Two other programs initiated under Ceaușescu had massive consequences on social life . One of them was the plan , announced as early as 1965 , to " systemize rural areas " , which was meant to urbanize Romania at a fast pace ( of over 13,000 communes , the country was supposed to be left with 6,000 ) ; it also brought massive changes for the cities — especially Bucharest , where , following the 1977 earthquake and successive demolitions , new architectural guidelines were imposed ( '' see Ceaușima '' ) . By 1966 , Romania outlawed abortion , and , progressively after that , measures were endorsed to artificially increase the birth rate — including special taxes for childless couples . Another measure , going hand in hand with economic ones , allowed ethnic Germans a chance to leave Romania and settle in West Germany as '' Auslandsdeutsche '' , in return for payments from the latter country . Overall , around 200,000 Germans left , most of them Transylvanian Saxons and Banat Swabians
1977 earthquake
1977 Vrancea earthquake
Romanian Communist Party