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National Legionary State

October 15, 2023

The National Legionary State (Romanian: Statul Național Legionar) was a totalitarian fascist regime which governed Romania for five months, from 14 September 1940 until its official dissolution on 14 February 1941. The regime was led by General Ion Antonescu in partnership with the Iron Guard, the Romanian ultra-nationalist, anti-Semitic, and anti-communist organization. Though the Iron Guard had been in the Romanian Government since 28 June 1940, on 14 September it achieved dominance, leading to the proclamation of the National Legionary State.

Kingdom of Romania
Regatul României
1940–1941
CapitalBucharest
Common languagesRomanian
Demonym(s)Romanian
GovernmentUnitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy under a legionarist one-party totalitarian duumvirate
King 
• 1940–1941
Michael I
Prime Minister & Conducător 
• 1940-1941
Ion Antonescu
Deputy Prime Minister 
• 1940–1941
Horia Sima[a]
History 
• Established
14 September 1940
• Disestablished
14 February 1941
Area
• Total
195,000 km2 (75,000 sq mi)
Population
• 1941
13.5 million
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
Today part ofRomania

On 27 September 1940, Romania withdrew from the Balkan Pact. On 8 October, Nazi German troops began crossing into Romania, and soon numbered over 500,000. On 23 November, Romania formally joined the Axis powers. On 27 November, 64 former dignitaries or officials were executed by the Iron Guard in the Jilava Massacre. The already harsh anti-Semitic legislation was expanded, included the expropriation of Jewish-owned rural property on 4 October, followed by forests on 17 November, and finally by river transport on 4 December.[1]

On 20 January 1941, the Iron Guard attempted a coup, combined with a pogrom against the Jews of Bucharest. Within four days, Antonescu had successfully suppressed the coup, and the Iron Guard was forced out of the government. Sima and many other Legionnaires took refuge in Nazi Germany, while others were imprisoned. Antonescu formally abolished the National Legionary State on 14 February 1941.

Precursors Edit

Further information: Kingdom of Romania under Fascism

The Iron Guard first formed an alliance with the Romanian Government in early 1938, when the then-Prime Minister Octavian Goga concluded an agreement with the leader of the Iron Guard, Corneliu Zelea Codreanu on 8 February 1938 for limited cooperation. However, this political arrangement displeased the King Carol II, who dismissed Goga on 11 February and replaced him with Patriarch Miron Cristea.[2][3][4]

Between 28 June and 4 July 1940 Horia Sima, the nominal leader of the Iron Guard after the death of Codreanu, served as Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Education. The Iron Guard was brought into the Ion Gigurtu's cabinet, which took power on 4 July 1940, after the Soviet occupation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina. Three Guardists were appointed to the new government: Vasile Noveanu as Minister of Public Wealth, Sima as Minister of Religion and Arts, and Augustin Bideanu as Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Finance. However, Sima resigned on 7 July, because he was denied a purely Guardist cabinet, while his two colleagues retained their posts. An Iron Guard supporter and ideologue, Nichifor Crainic, became Minister of Propaganda.[5][6] Following Sima's resignation on 7 July, he was replaced by another Guardist, Radu Budișteanu.[7]

Territory and population Edit

The territory of the National Legionary State amounted to roughly 195,000 square km (or just over 75,000 square miles). It had the same territory as modern day Romania, with the exception of Northern Transylvania, which had been ceded to Hungary in the aftermath of the Second Vienna Award.[8] It also possessed several islands in the Danube Delta, as well as Snake Island in the Black Sea. These have been part of Ukraine since 1948.[9]

A Romanian census was conducted on 6 April 1941 and recorded a population of 13,535,757.[10] Though the census was conducted almost two months after the dissolution of the National Legionary State, Romania's borders were the same.

History Edit

 
Ion Antonescu and Horia Sima, the leaders of the National Legionary State

King Carol II was forced to abdicate on 6 September 1940, and was replaced by his 19-year-old son, Michael. The first act of the new king was to grant General Ion Antonescu unlimited power as Conducător (leader) of Romania, relegating himself to a ceremonial role. A decree of 8 September further defined Antonescu's powers.[11] To maintain his grip at the helm of the country, while at the same time conceding the leading role to the Iron Guard, Antonescu had King Michael proclaim Romania a National Legionary State on 14 September. The Legionary Movement/Iron Guard became the "only movement recognized in the new state", making Romania a totalitarian country.

