Editing Ion Antonescu (section)

===Antisemitism and antiziganism===
[[File:פוגרום יאשי 1.JPG|thumb|250px|[[Iași pogrom]] in Romania, June 1941]]
A recurring element in Antonescu's doctrines is [[racism]], and in particular [[antisemitism]]. This was linked to his sympathy for [[Ethnocracy|ethnocratic]] ideals, and complemented by his statements in favour of "[[integral nationalism]]" and "Romanianism".<ref>''Final Report'', pp. 116, 181.</ref> Like other [[far right]] Romanians, he saw a Jewish presence behind [[liberal democracy]], and believed in the existence of [[Judeo-Masonry]].<ref>''Final Report'', pp. 246–247, 248, 322–323.</ref> His earliest thoughts on Codreanu's ideology criticize the Legionary leader for advocating "brutal measures" in dealing with the "invasion of Jews", and instead propose "the organization of Romanian classes" as a method for reaching the same objective.<ref name=d39/> Politician [[Aureliu Weiss]], who met General Antonescu during that interval, recalled that, although antisemitic "to the core", he was capable of restraint in public.<ref name="fr243">''Final Report'', p. 243.</ref> According to historian [[Mihail Ionescu]], the ''Conducător'' was not averse to the Iron Guard's "Legionary principles", but wanted antisemitism to be "applied in an orderly fashion", as opposed to [[Horia Sima]]'s revolutionary ways.<ref name=r1/> Historian [[Ioan Scurtu]] believes that, during the [[Legionnaires' rebellion and Bucharest pogrom|Legionary Rebellion]], Antonescu deliberately waited before stepping in, in order for the Guard to be "profoundly discredited" and for himself to be perceived as a "saviour".<ref name=r1/> In April 1941, he let his ministers know that he was considering letting "the mob" deal with the Jews, "and after the slaughter, I will restore order."<ref name=fr243/> Lucian Boia notes that the Romanian leader was indeed motivated by antisemitic beliefs, but that these need to be contextualized in order to understand what separates Antonescu from Hitler in terms of radicalism.<ref>Boia, p. 260.</ref> However, various other researchers assess that, by aligning himself with Hitler before and during [[Operation Barbarossa]], Antonescu implicitly agreed with his thoughts on the "[[Jewish Question]]", choosing [[Racial antisemitism|racial]] over [[religious antisemitism]].<ref name=r2/><ref>''Final Report'', pp. 116, 127–128, 181–182, 184, 202–203, 323, 325, 383, 385; Deletant, pp. 1, 128–129; Trașcă, pp. 388–389.</ref> According to Harvey, the [[Iași pogrom]] made the Germans "evidently willing to accept that organized Christianity in Romania was very different from what it was in Germany".<ref name=adh498/>

