Buna Vestire (English: "The Annunciation") was a far-right Romanian newspaper affiliated with, and later published by, the Iron Guard .
87-643: It was published daily from 1937 to 1938, and again under the National Legionary State in 1940–1941. It ceased publication in January 1941, following the Legionnaire's rebellion . In 1940-1941 it was accompanied by a weekend supplement aimed at women, Bunavestire de Duminică ("The Sunday Annunciation"). Buna Vestire began publication on 23 February 1937 under the directorship of Dragoș Protopopescu and Toma Vlădescu. Its editor-in-chief
174-653: A few hours before the rebellion. Minister Vasile Iasinschi gave the order to set the Jewish neighborhoods on fire, and mobs stormed Jewish homes, synagogues and other institutions. The Legionnaires' headquarters became torture centers, and Jews kidnapped from their homes were brought to them. Jews' homes were set on fire and the Jews themselves were concentrated in places where they could be tortured to take their property and Jewish women were raped. Jews were murdered at random, but also in planned executions. Some Jews were thrown from
261-576: A few months to life in prison. Between 1938 and June 1941, Romania produced over 5,000 ZB vz. 30 light machine guns. 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. Between 1938 and May 1941, Romania produced 102 Rheinmetall 37 mm anti-aircraft guns. This accounts for an average monthly production of 2.5 pieces, meaning that around 10 were produced by
348-464: A free hand. During this time the Legionnaires published announcements claiming that the Jews had revolted. During the days of the rebellion, the Legionnaires' newspapers (the only ones active during this time) engaged in vicious propaganda against the Jews. At the end of the articles would appear the motto "You know whom to shoot". The Bucharest pogrom was not a side effect of the rebellion, but
435-580: A game of chess. The Legionnaires, on the other hand, wanted to rob as much as possible, as quickly as possible, utilizing methods based not in law but in terror, murder and torture. The Legionnaires had an additional quarrel with the German minority in Romania . According to the laws of Romanianization, Jews were forced to sell many of their businesses, a fact used by many Romanians to purchase those businesses for close to nothing. The German minority introduced
522-605: 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. Several antisemitic decrees were enacted by
609-511: A level of competition by offering the Jews a better price than the one offered by the Legionnaires (on average, about one-fifth of the real worth). The local Germans had capital received as a loan from Germany, Romanian money paid to the Germans for keeping military units in their territory (to protect them from the Soviets). Antonescu demanded that the Legionnaires cease their terror tactics, and
696-541: A military prosecutor to investigate the events at the slaughterhouse, he reported that he recognized three of his acquaintances among the "professionally tortured" bodies (lawyer Millo Beiler and the Rauch brothers). He added, "The bodies of the dead were hanged on the hooks used by slaughterers. The American minister to Romania, Franklin Mott Gunther , toured the meat-packing plant where the Jews were slaughtered with
783-490: A parallel event, purposefully organized to give legitimacy to the rebellion and to equate the Legionnaires' opponents with Jewish sympathizers. Many parties took part in the riots against the Jews: police officers loyal to the Legionnaires, various Legionnaire organizations, the workers' union, student union, high-school students, Roma and Sinti, and criminals. The attacks on the two Jewish boroughs ( Dudești and Văcărești ) began
870-642: A rebellion of the Iron Guard paramilitary organization, whose members were known as Legionnaires, occurred in Bucharest , Romania . As their privileges were being gradually removed by the Conducător Ion Antonescu , the Legionnaires revolted. During the rebellion and subsequent pogrom , the Iron Guard killed 125 Jews, and 30 soldiers died in the confrontation with the rebels. Following this,
957-452: A series of "lectures" throughout Romania, designed to demonstrate the national socialist nature of their movement and to show their loyalty to Hitler. Antonescu took measures to curb the actions of the Legionnaires, and on 19 January issued an order canceling the position of Romanization commissars: well-paying jobs, held by Legionnaires. Additionally, he fired the persons responsible for terror acts committed by Legionnaires, from Minister of
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#17327825652161044-606: A small armored force of two armored police cars and two Malaxa UE armored tracked carriers. For transport, in Bucharest alone, the Legion also possessed almost 200 trucks. 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
1131-569: A ten-year trade agreement was signed between Romania and Germany, providing for the "economic reconstruction" of Romania. 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