Antonescu became the legion's honorary leader, with Sima becoming Deputy Prime Minister. Five other Guardists became ministers, among them Prince Mihai Sturza (Minister of Foreign Affairs) and General Constantin Petrovicescu (Minister of Interior). Legionary Prefects were appointed in all of the fifty Romanian counties.[12][13] The Guard was awarded four portfolios: Interior, Education, Foreign Affairs, and Cults. In addition, most of the permanent secretaries and directors in the ministries were also Guardists. As the dominant political force, the Guard also controlled the press and propaganda services.[14]

On 6 October 1940, Antonescu attended an Iron Guard rally dressed in Legionary uniform. On 8 October, German troops began crossing into Romania, and soon numbered over 500,000. On 23 November Romania joined the Axis powers. On 27 November, 64 former dignitaries or officials were executed by the Iron Guard in Jilava Prison while awaiting trial (see Jilava Massacre). Later that day, historian and former prime minister Nicolae Iorga and economist Virgil Madgearu, a former government minister, were assassinated. On 1 December, another Iron Guard rally took place at Alba Iulia to celebrate 22 years since the Union of Transylvania with Romania. Antonescu again attended, and gave a speech.[15]

After the National Legionary State was proclaimed in 14 September, the Legion became the ruling party but had to share executive power with the Army. The new Legionary regime had a ritual basis based on the cult of the Guard's dead leader (Codreanu) and other Legionary martyrs. Exhumation, public burial and rehabilitation of Legionary "martyrs" was retrospectively regarded by Sima as the most important task justifying the Legion's accession to power. The exhumation of Codreanu's remains and subsequent reburial (21-23 November) reaffirmed Condreanu's charisma as the foundation of Legionary ideology. On the day of Codreanu's reburial, the main Legionary newspaper, Cuvântul (The Word), wrote: "It is the day of the Captain's resurrection. He is resurrected, as he promised, according to the Gospel. He is resurrected, rising from the grave to present to us Romania itself, buried by this sinful age.". A young Emil Cioran in his twenties strongly endorsed Codreanu's cult: "With the exception of Jesus, no other dead being has been so present among the living. Has anybody even thought about forgetting him? This dead man spread a perfume of eternity over our human dung and brought back the sky over Romania." Soon after Codreanu's reburial, however, the Legion committed the Massacre, killing over 60 former dignitaries. The Legion thus achieved its goals: the old order collapsed under its blows and all of the Legion's enemies were punished.[16] The reburial of Codreanu's body took place on 30 November, in attendance was Antonescu, Sima, von Schirach, Bohle and 100,000 Iron Guardists.[17][18]

The decree which established the National Legionary regime on 14 September placed Antonescu and Sima on an equal footing. On 28 October, Sima accused Antonescu of violating the decree by allowing democratic parties to function. He asserted that such political diversity was contrary to the principles of a totalitarian state. Sima also wanted to apply Nazi principles to Romania's economy in order to bring all of it under centralized control. He addressed a letter to Antonescu in this sense on 16 October, but the latter rejected the idea. Relations between Antonescu and the Guard reached breaking point after the Jilava Massacre. Despite the mounting tension, the two parties achieved a truce for the moment, which allowed a Legionary to keep the post of Bucharest Police Chief but provided for the public condemnation of the Jilava murders.[19]

Several antisemitic decrees were enacted by the National Legionary State. Jewish-owned rural property was expropriated on 4 October, followed by forests on 17 November, and finally by river transport on 4 December.[1]

On 10 November 1940, the National Legionary State faced a massive earthquake which destroyed 65,000 homes.[20]

Outside developments Edit

In early October 1940, 15,000 German troops were deployed to Romania to protect the oil refineries at Ploiești, which were essential for the German war effort. This unilateral German action, carried out without consulting Benito Mussolini (Hitler's Axis ally and leader of Fascist Italy), prompted the latter to launch an invasion of Greece. The ensuing Greco-Italian War resulted in a military blunder, as the Greeks counter-attacked and occupied parts of Italian-ruled Albania for half a year.[21][self-published source?] The entrance of German troops in Romania was not an invasion, however, as it occurred with Antonescu's approval.[22] The first German troops arrived in Romanian on 10 October, partly as a response to Antonescu's request for military assistance, in addition to their main goal of defending the Romanian oil fields.[23] Romania subsequently joined the Tripartite Pact and the Anti-Comintern Pact on 23 November and 25 November, respectively.[24] Despite this tightening of relations with Germany, the German minority in Romania (numbering 300,000 after Romania's territorial losses) was not entirely spared the process of Romanianization. While few Germans from Banat and Transylvania were repatriated to the Reich, the number of ethnic Germans from Southern Bukovina and Dobruja who were repatriated amounted to 76,500. The German-Romanian convention which sanctioned these repatriations was signed on 22 October 1940. According to the convention, the Romanian state received the real estate previously possessed by the repatriated Germans in exchange for paying compensation to the Reich. The newly-acquired property (lands and houses) would be used by the Romanian state to accommodate ethnic Romanian refugees from Bulgaria, displaced in the aftermath of the Treaty of Craiova.[25] On 4 December, a ten-year trade agreement was signed between Romania and Germany, providing for the "economic reconstruction" of Romania.[18]

On 27 September 1940, Romania withdrew from the Balkan Pact. That same day, a trade agreement was signed with one of the Pact members, Turkey. On 19 December, another trade agreement was signed between Romania and Yugoslavia, another member of the Balkan Pact. During the last days of the National Legionary State, on 10 and 12 February, Britain and Belgium severed relations with Romania.[26]

