Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife Elena ruled the country for 24 years, from 1965 until 1989. During those years, Romania underwent several changes, and the population had to endure an endless number of injustices and restrictions. Generally, historians present the Romanian Communism in two segments: one between 1965 and 1971, and one between 1971 and 1989.
During his first years as a ruler, Nicolae Ceausescu had an open policy towards Western Europe and the United States of America, which strayed from the Warsaw Pact signed during the Cold War. This period is best characterized by a relative liberalization of Romania. A new constitution was adopted in 1965, and entrepreneurship was widely encouraged. The main focus of the Communist Party seemed to be the improvement of people's personal comfort, and large funds were allocated to building flats so that everyone could own a private residence.