1218-608: 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." 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
1305-471: A war, and the regime's position weakened significantly. The government scapegoated the Jews, with the support of the press: Confronted with an extremely serious crisis and doubting their regime could survive, Romanian government officials turned the Jews into a political "lightning rod", channeling popular discontent toward the minority. Notable in this report is the reaction of the Romanian press, whose rage
1392-647: A wide array of political parties and the clergy led an antisemitic campaign; many of these eventually came to cast their political lot with Nazi Germany . The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact (August 1939) allowed the Soviet Union to take back Bessarabia and northern Bukovina in June 1940, leading to the June 1940 Soviet Ultimatum and Soviet occupation of those regions . In August 1940 Germany and Italy mediated Romanian disputes with Hungary about Transylvania (resulting in
1479-633: A year. The entrance of German troops in Romania was not an invasion, however, as it occurred with Antonescu's approval. 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. Romania subsequently joined the Tripartite Pact and the Anti-Comintern Pact on 23 November and 25 November, respectively. Despite this tightening of relations with Germany,
1566-466: Is disputed—and some have been proven to be fabrications. Additionally, although the reports defined all of the celebrators and attackers as "Jews", some were Ukrainians , Russians , pro- Communists , newly released criminals, and ethnic Romanians. These reports, regardless of veracity, did much to incite many Romanians against Jews, strengthening existing antisemitic sentiment. The Romanians were traumatized and frustrated by giving up these areas without
1653-502: 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
1740-525: 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
1827-464: The Malaxa factory. The Malaxa factory had been license-producing these French armored vehicles since mid-1939, and aside from the two such machines, the factory also supplied the Legion with machine guns and rifles. For transport, the Legion possessed almost 200 trucks in Bucharest alone. On 20 January 1941, a German officer (Major Döhring, an aviator) was killed in Bucharest by a Greek citizen in
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#17327825652161914-550: The National Legionary State . Buna Vestire began its second publication run on 8 September 1940, under the directorship of Grigore(l) Manoilescu, Mihail's brother. During this second run, it became an official newspaper of the Iron Guard, with the subtitle "Ziar al Mișcării Legionare" ("Newspaper of the Legionary Movement"). Buna Vestire was supplemented by a Sunday illustrated magazine, Bunavestire de Duminică ("The Sunday Annunciation"). Primarily aimed at women,
2001-533: The Second Vienna Award ) and with Bulgaria regarding Dobruja (resulting in the Treaty of Craiova ). Large areas of Romania were ceded to Hungary and Bulgaria. During the Romanian army's withdrawal from Bessarabia, some local residents celebrated. Attacks on soldiers by locals are also documented. Various reports speak of attacks on the retreating soldiers by Jews—though the veracity of those reports
2088-539: The Union of Transylvania with Romania . Antonescu again attended, and gave a speech. 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"
2175-524: The 20 days preceding the rebellion, the level of antisemitic propaganda greatly increased, using all the tools at the Legionnaires' disposal. The propaganda emphasized the need for solving the "Jewish problem". Horia Sima and his comrades sought the sympathy of the Nazi regime in Germany, and built upon the ideological similarities between their movement and the Nazi movement, and had quite a few supporters within
2262-504: 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
2349-568: The Interior Constantin Petrovicescu to the commanders of the Security Police and the Bucharest police. He appointed loyal military men in their place. The military also took control of strategic installations, such as telephone exchanges, police stations and hospitals. The district officers of the Legionnaires were called to the capital for an important economic consultation, but found themselves arrested in
2436-575: 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 Jews at the Bucharest slaughterhouse, while the Guardists were singing Christian hymns, "an act of ferocity perhaps unique in the history of the Holocaust". Within four days, Antonescu had successfully suppressed
2523-554: The Iron Guard movement was banned and 9,000 of its members were imprisoned. Following World War I Romania gained many new territories, thus becoming " Greater Romania ". However, the international recognition of the formal union with these territories came with the condition of granting civil rights to ethnic minorities in those regions. The new territories, especially Bessarabia and Bukovina , included large numbers of Jews, whose presence stood out because of their distinctive clothing, customs, and language. Intellectuals together with