Border skirmishes with the Soviet Union spanned across the duration of the National Legionary State. In the autumn of 1940, the Soviets occupied several Romanian islands in the Danube Delta. Frontier incidents occurred on a daily basis. Soviet troops were concentrated on the Romanian border, Soviet aircraft made incessant incursions in Romania's air space, and - in January 1941 - Soviet vessels attempted to enter Romanian waters by force.[27] Tensions peaked in January 1941, when the Soviets demanded by ultimatum the control of the Danube Delta. Border clashes ensued near Galați (Covurlui County), where the Romanians were mining the Danube, during which between 26 and 100 were killed on both sides.[28]

Demise Edit

On 20 January 1941, the Iron Guard attempted a coup, combined with a pogrom against the Jews of Bucharest. On 22 January, at the height of the Rebellion, the Iron Guard carried out the ritual murder of 200[verification needed] Jews at the Bucharest slaughterhouse, while the Guardists were singing Christian hymns, "an act of ferocity perhaps unique in the history of the Holocaust".[29] Within four days, Antonescu had successfully suppressed the coup. The Iron Guard was forced out of the government. Sima and many other legionnaires took refuge in Germany, while others were imprisoned. Antonescu abolished the National Legionary State, in its stead declaring Romania a "National and Social State."

The suppression of the Rebellion also provided some data on the military equipment used by the Iron Guard, amounting to 5,000 firearms (revolvers, rifles and machine guns) and numerous grenades in Bucharest alone.[30] The Legion also possessed a small armored force of two armored police cars and two Malaxa UE armored tracked carriers.[31] For transport, in Bucharest alone, the Legion also possessed almost 200 trucks.[32]

On 14 February 1941, the National Legionary State was formally abolished. Over 9,000 people implicated in the Legionary Rebellion were subsequently arrested, of which almost 2,000 (1,842, to be exact) were sentenced to various terms, ranging from a few months to life in prison.[33][34][35]

Military production Edit

Small arms Edit

Between 1938 and June 1941, Romania produced over 5,000 ZB vz. 30 light machine guns.[36] This accounts for an average monthly production of over 120 machine guns, meaning that around 500 were produced by the National Legionary State during its 4 months of existence.

Artillery pieces Edit

Between 1938 and May 1941, Romania produced 102 Rheinmetall 37 mm anti-aircraft guns.[37] This accounts for an average monthly production of 2.5 pieces, meaning that around 10 were produced by the National Legionary State during its 4 months of existence.

Between 1936 and July 1941, Romania produced 100 Vickers 75 mm anti-aircraft guns.[37] This accounts for an average monthly production of 1.5 pieces, meaning that around 6 were produced by the National Legionary State during its 4 months of existence.

Armored vehicles Edit

Between the latter half of 1939 and March 1941, Romania produced 126 Malaxa armored tractors.[38] This accounts for an average monthly production of just over 6 tractors, meaning that around 25 were produced by the National Legionary State during its 4 months of existence.

Aircraft Edit

During the National Legionary State, between October and December 1940, 20 IAR 39 light bombers were delivered.[39] Between April 1939 and March 1943, Romania produced 210 Fleet 10G trainers.[40] This accounts for an average monthly production of 4.5 aircraft, meaning that around 17 were produced by the National Legionary State during its 4 months of existence.

Legacy Edit

According to British historian Dennis Deletant: "Thus ended a unique chapter in the history of Fascism in Europe. The Guard had been the only radical movement of the Right in Europe to come to power without the assistance of Germany or Italy, and the only one to be toppled during Nazi Germany's domination of continental Europe.".[41]

The National Legionary State ushered in Romania's Axis membership, first de facto by welcoming the German Army into the country, and soon afterwards, de jure through the signing of the Tripartite and Anti-Comintern Pacts. It also did away with most of Romania's traditional political class during the Jilava massacre before being suppressed itself in January 1941, then formally abolished in February. Footage of several historically valuable speeches survives from the National Legionary State era, such as a joint speech by Antonescu and Sima[42] and the funeral of the Guard's founder, Corneliu Zelea Codreanu.[43]

