Nicolae Ceausescu ruled Romania for twenty-four long years and was a dictator.
The General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party enjoyed, apart from the recognition of his own compatriots, great popularity in Western countries. This found expression in US President Richard Nixon’s visit to Romania in 1969, his being awarded the Grand Cross 1st Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1971 or his being presented with the order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 1978.
