| Abstrakt: |
Chivu Stoica was one of the few Romanian communists who held some of the highest positions not only within the party but also in the state: President of the Council of Ministers (1955-1961) and President of the State Council (1965-1967). He attained these positions thanks to his very close relationship with Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej. In 1969, Chivu Stoica was removed from the political forefront by the new leader, Nicolae Ceauşescu. On February 17, 1975, Chivu committed suicide with his hunting rifle. Numerous rumors and conspiracy theories emerged in connection with this event, suggesting that he was assassinated on Ceauşescu's orders. In contrast, the party leader accused Chivu Stoica of "moral decay" and attempted to use this case to launch a moral purification campaign, including an attack on Dej, whom he accused of encouraging, through his personal example, the immoral lives of party leaders. This article extensively debates the various theories created around Chivu Stoica's suicide, weighing them against the concrete data from the official investigation and correlating them with historical sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