Stamps from the era of the National Legionary State Edit

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See also Edit

References Edit

  1. ^ Leader of the Iron Guard, on an equal footing with the Conducător
  1. ^ a b Keith Hitchins, Clarendon Press, 1994, Romania 1866-1947, p. 484
  2. ^ Dennis Deletant, Springer, 2016, British Clandestine Activities in Romania during the Second World War, p. 33
  3. ^ Hans Rogger, Eugen Weber, University of California Press, 1966, The European Right: A Historical Profile, p. 551
  4. ^ Jean W. Sedlar, BookLocker.com, 2007, The Axis Empire in Southeast Europe, 1939-1945, p. 20
  5. ^ D. Deletant, Springer, 2006, Hitler's Forgotten Ally: Ion Antonescu and his Regime, Romania 1940-1944, p. 51
  6. ^ R. Haynes, Springer, 2016, Romanian Policy Towards Germany, 1936-40, p. 147
  7. ^ Institute for Historical Review, 1986, The Journal of Historical Review, Volume 7, Issues 1-2, p. 213
  8. ^ Marina Cattaruzza, Stefan Dyroff, Dieter Langewiesche, Berghahn Books, 2012, Territorial Revisionism and the Allies of Germany in the Second World War: Goals, Expectations, Practices, p. 98
  9. ^ Grigore Stamate, Editura Militară, 1997, Frontiera de stat a României, p. 79 (in Romanian)
  10. ^ Enciclopedia de istorie a României, Editura Meronia, 2002, Recensămintele României: 1899-1992, p. 358 (in Romanian)
  11. ^ D. Deletant, Springer, 2006, Hitler's Forgotten Ally: Ion Antonescu and his Regime, Romania 1940-1944, p. 53
  12. ^ D. Deletant, Springer, 2006, Hitler's Forgotten Ally: Ion Antonescu and his Regime, Romania 1940-1944, pp. 57-58
  13. ^ Payne, Stanley (1995). A History of Fascism, 1914-1945. University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 0203501322.
  14. ^ Keith Hitchins, Cambridge University Press, 2014, A Concise History of Romania, p. 204
  15. ^ Gh. Buzatu, Editura Mica Valahie, A History of Romanian Oil Vol II, pp. 366-367
  16. ^ John Lampe, Mark Mazower, Central European University Press, 2004, Ideologies and National Identities: The Case of Twentieth-Century Southeastern Europe, p. 40
  17. ^ Rusu, Mihai Stelian (May 2021). "Staging Death: Christofascist Necropolitics during the National Legionary State in Romania, 1940–1941". Nationalities Papers. 49 (3): 576–589. doi:10.1017/nps.2020.22. ISSN 0090-5992.
  18. ^ a b Gh. Buzatu, Editura Mica Valahie, A History of Romanian Oil Vol II, p. 367
  19. ^ Keith Hitchins, Clarendon Press, 1994, Rumania 1866-1947, pp. 464-465
  20. ^ Clark, Roland (2015-06-05). Holy Legionary Youth. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. p. 228. doi:10.7591/9780801456343. ISBN 978-0-8014-5634-3.
  21. ^ Richard Z. Freemann, Jr., Lulu.com, 2016, A Concise History of the Second World War: Its Origin, Battles and Consequences, p. 100[self-published source]
  22. ^ Raphael Shen, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1997, The Restructuring of Romania's Economy: A Paradigm of Flexibility and Adaptability, p. 5
  23. ^ Keith Hitchins, Cambridge University Press, 2014, A Concise History of Romania, p. 205
  24. ^ David Nicholls, ABC-CLIO, 2000, Adolf Hitler: A Biographical Companion, p. 225
  25. ^ S. Ionescu, Springer, 2015, Jewish Resistance to ‘Romanianization’, 1940-44, p. 110
  26. ^ Gh. Buzatu, Editura Mica Valahie, A History of Romanian Oil Vol II, pp. 366-368
  27. ^ D. Deletant, Springer, 2006, Hitler's Forgotten Ally: Ion Antonescu and his Regime, Romania 1940-1944, p. 280
  28. ^ Douglas M. Gibler, Rowman & Littlefield, 2018, International Conflicts, 1816-2010: Militarized Interstate Dispute Narratives, pp. 378-379
  29. ^ Norman Manea, Grove Press, 1993, On Clowns: The Dictator and the Artist : Essays, p. 92
  30. ^ Henry Robinson Luce, Time Inc., 1941, Time, Volume 37, p. 29
  31. ^ Auswärtiges Amt, H.M. Stationery Office, 1961, Documents on German Foreign Policy, 1918-1945: The aftermath of Munich, Oct. 1938-March 1939, p. 1179
  32. ^ Roland Clark, Cornell University Press, 2015, Holy Legionary Youth: Fascist Activism in Interwar Romania, p. 232
  33. ^ Keith Hitchins, Clarendon Press, 1994, Romania 1866-1947, p. 469
  34. ^ L. Leustean, Springer, 2008, Orthodoxy and the Cold War: Religion and Political Power in Romania, 1947-65, p. 54
  35. ^ Rebecca Haynes, Martyn Rady, I.B.Tauris, 2013, In the Shadow of Hitler: Personalities of the Right in Central and Eastern Europe, p. 283
  36. ^ Mark Axworthy, London: Arms and Armour, 1995, Third Axis, Fourth Ally: Romanian Armed Forces in the European War, 1941–1945, p. 29
  37. ^ a b Mark Axworthy, London: Arms and Armour, 1995, Third Axis, Fourth Ally: Romanian Armed Forces in the European War, 1941–1945, p. 30
  38. ^ Mark Axworthy, London: Arms and Armour, 1995, Third Axis, Fourth Ally: Romanian Armed Forces in the European War, 1941–1945, p. 33
  39. ^ Mark Axworthy, London: Arms and Armour, 1995, Third Axis, Fourth Ally: Romanian Armed Forces in the European War, 1941–1945, p. 245
  40. ^ Mark Axworthy, London: Arms and Armour, 1995, Third Axis, Fourth Ally: Romanian Armed Forces in the European War, 1941–1945, p. 272
  41. ^ Dennis Deletant, Hitler's Forgotten Ally: Ion Antonescu and his Regime, Romania 1940-1944, Springer, Apr 12, 2006, p. 66
  42. ^ Horia Sima and Ion Antonescu speech (YouTube)
  43. ^ Codreanu funeral (YouTube)

