Across Europe there were many former politicians after the Second World War who were responsible
for crimes against humanity who were executed after the war had come to an end.
Many countries collaborated with the Nazis and the Germans, there was a huge amount of
suffering in many occupied countries.
Thousands of people were deported to concentration camps, and inside of Romania the soldiers
of the army were responsible for the persecution and slaughter of 260,000 people inside of
their lands.
Romania in fact had the third largest axis army in Europe, only behind Germany and Italy
and one man who came to power in the country was Prime Minister Ion Antonescu.
However one man who shared the same surname with him was his deputy prime minister, Mihai
Antonescu, and at the end of the war he was shot by a firing squad as he was considered
a terrible war criminal.
Join us today as we look at the execution of Mihai Antonescu, and as always to support
our channel please make sure to subscribe.
Mihai Antonescu as a young man attended a university to study law, and he would before
he entered politics become an attorney before he entered government.
But he would in 1940 become the Minister of Foreign Affairs to Prime Minister Ion Antonescu.
Ion Antonescu forced the abdication of Carol II in favour of his 19 year old son Michael,
and he became the leader of the Iron Guard the only legal political party in Romania.
The party toughened the anti semitic persecution and legislation across the country, and they
would join the axis powers and would execute many politicians and officials who opposed
them.
Romania during the Second World War would be involved during Operation Barbarossa and
Hitler would reward Romania’s loyalty with further lands and territory which had been
captured.
Romania would supply Nazi Germany and the Axis army with oil grain and industrial products,
but Mihai Antonescu was to begin with not a huge supporter of the Iron guard.
He was in fact a member of the National Liberal Party an opponent of them.
But when he came to power as a minister, he went towards the far right, and he then became
friends with many members of the Nazi Party and he was considered one of the most trusted
advisors.
He would be favoured over other ministers, and Mihai was involved in censoring the criticism
of the government and creating anti semitic propaganda inside of the newspapers and media.
Quickly Mihai Antonescu became the second most powerful man across Romania during the
Second World War.
But whilst the Prime Minister was focussed on the Romanian Army and their antics during
the conflict, at home Mihai was in control of the country’s matters inside Romania.
He was not the happiest with the fact that the country was so closely allied and linked
with the Nazis, as Ion Antonescu strengthened the countries ties with Hitler’s regime
following the early victories against the Soviets.
But Mihai was running the interior ministry, and he created a number of laws that caused
much suffering and he would continue the persecutions across the land.
His laws resulted in thousands of Jews being forced out of their jobs and they were also
denied access to many careers, and they had lots of their property seized and taken.
In 1941 he would also approve pogroms, and he removed the governments protection of Romanian
Jews, meaning that these men women and children were now attacked by the Germans and the Nazis
and they would be rounded up and executed.
So he removed the protection thousands of people had and they were now exposed to execution
by the Einsatzgruppen.
Mihai Antonescu even approved the slaughter of more people across Europe, and because
of this many were transported to concentration camps.
But throughout 1942, Ion Antonescu became alerted to the fact that things were not going
right for the Germans during the war and because of this he began to search for a way out of
the war for Romania.
He then tried to speak to Hitler and convince him to make peace with the Western Allies
and then he wanted the Nazis to focus their efforts on defeating the Soviet Union.
However when the Soviets defeated the Axis armies during the Battle of Stalingrad, the
Prime Minister realised that the war was lost for the Axis and to protect himself he began
to order his government to destroy inciriminating files and documents that would tell the truth
about Romania’s involvement in the holocaust and in the persecution of the jews.
Mihai Antonescu then began to be outspoke about the withdrawal of Romania from the war,
and he would speak to the other minor allies of the nazis to try to convince them to withdraw
their support and to break up large parts of the axis alliance.
Mihai also believed that Mussolini would be the one who could be powerful enough to stand
up to Hitler and to force his hand into some sort of negotiation that would save their
war effort.
But under his plan, it was hoped that the four countries, Romania Hungary, Italy and
Finland who would turn against the Nazis and other European nations would isolate the Germans.
Mihai Antonescu then as foreign minister strengthened the alliance Romania had with Italy and he
visited Mussolini in June 1943 and he found out that Mussolini did agree to the plan.
However he would be hesitant to carry out the plan to isolate Hitler and the Naizs.
But he tried to ally the country with the Americans and also the British, and he tried
to help the relations Romania had with them.
He also stopped the deportations of Romania’s jews and allowed Jews to emigrate to countries
not inside of the axis nations, and he also repatriated others that were inside concentration
camps.
But in August 1944, the Soviets were really gathering pace and they were getting closer
towards Romania.
King Michael then sacked the government of Ion Antonescu, and he declared that Romania
surrendered.
Because of this Mihai Antonescu was arrested, and he would then be handed over to the new
government who placed him on trial.
He was brought in front of a communist influenced tribunal and evidence was heard about Mihai’s
involvement in persecution, in the suffering of thousands and what his role was in the
government which was so closely allied with Hitler.
Because of this, he was then found guilty of war crimes and was then condemned to death
to die by a firing squad alongside other prominent members of the Romania government.
He would die next to his prime Minister Ion Antonescu.
On the 1st June 1946, he was led out of his prison to an execution site near to the Jilava
Prison.
A firing squad had been gathered to execute the former prime minister of Romania and his
deputy, and Mihai Antonescu was led out to face them.
In a clearing, he was accompanied to his execution by 4 other men who were dying that day, and
Mihai Antonescu was the most second most high profile one to be executed.
He was tied to a stake to ensure that he could not move, and images show him stood rather
nonchalantly with his arms crossed and his palms clasped in his final moments.
The charges and the confirmation of death was read, before shortly after the firing
squad were readied.
They were told to aim, and then quickly they fired upon the men including Antonescu who
was killed instantly.
He refused to wear a blindfold facing his executioners, and he raised his hat in a salute
once the order to fire was given.
Mihai Antonescu was the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Romania during the
Second World War and he was condemned to death as a war criminal.
He would be involved in the persecutions of thousands, but as the war came to an end he
tried to cosy up to the allies to portray himself and his nation in a better light.
He would try to lighten the persecution of people inside of the country but only because
he had to as he wanted to save his government and make them seem less dangerous than they
were.
But ultimately he was a man who followed the policies of his prime minister and he was
condemned to death for his brutality.
Thanks for watching
To support please subscribe
Once again thanks for watching