A talented oppositional generation of writers emerged: Nichita Stănescu, Ana Blandiana, Gabriel Liiceanu, Nicolae Manolescu, Adrian Păunescu, and others. Furthermore, at the April 1968 Central Committee plenum, Ceaușescu denounced his predecessor Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej and rehabilitated Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu, executed just two days before Ceaușescu joined the Politburo (thus allowing him to claim innocence and to demote a key rival, Alexandru Drăghici).
A gifted oppositional generation of writers appeared: Nichita Stănescu, Ana Blandiana, Gabriel Liiceanu, Nicolae Manolescu, Adrian Păunescu, and others. Additionally, at the April 1968 Central Committee plenum, Ceaușescu criticized his predecessor Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej and reinstated Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu, executed just two days before Ceaușescu joined the Politburo (thus enabling him to claim innocence and demote a significant rival, Alexandru Drăghici).