2610-457: The Legionnaires and their associates. Besides the Jewish issue, the Legionnaires, achieving power after many years of persecution by the former regime of King Carol II (which killed their first leader and founder Corneliu Zelea Codreanu , "the Captain"), were vengeful toward anyone associated with the regime. The disagreement between Antonescu and the Iron Guard about the robbery of the Jews
2697-480: The Legionnaires began plotting to usurp Antonescu and take over sole control of the country. Initially, the Legionnaires began "defaming" Antonescu, mentioning his family relation to Jews (his stepmother and his wife's previous husband were Jews). They also accused him of being linked to Freemasonry . According to Nazi propaganda , the Freemasons were enemies of humanity, second only to Jews in wickedness. In
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2784-528: 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. Following Sima's resignation on 7 July, he was replaced by another Guardist, Radu Budișteanu . The territory of the National Legionary State amounted to roughly 195,000 square km (or just over 75,000 square miles). It had
2871-529: The National Legionary State during its 4 months of existence. Between 1936 and July 1941, Romania produced 100 Vickers 75 mm anti-aircraft guns. 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. Between the latter half of 1939 and March 1941, Romania produced 126 Malaxa armored tractors. This accounts for an average monthly production of just over 6 tractors, meaning that around 25 were produced by
2958-492: The National Legionary State during its 4 months of existence. During the National Legionary State, between October and December 1940, 20 IAR 39 light bombers were delivered. Between April 1939 and March 1943, Romania produced 210 Fleet 10G trainers. 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. According to British historian Dennis Deletant : "Thus ended
3045-647: The National Legionary State on 14 February 1941. 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 . Between 28 June and 4 July 1940 Horia Sima ,
3132-483: 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. On 10 November 1940, the National Legionary State faced a massive earthquake (the strongest one recorded in the 20th century in Romania), which destroyed 65,000 homes. In early October 1940, 15,000 German troops were deployed to Romania to protect
3219-496: 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
3306-603: The Nazi establishment. Antonescu, who had the support of Romania's military, met with Adolf Hitler on 14 January 1941, in Germany. During this meeting, he promised Hitler the cooperation of Romania in any future German conflict with the Soviet Union , and gained Hitler's tacit agreement to eliminate his opponents in the Legionnaire Movement. Between 17 and 19 January the Legionnaire movement conducted
3393-699: 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. 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. On 20 January 1941,
3480-585: The activities of the Iron Guard, alongside antisemitic polemic, cultural and sports news, and reports about nationalist movements in Europe. Its first issue was devoted to commemorating the Iron Guard martyrs Ion Moța and Vasile Marin , who had been killed in the Spanish Civil War the preceding month. The newspaper ceased publication in April 1938; the same month, Corneliu Zelea Codreanu was arrested. The Iron Guard, which had been banned intermittently,
3567-495: The census was conducted almost two months after the dissolution of the National Legionary State, Romania's borders were the same. King Carol II was forced to abdicate on 6 September 1940, and was replaced by his 19-year-old son, King Michael I . 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. To maintain his grip at
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3654-463: The chaos spread—worrying even Hitler, who was interested in Romania as an ally—the horrific picture of the pogrom became clear. As stories spread, the military's fury against the Legionnaires grew (the Legionnaires had assaulted captured soldiers, stripped them of their uniforms, and even burned several of them). When Antonescu thought the moment was most appropriate, he gave the order to crush the rebellion. The military, led by Gen. Ilie Șteflea , quelled
3741-411: The country") in the 1937 elections . His younger brother, Grigore (who would direct the paper's second run), was also a Legionnaire. In addition, director Dragoș Protopopescu was a member of the Iron Guard and had been imprisoned with other Legionnaires at Jilava Prison in the aftermath of the assassination of Prime Minister I.G. Duca in 1933. Due to political differences, Toma Vlădescu resigned from
3828-500: 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. The Legion also possessed
3915-553: The directorship in December 1937. Contributors and editors for Buna Vestire included the Legionnaires Radu Gyr , Neculai (or Nicolae) Totu, Bănică Dobre, Horia Stamatu , Valeriu Cârdu, Gheorghe Cantacuzino-Grănicerul , Virgil Rădulescu, Alexandru Christian Tell, and the right-wing journalist Sextil Pușcariu . The newspaper regularly published declarations by Corneliu Zelea Codreanu and exclusive articles about
