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Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej served as the Prime Minister and General Secretary of Romania from 1944 to 1954 and from 1955 to 1965. He was a key figure in the Communist Party of Romania and played a major role in the country's transition from a monarchy to a socialist state. He was also a close ally of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. Gheorghiu-Dej died in 1965 and was succeeded by Nicolae Ceaușescu.