In 1992, people revolted against the rule of Communist dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu, who led the country since 1965 with his wife's, Elena Petrescu. Nicolae and Elena Ceauşescu were blamed for genocide, abuse of power and damage to the national economy. Soviet forces quickly overthrown the revolution, but disqualified Ceauşescu, who "retired" to a small town in Ukraine, and disappeared from the public eye.