4002-703: The employ of Allied intelligence. This murder remains unsolved, but it was the spark that lit the Legionnaire Rebellion. Antonescu had replaced the commanders of the Security Police and the Bucharest police, but their subordinates, who received their orders from Horia Sima, refused to allow the new commanders to take their place. Armed Legionnaires captured the ministry of the interior, police stations and other government and municipal buildings, and opened fire on soldiers trying to regain these buildings. Antonescu's public addresses, intended to calm
4089-490: The establishment of the National Legionary State government, set in motion the laws of Romanianization , which deprived Jewish people of their property and distributed it among supporters of the new regime. This created an atmosphere in which antisemitism was seen as legitimate, and even sanctioned. Politically, control was in the hands of the Conducător Ion Antonescu , heading the antisemitic fascist coalition government, together with Horia Sima . The latter commanded
4176-579: The fifty Romanian counties. 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. 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
4263-670: 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
4350-402: The last days of the National Legionary State, on 10 and 12 February, Britain and Belgium severed relations with Romania. 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
4437-436: The local slaughterhouse, where they were shot. Five of the Jews, including a five-year-old girl, were hung on the slaughterhouse's hooks, still alive. They were tortured, their bellies cut and their entrails hung around their necks in a parody of shehita , kosher slaughter of cattle. The bodies were labeled "kosher". The slaughterhouse was closed for a week to purge and clean the house of the results. When Antonescu appointed
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#17327825652164524-429: The main street of the village, interrogating anyone who tried to enter it. In Piatra Neamț , 600 Legionnaires gathered to support Sima, but they were peacefully dispersed by the intervention of local police. Nevertheless, a small group of legionnaires later vandalized Jewish homes in the town. In Buzău , legionnaires gathered at the police station, but they were surrounded by soldiers and trapped inside. In Târgu Frumos ,
4611-400: The mayor deployed groups of teenage legionnaires by train to Iași on 20 January. He soon resigned, however, when situation deteriorated on the evening of 21 January. By far the most active spot of the legionnaire rebellion outside Bucharest was Brașov . Better organized than in other places outside the capital, the legionnaires occupied the gendarmerie, the council chambers, municipal offices,
4698-414: The middle of the meeting. As a paramilitary force, the Iron Guard had no shortage of firearms while it was in power. At the start of 1941, in Bucharest alone, the Legionnaires had 5,000 guns (rifles, revolvers and machine guns) as well as numerous hand grenades. The Legion also possessed a small, mostly symbolic armored force of four vehicles: two police armored cars and two Renault UE Chenillettes from
4785-447: The minister of the interior who was deposed by Antonescu. Legionnaire women took part in the pogrom; all survivors noted their involvement in the torture, and some of the worst acts of abuse were at their hands. According to the witnesses, Legionnaire women stripped Jewish men and hit their genitalia. On 23 January, a few hours before the rebellion was quelled, a group of Legionnaires selected 15 Jews at random. They took them in trucks to
4872-495: The movement continued even without them, although it was set back for a while, as the atrocities of the Bucharest pogrom gradually became known to the Romanian public. A few months later those atrocities paled in severity compared to those of the Iași pogrom , initiated at the orders of Antonescu. One leader of the pogrom, Valerian Trifa , became a cleric and emigrated to the US, where he became
4959-424: The newspaper was staunchly pro-Legionary, it was not initially published by the Iron Guard itself. In response to an article criticizing former Prime Minister Iuliu Maniu , Iron Guard leader Corneliu Zelea Codreanu was prompted to issue a circular explaining to his followers that: "This newspaper is not Legionary. It is friendly and we support it. However, we would not like the views of the paper to be confused with
5046-651: 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
5133-476: 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
5220-475: The paramilitary Legionnaire militia known as the Iron Guard (originally called "The Legion of the Archangel Michael", hence the name "Legionnaires"). There was a great deal of tension between the two leaders due to Iron Guard seizures of Jewish property. Antonescu thought the robbery was done in a fashion detrimental to the Romanian economy, and the stolen property did not benefit the government, only
