THE ROMANIAN OPPOSITION ACTIVITIES AFTER THE SPURIOUS ELECTIONS FROM NOVEMBER 1946. THE CASE OF THE LEGIONARY MOVEMENT
THE ROMANIAN OPPOSITION ACTIVITIES AFTER THE SPURIOUS ELECTIONS FROM NOVEMBER 1946. THE CASE OF THE LEGIONARY MOVEMENT

Summary/Abstract: After the November-1946 elections, the leaders of the Legionary Movement decided to stop observing the protocol with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, negotiated in late 1945 by Nicolae Petrașcu with the Communist Party officials. The authorities initiated campaigns for arresting active legionaries, which caused a panic behaviour among the adepts of the organization. The leaders of the Movement were summoned to react as the communists, once having legally reached to power, wanted to repress the legionaries. On the other hand, Horia Sima, in Western Europe, wanted in his turn for the Legionary Movement to give up the neutrality politics. With American support, he disposed organizing within the country an information service in favour of the democratic powers. To this purpose, Eugen Teodorescu was sent in the country, with the mission of setting in motion a legionary network that should obtain whatsoever information on the Communist and Soviet activity in Romania. Consequently, in late 1947, the Legionary Movement manifested again as opposition force against the regime installed in Bucharest after the 23rd of August 1944, paradoxically benefiting of USA’s support. The Americans were disposed to “erase” the legionaries’ extremist past, hoping they would find allies disposed to make active opposition within Romania’s borders.

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