CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2011
| Author | Sandulescu, Valentin Adrian |
|---|---|
| Title | REVOLUTIONIZING ROMANIA FROM THE RIGHT: THE REGENERATIVE PROJECT OF THE ROMANIAN LEGIONARY MOVEMENT AND ITS FAILURE (1927 - 1937) |
| Summary | Rewriting and rethinking history in every generation as a way to mediate, like a translator, between past and present represents the function of a historian, as Peter Burke aptly stated. The current dissertation aimed at finding a way to make sense of a past time such as the interwar period, and especially of the emergence and development of fascism in the Romanian context. By placing the dissertation in the proximity of the “culturalist” approach I have started from a research hypothesis which assesses that fascism is a “coherent body of thought” (Roger Eatwell) a revolutionary political ideology which puts forward as its principal aim the necessity to regenerate a so-called state of decay and decline by bringing about a “new man” and a “new order.” Analyzing fascism from within, and considering it as a solid ideological construct, I wanted to better understand the diverse social support it garnered and the mass appeal that assured its political success in various contexts. Using archival material and interwar newspapers, journals and publications, I have attempted to understand the mass-appeal enjoyed by fascism in Romania in the 1930s and to explain the elements that attracted so many followers to the Legion, especially from the young generation. The thesis was structured having in mind the chronological aspect, with 1927 as the founding year of the Legion and 1937 being its most successful one. Furthermore the thesis focused on certain topics of interest, such as the “1922 student generation” and its political commitment, the adherence of the Axa group of intellectuals to the Iron Guard, the legionary work camp system, the social base of the legion and its political success in the 1937 elections. What I have tried to show throughout the dissertation was that the Legionary regenerative project aimed at saving the country from a perceived state of decay by creating a “new man” and a “new order” was regarded by many as a viable, albeit radical solution, and also satisfied the need for political activism for a great part of the young generation. Its ultimate failure, together with its violent record and tragic outcome are part of the one of the darkest chapters in twentieth-century Romanian history. |
| Supervisor | Daskalov, Roumen |
| Department | History PhD |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2011/hphsav01.pdf |
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