and his wife Elena begged for mercy as soldiers readied them for the firing squad, according to footage of their execution broadcast Sunday. Nicolae Ceauescus Romanian communist regime hailed his wife as an eminent chemistry researcher, though she had no genuine qualifications. The helicopters attacked the barracks, shooting machine-gun fire, a local militia chief said, adding that several people were killed. One of the Ceauescus', The coup leaders said the execution of the Ceauescus was necessary to stop. Nicu Ceausescu (center) with unidentified women during the 1976 party. 'systematic destruction of . Juan Merodio Sin Categora elena ceausescu smell. Nicolae Ceauescu came to power in 1965 and won praise in the west for opposing the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia three years later. Photo byFototeca online a comunismului romnesc. Margaret Thatcher, herself a qualified chemist, visited Bucharest in 1975 as opposition leader and was received by the Ceauescus, then met them again on the 1978 visit, a year before her first election victory. After a short trial, the couple was sentenced to death. Do you like what we do? "[14] The dissertation is titled the "Stereospecific Polymerization of Isoprene" and has substantial scientific value, being still bought [15] and cited today. They. TIRGOVISTE, Romania A panic-stricken Elena Ceausescu turned to her ousted dictator husband as they were put before a firing squad and said: "Nicolae, they are going to shoot us," and then. Elena Ceausescu (1916-89) was the wife of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu (1918-89). Isloi says Ceauescus impact on science in Romania persists. In their letter to Elsevier, sent on 10 December, Teodorescu, Isloi, Dumbrav and their co-authors call Ceauescus behaviour a ruthless act of intellectual misappropriation. Elena Ceausescu, whose husband Nicolae Ceausescu kept an iron grip on Romania for 24 years from 1965 to 1989, was better known for fur coats than shoes. June 13th 1978. By all accounts, Elena was crude, not bright, devious, vindictive and intensely concerned with her not so good looks. The co-authors are also calling for 36 patents registered under Elena Ceauescus name with the European Patent Office to be retracted.ICECHIMs website still lists her as a former general manager, but says nothing about her dark history, harsh cuts to scientific funding or lack of credentials. Ceauescu was instantly attracted to her which, reportedly, made him never look at another woman in a romantic manner. A ten-member tribunal was formed to try the case. But an often overlooked character in the regime is the wife of the Romanian dictator: Elena Ceaucescu. On the afternoon of 25 December 1989 in Trgovite, they were turned over to a firing squad and executed. Later, she was promoted as a scientist, and was also awarded a PhD in chemistry.[11]. Its current general manager, Mihaela Doni, said: The period of 1970-1980, in which Elena Ceauescu held the position of the institute manager, cannot be removed or permanently erased from the history of this institution. Those who took part in the deception were not penalised. She is named as co-inventor on a number of patents,[23] but many scientists claim she forced them to share credit on the patents. She often joined Nicolae on official visits abroad. Browse through our extensive North Korean group tour schedule to find a group tour that best suits you and your budget. As with her husband, Romanian Television was under strict orders to take great care portraying her on screen. Then he shouted; Long Live the Socialist Republic of Romania. Can religion save us from Artificial Intelligence? Those who gave her titles or pressured others to do so are guilty of having contributed to an intellectual imposture of colossal proportions. [4], From the early 1980s onward, Elena was the object of a personality cult as intense as that of her husband, which exalted her as the "Mother of the Nation". Born at the height of WW1 in 1916, Elena Ceausescu was born to a peasant family in the Romanian region of Wallachia. Gen. C-tin Lucescu, despre procesul Ceauetilor: Nu a existat niciun fel de dosar. As they were halfway there, the Romanian dictator and his wife prepared to say their final words. In Romanian academia, plagiarism is rampant, as is nepotism, he says. An emissary from the Romanian Academy was also sent to plead Ceauescus case for recognition by the Royal Society, the oldest national scientific society in the world. Independent and Free!. What they found when they arrived were closed doors and a note saying that the public presentation had been moved to 6 am and was already over. As far as anyone can tell, it was love at first sight for Nicolae, and many Romanians and historians believe that almost from the start, Elena had him in the palm of her hand. Her first recognitions came from France and the United States, before entering the Romanian Academy, Betea says. Nicolae Ceauescu (left), his parents (center) and his wife, Elena (right). However, nothing less than recognition from a Washington-based institute would satisfy her. The answer he received was no.. Side by side with the President was his wife, Elena. in Behr 24). Elena Ceausescu came from a small village where her father was a farmer who also sold goods out of the home. No accident that the word Codoi is not just an acronym, but an actual word in Romanian meaning big tail, which stout Elena Ceausescu had and tried to hide. In June 1973, after having been nominated by Emil Bodnra, she was elected to the party's executive committee. She showed her disgust and vehement anti-semitism by claiming that she had to accept a "low-ranked" degree from the hands of a "dirty Jew," Dr. Emanuel Merdinger, then head of the IAS (Pacepa 181). Romania's ex-dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife Elena have been reburied - nearly five months after their bodies were exhumed to confirm their identity. After dropping out of school at 14, she moved in with her brother in the capital and held a variety of jobs, many of which she lost because she lacked skills and education.
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