Peak dictatorship : Ceaușescu’s state visit to Great Britain, June 1978

Abstract

The Ceauşescu couple's State Visit to Great Britain in June 1978 has been considered by academic and media commentators as a dark hour for British diplomacy. However, this article aims to place this event in its context, drawing mainly upon newly-declassified British and Romanian documents. It investigates the background and the results of the Visit and the interests of both parties. If, on his return to Bucharest, Ceauşescu boasted of diplomatic and economic success, we argue that there can be detected weaknesses in the regime that anticipate its demise in 1989.