October 15, 2023
national, legionary, state, romanian, statul, național, legionar, totalitarian, fascist, regime, which, governed, romania, five, months, from, september, 1940, until, official, dissolution, february, 1941, regime, general, antonescu, partnership, with, iron, g. The National Legionary State Romanian Statul Național Legionar was a totalitarian fascist regime which governed Romania for five months from 14 September 1940 until its official dissolution on 14 February 1941 The regime was led by General Ion Antonescu in partnership with the Iron Guard the Romanian ultra nationalist anti Semitic and anti communist organization Though the Iron Guard had been in the Romanian Government since 28 June 1940 on 14 September it achieved dominance leading to the proclamation of the National Legionary State Kingdom of RomaniaRegatul Romaniei1940 1941Flag Coat of armsGovernment sealCapitalBucharestCommon languagesRomanianDemonym s RomanianGovernmentUnitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy under a legionarist one party totalitarian duumvirateKing 1940 1941Michael IPrime Minister amp Conducător 1940 1941Ion AntonescuDeputy Prime Minister 1940 1941Horia Sima a History Established14 September 1940 Disestablished14 February 1941Area Total195 000 km2 75 000 sq mi Population 194113 5 millionPreceded by Succeeded byKingdom of Romania Kingdom of RomaniaToday part ofRomaniaOn 27 September 1940 Romania withdrew from the Balkan Pact On 8 October Nazi German troops began crossing into Romania and soon numbered over 500 000 On 23 November Romania formally joined the Axis powers On 27 November 64 former dignitaries or officials were executed by the Iron Guard in the Jilava Massacre The already harsh anti Semitic legislation was expanded included the expropriation of Jewish owned rural property on 4 October followed by forests on 17 November and finally by river transport on 4 December 1 On 20 January 1941 the Iron Guard attempted a coup combined with a pogrom against the Jews of Bucharest Within four days Antonescu had successfully suppressed the coup and the Iron Guard was forced out of the government Sima and many other Legionnaires took refuge in Nazi Germany while others were imprisoned Antonescu formally abolished the National Legionary State on 14 February 1941 Contents 1 Precursors 2 Territory and population 3 History 3 1 Outside developments 3 2 Demise 4 Military production 4 1 Small arms 4 2 Artillery pieces 4 3 Armored vehicles 4 4 Aircraft 5 Legacy 5 1 Stamps from the era of the National Legionary State 6 See also 7 ReferencesPrecursors EditFurther information Kingdom of Romania under Fascism The Iron Guard first formed an alliance with the Romanian Government in early 1938 when the then Prime Minister Octavian Goga concluded an agreement with the leader of the Iron Guard Corneliu Zelea Codreanu on 8 February 1938 for limited cooperation However this political arrangement displeased the King Carol II who dismissed Goga on 11 February and replaced him with Patriarch Miron Cristea 2 3 4 Between 28 June and 4 July 1940 Horia Sima the nominal leader of the Iron Guard after the death of Codreanu served as Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Education The Iron Guard was brought into the Ion Gigurtu s cabinet which took power on 4 July 1940 after the Soviet occupation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina Three Guardists were appointed to the new government Vasile Noveanu as Minister of Public Wealth Sima as Minister of Religion and Arts and Augustin Bideanu as Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Finance However Sima resigned on 7 July because he was denied a purely Guardist cabinet while his two colleagues retained their posts An Iron Guard supporter and ideologue Nichifor Crainic became Minister of Propaganda 5 6 Following Sima s resignation on 7 July he was replaced by another Guardist Radu Budișteanu 7 Territory and population EditThe territory of the National Legionary State amounted to roughly 195 000 square km or just over 75 000 square miles It had the same territory as modern day Romania with the exception of Northern Transylvania which had been ceded to Hungary in the aftermath of the Second Vienna Award 8 It also possessed several islands in the Danube Delta as well as Snake Island in the Black Sea These have been part of Ukraine since 1948 9 A Romanian census was conducted on 6 April 1941 and recorded a population of 13 535 757 10 Though the census was conducted almost two months after the dissolution of the National Legionary State Romania s borders were the same History Edit nbsp Ion Antonescu and Horia Sima the leaders of the National Legionary StateKing Carol II was forced to abdicate on 6 September 1940 and was replaced by his 19 year old son Michael The first act of the new king was to grant General Ion Antonescu unlimited power as Conducător leader of Romania relegating himself to a ceremonial role A decree of 8 September further defined Antonescu s powers 11 To maintain his grip at the helm of the country while at the same time conceding the leading role to the Iron Guard Antonescu had King Michael proclaim Romania a National Legionary State on 14 September The Legionary