After World War II

A postwar government dominated by Communists forced Michael to abdicate in 1947. The constitution of 1948 established Romania as a Communist state.

During the early 1960's, Romania began to act independently of the Soviet Union in its foreign policy. In 1965 Nicolae Ceausescu became premier. Commercial ties were established with countries of Western Europe. Romanian leaders condemned the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968.

During the 1970's, Romania secured huge loans from Western nations to finance an industrialization program. Many of the factories built as part of this program operated inefficiently because of mismanagement. A decline in petroleum output in the late 1970's caused Romania to begin importing oil.

In the early 1980's, Ceausescu introduced an austerity program to reduce Romania's foreign debt. By the end of the decade, Romania had paid off the debt. However, the austerity measures were so severe that they led to a decline in the standard of living and political unrest.

In 1989 a rebellion broke out after dozens of people were killed when secret police fired into a crowd of demonstrators calling for political reforms. The Romanian army sided with the rebels. Ceausescu attempted to flee, but was arrested and executed.

An interim government was formed. This government was dominated by the National Salvation Front (NSF), a party made up largely of former communists. The NSF retained power in elections in 1990, and it remained in power until 1996, from 1991 as part of a coalition government. In 1991 a new constitution, establishing a parliamentary democracy, was enacted.

In 1999, Roman Catholic Pope John Paul II traveled to Romania. It was the first visit by a Pope to a predominantly Orthodox Christian country.

In 2004 presidential elections, a coalition of two center-right parties, the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Party, defeated the ruling center-left party. Also in 2004 Romania joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Under the leadership of Romania's President Traian Basescu, the country became a member of the European Union in 2007.