Although Italian fascism is the second most studied form of fascism, I’m personally very interested in fascism’s Romanian variant. While lacking some of the aspects of fascism in other nations presented in this series of blog posts, Romanian fascism mimics others in particularly intense forms.
Beliefs of Romanian Fascism
One of these was its focus on blood and soil. As I remarked a few posts back, members of Romania’s Legion of the Archangel Michael wore packets of Romanian soil next to their hearts. In the eyes of Corneliu Codreanu, fascist leader in Romania, the Romanian peasant represented all that was good, wise, and holy. Codreanu often appeared in peasant costume, a sharp departure from men such as Hitler and Mussolini who nearly always appeared in military uniform in public.
Religion and Romanian Fascism
Codreanu also followed Nazi protocol in his hatred of the Jews. At one point he told a British journalist, “The Jews, the Jews, they are our curse. They poison our state, our life, our people. They demoralize our nation. They destroy our youth. They are the arch enemies. The Jews scheme and plot and plan to ruin our national life. We shall not allow this to happen. We, the Iron Guard, will stand in the way of such devilry. We shall destroy the Jews before they can destroy us.” No anti-Semite in Germany could have put it better.
Speaking of the Iron Guard, this brings out an aspect of fascism in Romania that was rather different than what one sees in most other nations. In Romania, there was a pronounced connection between religion and fascism. The fact that Codreanu called one military organization the Legion of the Archangel Michael is a good indication of this connection. In Catholic Christianity the angel Michael is the avenging angel of God who led God’s army of angels against Satan. At the end of time Michael will wield the sword of justice to separate the righteous from the unrighteous.
The symbol of the Legion was an angel raising a sword and carrying a shield, and this unit fused religious intensity with the idea of blood and soil. As Codreanu said, “The most beautiful aspect of Legionary life is death. The Legionary death has nothing in common with ordinary death. Through his death the Legionary becomes one with Eternity; through his death the Legionary becomes the earthly incarnation of history. He becomes a legend. The Legionary must not hesitate before death. Legionary death is dear to his heart; a goal is achieved through it; it becomes a symbol. The death of the Legionary is a symbol, a cult.”
Click Here to Subscribe to My History Blog!
Thank you for following this series of blog posts concerning the political philosophy of fascism. I hope you’ve now learned enough to be aware of what it is, what it is not, and what characteristics make someone a fascist. If you enjoyed and learned something from this series, please share it with friends and encourage them to visit this blog for further outstanding and educational posts about history and its importance. Cheers, everyone.
Please Subscribe!
If you enjoyed this blog, please consider signing up to follow it by scrolling down or clicking here, and recommending it to your friends. As always, I welcome constructive and polite discussion in the comments section. Thank you!