Századok – 2014
TANULMÁNYOK - Miskolczy Ambrus: A Vasgárda születése IV/845
874 MISKOLCZY AMBRUS büntetés” - hogy légionárius terminológiával éljünk.) Viszont, ami a kapitányságot illeti, talán mégis Codreanu találta ki, mert amikor még az összeesküvést szervezték „Vihar Kapitány” álnéven írt levelet.181 Jobb elnevezést nem is lehetett volna találni, megfelelt a légionáriusok által is idealizált betyárvilág stílusának és etikájának. THE BIRTH OF THE IRON GUARD by Miskolczy Ambrus (Summary) The Legion of Michael the Archangel or the Iron Guard started out as the third strongest and most coherent European fascist movement after those of Germany and Italy. Its founders came together in the course of the anti-semitic student manifestations of 1922-23, and then conceived of an infantile plot against some of the political leaders and well-known Jewish personalities. It was in the prison of Väcäre§ti that they came into intimate contact with the icon of Saint Michael in the local church, and consequently embarked on a process of instrumentalizing religion and incorporating it into their own political religion. At first they acted as members of the antisemitic league founded in 1923 and directed by A. C. Cuza. Yet, while Cuza represented the program of the expulsion of Jews in the framework of parliamentary politics, and wanted his party to function as did the other political parties, those of „Väcäre§ti” tried to transform the party in a paramilitary direction. Thus six among them left and formed in 1927 the Legion of Michael the Archangel. The leader became Corneliu Zelea Codreanu, who had established the charismatic nature of his leadership by shooting the police chief of Ia§i in 1924 and come to national fame thereby. The study contrasts the sources regarding the various events of crucial importance, highlighting their utterly contradictory nature, and tries to grasp that political atmosphere and social support which made it possible for an extreme-right movement, introducing political murders into its arsenal, to start its triumphal march. The punishment of crimes by representative democracy in accordance with the norms of the constitutional state might have been enough to prevent this movement from unfolding uncontollably. These youth only did what their fathers and peers would also have done willingly but for the lack of sufficient courage and determination. For the time being, they manifested only their solidarity. 18! procesele, I. 43.