Movement Iron Guard became the only movement recognized in the new state making Romania a totalitarian country Antonescu became the legion s honorary leader with Sima becoming Deputy Prime Minister Five other Guardists became ministers among them Prince Mihai Sturza Minister of Foreign Affairs and General Constantin Petrovicescu Minister of Interior Legionary Prefects were appointed in all of the fifty Romanian counties 12 13 The Guard was awarded four portfolios Interior Education Foreign Affairs and Cults In addition most of the permanent secretaries and directors in the ministries were also Guardists As the dominant political force the Guard also controlled the press and propaganda services 14 On 6 October 1940 Antonescu attended an Iron Guard rally dressed in Legionary uniform On 8 October German troops began crossing into Romania and soon numbered over 500 000 On 23 November Romania joined the Axis powers On 27 November 64 former dignitaries or officials were executed by the Iron Guard in Jilava Prison while awaiting trial see Jilava Massacre Later that day historian and former prime minister Nicolae Iorga and economist Virgil Madgearu a former government minister were assassinated On 1 December another Iron Guard rally took place at Alba Iulia to celebrate 22 years since the Union of Transylvania with Romania Antonescu again attended and gave a speech 15 After the National Legionary State was proclaimed in 14 September the Legion became the ruling party but had to share executive power with the Army The new Legionary regime had a ritual basis based on the cult of the Guard s dead leader Codreanu and other Legionary martyrs Exhumation public burial and rehabilitation of Legionary martyrs was retrospectively regarded by Sima as the most important task justifying the Legion s accession to power The exhumation of Codreanu s remains and subsequent reburial 21 23 November reaffirmed Condreanu s charisma as the foundation of Legionary ideology On the day of Codreanu s reburial the main Legionary newspaper Cuvantul The Word wrote It is the day of the Captain s resurrection He is resurrected as he promised according to the Gospel He is resurrected rising from the grave to present to us Romania itself buried by this sinful age A young Emil Cioran in his twenties strongly endorsed Codreanu s cult With the exception of Jesus no other dead being has been so present among the living Has anybody even thought about forgetting him This dead man spread a perfume of eternity over our human dung and brought back the sky over Romania Soon after Codreanu s reburial however the Legion committed the Massacre killing over 60 former dignitaries The Legion thus achieved its goals the old order collapsed under its blows and all of the Legion s enemies were punished 16 The reburial of Codreanu s body took place on 30 November in attendance was Antonescu Sima von Schirach Bohle and 100 000 Iron Guardists 17 18 The decree which established the National Legionary regime on 14 September placed Antonescu and Sima on an equal footing On 28 October Sima accused Antonescu of violating the decree by allowing democratic parties to function He asserted that such political diversity was contrary to the principles of a totalitarian state Sima also wanted to apply Nazi principles to Romania s economy in order to bring all of it under centralized control He addressed a letter to Antonescu in this sense on 16 October but the latter rejected the idea Relations between Antonescu and the Guard reached breaking point after the Jilava Massacre Despite the mounting tension the two parties achieved a truce for the moment which allowed a Legionary to keep the post of Bucharest Police Chief but provided for the public condemnation of the Jilava murders 19 Several antisemitic decrees were enacted by the National Legionary State Jewish owned rural property was expropriated on 4 October followed by forests on 17 November and finally by river transport on 4 December 1 On 10 November 1940 the National Legionary State faced a massive earthquake which destroyed 65 000 homes 20 Outside developments Edit In early October 1940 15 000 German troops were deployed to Romania to protect the oil refineries at Ploiești which were essential for the German war effort This unilateral German action carried out without consulting Benito Mussolini Hitler s Axis ally and leader of Fascist Italy prompted the latter to launch an invasion of Greece The ensuing Greco Italian War resulted in a military blunder as the Greeks counter attacked and occupied parts of Italian ruled Albania for half a year 21 self published source The entrance of German troops in Romania was not an invasion however as it occurred with Antonescu s approval 22 The first German troops arrived in Romanian on 10 October partly as a response to Antonescu s request for military assistance in addition to their main goal of defending the Romanian oil fields 23 Romania subsequently joined the Tripartite Pact and the Anti Comintern Pact on 23 November and 25 November respectively 24 Despite this tightening of relations with Germany the German minority in Romania numbering 300 000 after Romania s territorial losses was not entirely spared the process