5307-403: The placards reading "Kosher meat" on them reported back to Washington: "Sixty Jewish corpses were discovered on the hooks used for carcasses. They were all skinned....and the quantity of blood about was evidence that they had been skinned alive". Gunther wrote he was especially shocked that one of the Jewish victims hanging on the meat hooks was a 5-year-old girl, writing that the cruelty displayed
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#17327825652165394-452: The pogrom 125 Bucharest Jews were murdered: 120 bodies were eventually counted, and five never found. Other Jews, not from the Bucharest community, who happened to be in Bucharest at the time may have also been killed. The Legionnaires ignited the Jewish synagogues and danced around the flames, roaring with joy. To accomplish their mission they used a fuel tanker, sprayed the walls of Kahal Grande (the great Sephardic synagogue) and lit it. It
5481-485: The proclamation of the National Legionary State. 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
5568-508: The public, were not published or broadcast, as the media was under Legionnaire control. The Legionnaires called the people to rise up against the Freemasons and the Jews (hinting at Antonescu's relations). The people who were possible targets for assassination by the Legionnaires were held, for their own protection, at the ministry of the interior. The Legionnaires' leaders, headed by Horia Sima, went underground. The Legionnaires held mass drafts at neighboring villages, and masses of peasants flooded
5655-452: The rebellion in a matter of hours with little difficulty. The Legionnaires could not defend themselves against the military's superior firepower. As soldiers stormed their strongholds, the Legionnaires fled. During the skirmishes 30 soldiers were killed and 100 were wounded. The number of legionnaires killed during the rebellion was approximately 200, although in later years Horia Sima would claim there had been 800 legionnaire casualties. After
5742-476: The rebellion was suppressed Antonescu addressed the public on the radio, telling them "the truth", but never mentioning the pogrom. He asked the German garrison, which had sat idly by throughout the rebellion, to show their support. German troops were sent marching through the streets of Bucharest, ending in front of the Prime Minister's building, where they cheered Antonescu. After the Legionnaires' fall
5829-535: 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 . 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. A Romanian census was conducted on 6 April 1941 and recorded a population of 13,535,757. Though
5916-844: 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 and the funeral of the Guard's founder, Corneliu Zelea Codreanu. Legionnaires%27 rebellion and Bucharest pogrom Iron Guard defeated [REDACTED] Romania Supported by: [REDACTED] Germany [REDACTED] Iron Guard Supported by: [REDACTED] Germany Between 21 and 23 January 1941,
6003-494: 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. The reburial of Codreanu's body took place on 30 November, in attendance was Antonescu, Sima, von Schirach , Bohle and 100,000 Iron Guardists. The decree which established
6090-423: The streets of Bucharest, answering the call to defend the country against the Jews and Freemasons. The Legionnaires took over gas stations and tankers , and used burning oil cans as weapons against the soldiers. Only 15 loyal officers remained with Antonescu in his palace. For two days the Romanian military defended itself and tried to besiege the Legionnaires' strongholds, but did not initiate attacks and gave them
6177-460: The supplement included news articles, cultural articles (mostly about fashion, film, and celebrities), and a humour section. It was published in eight issues, between 1 December 1940 and 19 January 1941. Following the Legionnaire's rebellion of 21 January 1941, the Iron Guard was removed from power and Buna Vestire again ceased publication. National Legionary State The National Legionary State ( Romanian : Statul Național Legionar )
6264-467: The top floors of the police headquarters building, and others killed in the slaughterhouse. Soldiers did not take part in the pogrom, nor did police officers loyal to Antonescu. Those officers were forced to surrender their weapons and uniforms, and were put under arrest. Besides extorting the Jews for their hidden property, sadistic youth (including teenagers) took part in the torture, for their own pleasure. It continued for hours and even days and nights,
6351-402: The torturers taking turns. Jews were robbed of any possessions on their person, and sometimes even their clothes. They were made to turn over property hidden elsewhere, private or communal, and were often shot afterwards, as happened to the community's treasurer. Some Jews were coerced into writing suicide notes before being killed. The persecutors were headed by Mircea Petrovicescu, the son of
