Ilarion Ţiu, Istoria mişcării legionare 1944-1968
Ilarion Ţiu, History of the Legionary Movement 1944-1968

Summary/Abstract: Ilarion Ţiu’s book is composed of four chapters, each dealing with a separate phase in the evolution of the Legion, from a chronological perspective. The first chapter deals with the end of World War 2 (1944-1945) and the efforts undertaken by the movement to obtain a better position on the Romanian political scene, which was already being restructured after six years of dictatorship. The “Legionnaires” tried to organize a government in exile, but also to react to the power gained by the Communist party. The extreme-rightists attempted a political coalition with the National Peasants Party but failed (pp. 75). As political purges and arrests were already being initiated by the government, the “Legionnaires” announced publicly that they shall remain inactive, so as to avoid persecutions. In December 1945, the Ministry of Interior agreed to sign a convention with the Legion, according to which the “Legionnaires” would surrender their arms and renounce any disruptive activities and in exchange the Ministry offered assurances that those members who comply would not be persecuted (pp. 90-91). Ana Pauker, one of the most prominent members of the Politburo, advocated in favor of accepting “Legionnaires” in the Communist party, as a form of neutralization and control.

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