of Romanianization While few Germans from Banat and Transylvania were repatriated to the Reich the number of ethnic Germans from Southern Bukovina and Dobruja who were repatriated amounted to 76 500 The German Romanian convention which sanctioned these repatriations was signed on 22 October 1940 According to the convention the Romanian state received the real estate previously possessed by the repatriated Germans in exchange for paying compensation to the Reich The newly acquired property lands and houses would be used by the Romanian state to accommodate ethnic Romanian refugees from Bulgaria displaced in the aftermath of the Treaty of Craiova 25 On 4 December a ten year trade agreement was signed between Romania and Germany providing for the economic reconstruction of Romania 18 On 27 September 1940 Romania withdrew from the Balkan Pact That same day a trade agreement was signed with one of the Pact members Turkey On 19 December another trade agreement was signed between Romania and Yugoslavia another member of the Balkan Pact During the last days of the National Legionary State on 10 and 12 February Britain and Belgium severed relations with Romania 26 Border skirmishes with the Soviet Union spanned across the duration of the National Legionary State In the autumn of 1940 the Soviets occupied several Romanian islands in the Danube Delta Frontier incidents occurred on a daily basis Soviet troops were concentrated on the Romanian border Soviet aircraft made incessant incursions in Romania s air space and in January 1941 Soviet vessels attempted to enter Romanian waters by force 27 Tensions peaked in January 1941 when the Soviets demanded by ultimatum the control of the Danube Delta Border clashes ensued near Galați Covurlui County where the Romanians were mining the Danube during which between 26 and 100 were killed on both sides 28 Demise Edit On 20 January 1941 the Iron Guard attempted a coup combined with a pogrom against the Jews of Bucharest On 22 January at the height of the Rebellion the Iron Guard carried out the ritual murder of 200 verification needed Jews at the Bucharest slaughterhouse while the Guardists were singing Christian hymns an act of ferocity perhaps unique in the history of the Holocaust 29 Within four days Antonescu had successfully suppressed the coup The Iron Guard was forced out of the government Sima and many other legionnaires took refuge in Germany while others were imprisoned Antonescu abolished the National Legionary State in its stead declaring Romania a National and Social State The suppression of the Rebellion also provided some data on the military equipment used by the Iron Guard amounting to 5 000 firearms revolvers rifles and machine guns and numerous grenades in Bucharest alone 30 The Legion also possessed a small armored force of two armored police cars and two Malaxa UE armored tracked carriers 31 For transport in Bucharest alone the Legion also possessed almost 200 trucks 32 On 14 February 1941 the National Legionary State was formally abolished Over 9 000 people implicated in the Legionary Rebellion were subsequently arrested of which almost 2 000 1 842 to be exact were sentenced to various terms ranging from a few months to life in prison 33 34 35 Military production EditSmall arms Edit Between 1938 and June 1941 Romania produced over 5 000 ZB vz 30 light machine guns 36 This accounts for an average monthly production of over 120 machine guns meaning that around 500 were produced by the National Legionary State during its 4 months of existence Artillery pieces Edit Between 1938 and May 1941 Romania produced 102 Rheinmetall 37 mm anti aircraft guns 37 This accounts for an average monthly production of 2 5 pieces meaning that around 10 were produced by the National Legionary State during its 4 months of existence Between 1936 and July 1941 Romania produced 100 Vickers 75 mm anti aircraft guns 37 This accounts for an average monthly production of 1 5 pieces meaning that around 6 were produced by the National Legionary State during its 4 months of existence Armored vehicles Edit Between the latter half of 1939 and March 1941 Romania produced 126 Malaxa armored tractors 38 This accounts for an average monthly production of just over 6 tractors meaning that around 25 were produced by the National Legionary State during its 4 months of existence Aircraft Edit During the National Legionary State between October and December 1940 20 IAR 39 light bombers were delivered 39 Between April 1939 and March 1943 Romania produced 210 Fleet 10G trainers 40 This accounts for an average monthly production of 4 5 aircraft meaning that around 17 were produced by the National Legionary State during its 4 months of existence Legacy EditAccording to British historian Dennis Deletant Thus ended a unique chapter in the history of Fascism in Europe The Guard had been the only radical movement of the Right in Europe to come to power without the assistance of Germany or Italy and the only one to be toppled during Nazi Germany s domination of continental Europe 41 The National Legionary State ushered in Romania s Axis membership first de facto by welcoming the German Army into the country and soon afterwards de jure through the