Ion Antonescu: Encyclopedia II - Ion Antonescu - Political power

Ion Antonescu - Political power

General Antonescu was appointed Prime minister by King Carol II in September 1940, after Romania was forced to surrender Bessarabia and northern Bukovina to the USSR (June 28, 1940), and the northern half of Transylvania to Hungary (August 30, 1940). Only two days after his appointment, he forced King Carol to abdicate. Carol's son, Mihai, became the new King. Antonescu named himself Conducător (Leader) and assumed dictatorial powers, relegating the King to a merely decorative role.

Facing the prospect of two threats (Germany to the West, the Soviet Union to the East), Antonescu sought an alliance with Nazi Germany, hoping to at least gain back the territories lost to the Soviets. This partnership was equally inviting to the Germans, because of Romania's important oil reserves.

Antonescu approached the Fascist, anti-Semitic Iron Guard party and offered them seats in the Government (September 15, 1940). Antonescu desired to bring the Iron Guard under his direct control, because their paramilitary activities were undermining the authority of the state. The ensuing period was known as the 'National Legionary State' (Statul naţional-legionar). Eventually, after their demands for extended powers were repeatedly turned down by Antonescu, the Iron Guard rebelled (January 21, 1941). Antonescu quickly crushed the rebellion (with the consent of Germany, whose economic interests demanded stability in Romania), outlawed the Iron Guard and had their top leaders imprisoned or expelled from the country.

Romanian troops joined the German Wehrmacht in their attack against the Soviet Union (June 1941) and reoccupied lost territories as well as the city of Odessa in which, under his orders, the Odessa Massacre took place. Even after the recapturing of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina, Antonescu took the Romanian army deeper into Soviet territory. This decision was met with disapproval both by Romanian politicians and by the Allied powers. After the Romanians suffered huge losses in the Battle of Stalingrad and realised the war was lost, Antonescu's popularity declined sharply.

In the summer of 1944, as the Soviets were pushing the Germans closer and closer to Romania's eastern borders, Antonescu refused to change his stance. Thus, on August 23, 1944, King Michael, supported by Romania's top political parties, dismissed him and put him under arrest.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Political power", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki