The Romanian Revolution began in a context of economic crises and shortages in the communist bloc of Europe. Ceausescu's regime (in power as president of the Romanian Socialist Republic since 1974, and also serving as general secretary of the Communist Party from 1965 to 1989) exported food at a low price while the local population paid dearly for it. Nicolae followed the same strategy as other dictatorships and used the police as a tool of repression to silence radios/TVs, arresting anyone under the pretext of being agents acting on behalf of other governments, infiltrated to undermine the communist cause of the country. He even had his own police force called the "Securitate," one of the most brutal and repressive that ever existed.