Romania: Ceauşescu’s Last Folly

We know about Stalin’s and Hitler’s great crimes, the sycophantic Red monarchy of Kim Il Sung, and the bloody purges of the former French lycée teacher of Tirana, Enver Hoxha. More attention should be paid to another European example of this genre, now spinning out the last years of a grotesque reign, Nicolae Ceauşescu of Romania.

For the unsuspecting traveler, winter in Bucharest is an unnerving experience. There are almost no taxis or private automobiles. At night, most...