6438-401: The treasury, the post office and telephone exchange, the radio station, as well as other gendarmerie posts in nearby villages. Five armed legionnaires seized a bus and held its passengers hostage for several hours. During the days of the rebellion, Antonescu avoided direct confrontation with the Legionnaires but brought military units, including 100 tanks , into Bucharest from other cities. As
6525-406: The trend reversed, and those who had joined them fled. The press stopped supporting the Legionnaires, but remained antisemitic and nationalistic. Some of the Legionnaires' leaders, including Horia Sima , fled to Germany. Around 9,000 members of the Legionnaires' movement were sentenced to prison. The Legionnaires who led the antisemitic movement in Romania had fallen and never regained power. However,
6612-464: The views of the Legionary Movement. Thus: read the newspaper, support it with love, but be on guard, because naturally not everything that is written there corresponds to the Legionary line." Buna Vestire was funded primarily by Mihail Manoilescu , a sympathizer of the Iron Guard who would later serve as Foreign Minister of Romania in mid-1940. Manoilescu had run as a representative of the Iron Guard's electoral front, Totul pentru Țară ("Everything for
6699-533: 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 fascist , ultra-nationalist , anti-communist and anti-Semitic organization. Though the Iron Guard had been in the Romanian Government since 28 June 1940, on 14 September it achieved dominance, leading to
6786-526: Was again declared an illegal organization, and Zelea Codreanu was assassinated in November 1938. The vast majority of the paper's editorial board (Nicolae Totu, Bănică Dobre, Virgil Rădulescu, Mihail Polihroniade, Alexandru C. Tell) were killed at Râmnicu Sărat Prison in September 1939. In September 1940, the Iron Guard (now under the leadership of Horia Sima ) came to power alongside Ion Antonescu , as
6873-543: Was completely burnt. In the various synagogues the Legionnaires robbed the worshipers, abused them, took all their valuables and tore up the holy scriptures and ancient documents. They destroyed everything, even the lavatories. During the riots 1,274 businesses, shops, workshops and homes were badly damaged or destroyed. After the suppression of the rebellion, the army took the Legionnaires' loot in 200 trucks (not including money and jewelry). Some synagogues were partly saved. The large Choral Temple (Heichal Hakorali) synagogue
6960-420: Was directed more toward Jews than the Soviets, the real aggressors. Given that the Romanian press was censored in 1940, the government must have played a role in creating this bias. A typical form of anticipatory scapegoating was to let Jewish leaders know that the Romanian authorities might launch acts of repression against the Jews. The antisemitic legislation that began with the " Jewish Codex " in Romania, and
7047-589: 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. 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. Horia Sima and many other Legionnaires took refuge in Nazi Germany , while others were imprisoned. Antonescu formally abolished
7134-611: Was not about the robbery itself but about the method, and the final destination of the stolen property. Antonescu held that the robbery should be done by way of expropriation, gradually, through an orderly process of passing antisemitic laws. ... the Legionnaires wanted everything, and they wanted it immediately; Antonescu, while sharing the same goal, intended to achieve it gradually, using different methods. The leader stated this clearly in an address to Legion-appointed ministers: "Do you really think that we can replace all Yids immediately? Government challenges are addressed one by one, like in
7221-406: 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
7308-530: Was saved from burning completely, because the Legionnaires did not bring enough fuel. In the large synagogue was a Christian, Lucreţia Canjia. She begged the rioters not to burn the synagogue, reminding them of their Christian teachings. The synagogue was saved. In Turda , Buhuși and Ploiești , hundreds of legionnaires marched down the streets while singing Legionary songs, but they eventually dispersed quietly. Two gangs of unarmed legionnaires in Vrata patrolled
7395-412: 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 . On 4 December,
7482-533: Was the Legionnaire Mihail Polihroniade . Both directors had been writers for Calendarul , a nationalist newspaper edited by Nichifor Crainic , and moved towards the Iron Guard under Crainic's influence. Buna Vestire was published in Bucharest with the subtitle "Free newspaper of Romanian struggle and doctrine" ("Ziar liber de luptă și doctrină românească") and took an explicitly antisemitic , ultra-nationalist stance. Although
7569-415: Was unbelievable. Of the slaughterhouse episode, Romanian author Virgil Gheorghiu later wrote: In the big hall of the slaughterhouse, where cattle are hanged up in order to be cut, were now human naked corpses . . . On some of the corpses was the inscription "kosher". There were Jewish corpses. … My soul was stained. I was ashamed of myself. Ashamed being Romanian, like criminals of the Iron Guard. During
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