Keep iron

The Guard of Iron (in Rumanian: Kept To trust ) was a nationalist movement , fascistic and anti-semite which existed in Romania between 1927 and the beginning of the Second world war.

Founded originally by Corneliu Zelea Codreanu the July 24th 1927, as Legions of the Archangel Michael ( Legiunea Arhanghelului Mihail ), and directed by him until its death in 1938, the members with the movement continued, in spite of the various name changes of the organization, to refer in the name of “ Légionnaires ” and of the Movement legionary ( Mişcarea Legionară ). It is in March 1930 which Codreanu formed the Garde of iron , as the paramilitary and political branch of the Legion, which ends up indicating the Legion itself. Later, in June 1939, the Legion changed name to be called " Very for Pays" ( Totul pentru Ţară ).

A bloody fight for the capacity

December 10th, 1933, the first Rumanian liberal minister Ion Duca banishes the iron Guard. Its members are avenged by assassinating Duca on December 29th in the station for Sinaia.

In 1937, the legion becomes the 3rd party at the Parliament. At the beginning of 1938, the king dissolves the Parliament.

Codreanu is arrested and imprisoned in April 1938. With other legionaries, it is killed during the night from November 29th to 30th 1938, officially while trying to escape, makes some in reprisals of the murder of a friend of the Minister of Interior Department Armand Călinescu.

The Călinescu March 7th, 1939 becomes the Prime Minister of a new government. He is assassinated on September 21st, 1939 by legionaries who want to avenge Codreanu. Mutual reprisals follow.

Short rise

During the first months of the Second world war, Romania was officially neutral. However, especially after the Pact Molotov-Ribbentrop of the August 23rd 1939 which amongst other things recognized the Soviet interests in Bessarabia, the former promises of the France and the the United Kingdom were not worth more than for the Poland. When Germany invades Poland, Romania refused to accommodate the Polish government in escape. Even after the assassination of Călinescu, the king Carol II of Romania tried to maintain a neutrality. But the French capitulation and the retirement of the British troops of the continent of Europe made definitively illusory their guarantees towards Romania. A bringing together towards the Axe became inevitable.

Political alignment was perceived favorably by the surviving legionaries. The government of Ion Gigurtu, formed the July 4th 1940 was the first to include/understand a member of the Legion. But at the time or the movement obtained a share of the capacity, the majority of its charismatic leaders had already died: Horia Sima, a violent one anti-semite become the chief of the movement after the death of Codreanu, was one of the legionaries of foreground to have survived the carnage of the previous years.

The September 4th 1940, the Legion was combined with the general (future marshal) Ion Antonescu in order to form a government of “State national-legionary”, which forced Carol II to abdicate in favor of his/her son Mihai, and approached even more Axis. Romania joined officially the Axis in June 1941. Horia Sima became the vice-president of the Council of Ministers.

Once with the capacity, the Legion increased the hardness of the legislation already severe anti-semite, and launched in all impunity a pogrom campaign and political assassinations. Moreover, it practiced the Clientélisme, the Extorsion and the Chantage in the commercial and financial sectors. More than 60 former dignitaries or official were carried out with the prison Jilava while waiting for their lawsuit. The historian and former Prime Minister Nicolae Iorga as well as the economist Virgil Madgearu, also a former minister, were assassinated without same the pretext of an arrest.

However the Legion overestimated its power. The January 24th 1941 Antonescu successfully repressed a military Coup d'etat of the Legion. The legion lost its role within the government like its protection. Horia Sima and of many other legionaries took refuge in Germany. Others were imprisoned.

Another movement of the same name

There exists another fascistic political movement named the " Kept of Fier" which took seat with beginning of the year 70. There exists also a political group Argentinian known under the name of Guarda de Hierro , the Guard of iron - these two movements do not have a direct relationship with the movement of Codreanu.

See too

External bonds

the account of the pogrom of 21 January 23rd, 1942 old Bucharest by corresponding Leigh White of Jewish Telegraphic Agency in Eastern Europe
Exposed on the iron Guard (very detailed article)
Iron Guard nowadays
Website dedicated to Corneliu Zelea Codreanu, founder off the Iron Guard
Website dedicated to Horia Sima, to form To order off the Iron Guard