signing of the Tripartite and Anti Comintern Pacts It also did away with most of Romania s traditional political class during the Jilava massacre before being suppressed itself in January 1941 then formally abolished in February Footage of several historically valuable speeches survives from the National Legionary State era such as a joint speech by Antonescu and Sima 42 and the funeral of the Guard s founder Corneliu Zelea Codreanu 43 Stamps from the era of the National Legionary State Edit nbsp nbsp nbsp See also EditRomania in World War II Kingdom of Romania under FascismReferences Edit Leader of the Iron Guard on an equal footing with the Conducător a b Keith Hitchins Clarendon Press 1994 Romania 1866 1947 p 484 Dennis Deletant Springer 2016 British Clandestine Activities in Romania during the Second World War p 33 Hans Rogger Eugen Weber University of California Press 1966 The European Right A Historical Profile p 551 Jean W Sedlar BookLocker com 2007 The Axis Empire in Southeast Europe 1939 1945 p 20 D Deletant Springer 2006 Hitler s Forgotten Ally Ion Antonescu and his Regime Romania 1940 1944 p 51 R Haynes Springer 2016 Romanian Policy Towards Germany 1936 40 p 147 Institute for Historical Review 1986 The Journal of Historical Review Volume 7 Issues 1 2 p 213 Marina Cattaruzza Stefan Dyroff Dieter Langewiesche Berghahn Books 2012 Territorial Revisionism and the Allies of Germany in the Second World War Goals Expectations Practices p 98 Grigore Stamate Editura Militară 1997 Frontiera de stat a Romaniei p 79 in Romanian Enciclopedia de istorie a Romaniei Editura Meronia 2002 Recensămintele Romaniei 1899 1992 p 358 in Romanian D Deletant Springer 2006 Hitler s Forgotten Ally Ion Antonescu and his Regime Romania 1940 1944 p 53 D Deletant Springer 2006 Hitler s Forgotten Ally Ion Antonescu and his Regime Romania 1940 1944 pp 57 58 Payne Stanley 1995 A History of Fascism 1914 1945 University of Wisconsin Press ISBN 0203501322 Keith Hitchins Cambridge University Press 2014 A Concise History of Romania p 204 Gh Buzatu Editura Mica Valahie A History of Romanian Oil Vol II pp 366 367 John Lampe Mark Mazower Central European University Press 2004 Ideologies and National Identities The Case of Twentieth Century Southeastern Europe p 40 Rusu Mihai Stelian May 2021 Staging Death Christofascist Necropolitics during the National Legionary State in Romania 1940 1941 Nationalities Papers 49 3 576 589 doi 10 1017 nps 2020 22 ISSN 0090 5992 a b Gh Buzatu Editura Mica Valahie A History of Romanian Oil Vol II p 367 Keith Hitchins Clarendon Press 1994 Rumania 1866 1947 pp 464 465 Clark Roland 2015 06 05 Holy Legionary Youth Ithaca NY Cornell University Press p 228 doi 10 7591 9780801456343 ISBN 978 0 8014 5634 3 Richard Z Freemann Jr Lulu com 2016 A Concise History of the Second World War Its Origin Battles and Consequences p 100 self published source Raphael Shen Greenwood Publishing Group 1997 The Restructuring of Romania s Economy A Paradigm of Flexibility and Adaptability p 5 Keith Hitchins Cambridge University Press 2014 A Concise History of Romania p 205 David Nicholls ABC CLIO 2000 Adolf Hitler A Biographical Companion p 225 S Ionescu Springer 2015 Jewish Resistance to Romanianization 1940 44 p 110 Gh Buzatu Editura Mica Valahie A History of Romanian Oil Vol II pp 366 368 D Deletant Springer 2006 Hitler s Forgotten Ally Ion Antonescu and his Regime Romania 1940 1944 p 280 Douglas M Gibler Rowman amp Littlefield 2018 International Conflicts 1816 2010 Militarized Interstate Dispute Narratives pp 378 379 Norman Manea Grove Press 1993 On Clowns The Dictator and the Artist Essays p 92 Henry Robinson Luce Time Inc 1941 Time Volume 37 p 29 Auswartiges Amt H M Stationery Office 1961 Documents on German Foreign Policy 1918 1945 The aftermath of Munich Oct 1938 March 1939 p 1179 Roland Clark Cornell University Press 2015 Holy Legionary Youth Fascist Activism in Interwar Romania p 232 Keith Hitchins Clarendon Press 1994 Romania 1866 1947 p 469 L Leustean Springer 2008 Orthodoxy and the Cold War Religion and Political Power in Romania 1947 65 p 54 Rebecca Haynes Martyn Rady I B Tauris 2013 In the Shadow of Hitler Personalities of the Right in Central and Eastern Europe p 283 Mark Axworthy London Arms and Armour 1995 Third Axis Fourth Ally Romanian Armed Forces in the European War 1941 1945 p 29 a b Mark Axworthy London Arms and Armour 1995 Third Axis Fourth Ally Romanian Armed Forces in the European War 1941 1945 p 30 Mark Axworthy London Arms and Armour 1995 Third Axis Fourth Ally Romanian Armed Forces in the European War 1941 1945 p 33 Mark Axworthy London Arms and Armour 1995 Third Axis Fourth Ally Romanian Armed Forces in the European War 1941 1945 p 245 Mark Axworthy London Arms and Armour 1995 Third Axis Fourth Ally Romanian Armed Forces in the European War 1941 1945 p 272 Dennis Deletant Hitler s Forgotten Ally Ion Antonescu and his Regime Romania 1940 1944 Springer Apr 12 2006 p 66 Horia Sima and Ion Antonescu speech YouTube Codreanu funeral YouTube Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title National Legionary State amp oldid 1178284507, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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