Vasile Milea

Q: When did Vasile Milea die?

Vasile Milea died on December 22, 1989 in Bucharest.

Q: How old was Vasile Milea when they died?

Vasile Milea was 62 years old at the time of death.

Q: What was Vasile Milea's cause of death?

The cause of death of Vasile Milea was suicide.

Q: When was Vasile Milea born?

Vasile Milea was born on January 1, 1927 in Argeș County.

Vasile Milea (1 January 1927 – 22 December 1989) was a Romanian politician and general who served as the 75th Minister of National Defense of Romania from 1985 until his suicide in 1989. Milea was Nicolae Ceaușescu's Minister of Defense during the Romanian revolution of 1989 and was involved in the reprisal phase of the revolution that caused the deaths of 162 people.

Early life

Vasile Milea was born in the commune of Lerești, Argeș County, Kingdom of Romania, on January 1, 1927. He graduated from high school and worked as a teacher. In 1947, he entered the infantry military school, graduating in May 1949 and receiving the rank of lieutenant. On September 20, 1957, he was accepted into the Romanian Workers' Party. After a large shortfall at Milea's place of service (approximately 700,000 Romanian leu) was discovered, he was dismissed from service, and on July 30, 1958, he was expelled from the party.

For several years, Milea worked in various military education departments. On October 6, 1960, following his application, he was reinstated in the party. On December 30, 1962, he was awarded the rank of colonel. In 1964, he was promoted to major general and appointed commander of the 6th Tank Division (1964-1965), then the 3rd Army (1965-1973). He commanded the Patriotic Guard from 1973 to 1978. On August 23, 1969, he was awarded the rank of lieutenant general, and in May 1977, colonel general. Since 1974, he was a candidate member of the Central Committee of the RCP, and since 1979, a member of the Central Committee of the RCP.

Minister of Defence

Milea was appointed Minister of Defence, replacing Constantine Olteanu, in December 1985. Milea was in severe disfavour for sending troops to quell the uprising in Timișoara without ammunition and for his refusal to order the army to shoot the protestors who had gathered around the Central Committee building.

Death

Milea committed suicide on 22 December 1989. His death is believed to have happened at about 10:40 a.m. and was announced on television, where he was described as a traitor, which may have been interpreted by other generals as a sign of growing distrust, leading to their loyalty wavering. Regardless, Milea's suicide caused the rank-and-file soldiers to go over en masse to the revolution, effectively ending the Communist rule in Romania. He was succeeded as Minister of Defence by Victor Stănculescu, who also disobeyed orders and returned the army to the barracks.

A report in 1989 indicated that he had been shot by Ceaușescu's Securitate, although this was contradicted by a report from 2005 after a full investigation including a post-mortem concluded that Milea killed himself using the weapon of one of his attendants. It was suggested that he only tried to incapacitate himself in order to be relieved from office, but the bullet hit an artery and he died soon afterwards.

Legacy

A boulevard in Sector 6 of Bucharest used to be named after him until 2021. A street in Ploiești is still named after him, as well as a central square in Pitești.

Awards

Order "23 August" III degree (1971)
Order of the Star of Romania
Order of Labor
Order of the October Revolution (December 31, 1986)

Works

Vasile Milea, Victor Atanasiu, România în anii primului război mondial: caracterul drept, eliberator al participării României la război, vol. 2, Ed. Militară, Bucharest, 1987. OCLC 18616519

About Vasile Milea

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Full Biography

Early life

Minister of Defence

Death

Legacy

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Works

Test Your Knowledge – Trivia Challenge

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1.What was the profession of Vasile Milea before he entered military school?

2.In what year did Vasile Milea graduate from the infantry military school?

3.For what reason was Vasile Milea dismissed from service in 1958?

4.Vasile Milea commanded which of the following organizations from 1973 to 1978?

5.When was Vasile Milea promoted to the rank of colonel general?

6.Who did Vasile Milea replace as Minister of Defence in 1985?

7.What led to Vasile Milea being in severe disfavour with the leadership?

8.What was the result of Vasile Milea's suicide on the rank-and-file soldiers?

9.Who succeeded Vasile Milea as Minister of Defence?

10.What was concluded in the 2005 investigation regarding Vasile Milea's death?

11.Which of the following awards was granted to Vasile Milea in 1986?

12.In which city is there still a street named after Vasile Milea?

13.Approximately how many people died due to the reprisal phase involving Vasile Milea?

14.What is the approximate time Vasile Milea is believed to have died?

15.In what commune was Vasile Milea born?

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