Mişcarea Legionară, între istorie și percepții actuale. Amestec de fascism și atitudini populiste

Abstract

The Legionary Movement (called also the Iron Guard) was a special political phenomenon, which appeared in a special socio-economic and geopolitical context, in interwar Romania. As some of the elements of this context seem to repeat today (the reappearance of regional conflicts, the fear of world wars, multiple economic and social crises, the rise of anti-system populist attitudes and anti-Semitism in social media, multiple feelings of frustration for large social categories), the analysis the phenomenon of the Legionnaire Movement is more actual than ever. And the way in which this political message is perceived, not only in historiography, but also among the voting population nowadays, is becoming more and more relevant. This analysis combines a historical approach, to explain the phenomenon of the Legionary Movement from the interwar period, with a sociological one, to evaluate today’s public perceptions towards this phenomenon, one that is part of the family of Eastern European fascisms, but also of a form of anti-system approach, stimulating populist attitudes, as they are defined today.