Antonescu was a firm believer in the [[conspiracy theory]] of "[[Jewish Bolshevism]]", according to which all Jews were supporters of [[communism]] and the Soviet Union.<ref name=r2/><ref>''Final Report'', pp. 101, 209–211, 243–247, 384; Deletant, pp. 15–20, 116–120, 128–129, 138, 140–141, 210–211, 259, 276–277, 318; Ioanid, pp. 232–233; Penkower, p. 182; Trașcă, pp. 387–389.</ref> His arguments on the matter involved a spurious claim that, during the [[Soviet occupation of Bessarabia and northern Bukovina|1940 retreat from Bessarabia]], the Jews had organized themselves and attacked Romanian soldiers.<ref name=r2/><ref>''Final Report'', pp. 82–86, 247, 285; Deletant, pp. 15–20, 140–142, 318; Ioanid, p. 232; Trașcă, p. 387. Several researchers mention violence committed by retreating Romanian troops against the [[Bessarabian Jews]] (Browning, pp. 275–276; Deletant, p. 18; King p. 93) or the retaliatory [[Dorohoi pogrom]] (''Final Report'', pp. 84–86).</ref> In part, this notion exaggerated unilateral reports of enthusiasm among the marginalized Jews upon the arrival of [[Red Army]] troops.<ref>Boia, pp. 258–259; Deletant, pp. 15–20; Ornea, p. 394.</ref> In a summer 1941 address to his ministers, Antonescu stated: "The Satan is the Jew. [Ours] is a battle of life and death. Either we win and the world will be purified, either they win and we will become their slaves."<ref>Deletant, p. 85. Partly rendered in ''Final Report'', p. 244 and Trașcă, p. 388.</ref> At around the same time, he envisaged the [[ethnic cleansing]] ("cleaning out") of Jews from the eastern Romanian-held territories.<ref name=r2/><ref>''Final Report'', pp. 120–122, 127–142, 169, 175–177, 321; Ancel (2005 a), pp. 15–19, 291, 402; Deletant, pp. 79, 116–118, 127–130, 142–150, 155–156, 319; Polonsky, p. 27. The term used by [[Mihai Antonescu]] in his recommendations to the Romanian administrators is "ethnic purification", as confinement to "labor camps, where Jews and other foreigners with doubtful attitudes will not be able to exercise their prejudicial influences." (Ioanid, p. 232); Achim, p. 167; Browning, p. 276; Trașcă, pp. 387–389.</ref> However, as early as February 1941, Antonescu was also contemplating the [[ghetto]]ization of all Jewish Romanians, as an early step toward their expulsion.<ref>Deletant, p. 129.</ref> In this context, Antonescu frequently depicted Jews as a disease or a poison.<ref>''Final Report'', pp. 133–134; Deletant, pp. 118, 206.</ref> After the [[Battle of Stalingrad]], he encouraged the army commanders to resist the counteroffensive, as otherwise the Soviets "will bring Bolshevism to the country, wipe out the entire leadership stratum, impose the Jews on us, and deport masses of our people."<ref>Ancel (2005 b), p. 234.</ref>

Ion Antonescu's [[antiziganism]] manifested itself as the claim that some or all [[Romani people]], specifically [[Nomadic peoples of Europe|nomadic]] ones, were given to criminal behaviour.<ref>''Final Report'', pp. 225–228, 240–241; Achim, pp. 168–169; Deletant, pp. 189–190; Ioanid, p. 234; Kelso, pp. 97–98.</ref> The regime did not act consistently on this belief: in various cases, those deported had close relatives drafted into the Romanian Army.<ref>''Final Report'', p. 229; Achim, p. 169; Deletant, p. 192; Ioanid, p. 234; Kelso, pp. 101, 105, 124–127.</ref> Although racist slogans targeting Romani people had been popularized by the Iron Guard, it was only under Antonescu's unchallenged rule that solving the "Gypsy problem" became official policy and antiziganist measures were enforced.<ref>''Final Report'', pp. 225–226; Achim, pp. 166–167; Deletant, pp. 187–189.</ref> After a February 1941 inspection, Antonescu singled out Bucharest's Romani community for alleged offences committed during the [[Blackout (wartime)|blackout]], and called on his ministers to present him with solutions.<ref>''Final Report'', pp. 227, 240–241; Achim, pp. 168, 171; Deletant, pp. 188–189, 254.</ref> Initially, he contemplated sending all Romani people he considered undesirable to the inhospitable [[Bărăgan Plain]], to join the ranks of a local community of manual labourers.<ref>''Final Report'', pp. 225–226; Achim, pp. 168, 171; Deletant, p. 188.</ref> In 1942, he commissioned the Romanian Central Institute for Statistics to compile a report on Romani [[demography]], which, in its edited form, provided [[Scientific racism|scientifically racist]] conclusions, warning the ''Conducător'' about alleged Romani-Romanian [[miscegenation]] in rural Romania.<ref>Kelso, p. 98.</ref> In doing so, Antonescu offered some credit to a marginal and [[Pseudoscience|pseudoscientific]] trend in Romanian sociology, which, basing itself on [[Eugenics|eugenic]] theories, recommended the marginalization, deportation or [[Sterilization of Romani women|compulsory sterilization of the Romani people]], whose numeric presence it usually exaggerated.<ref>''Final Report'', pp. 223–228; Achim, pp. 164–168.</ref> Among those who signed the report was demographer [[Sabin Manuilă]], who saw the Romani presence as a major racial problem.<ref>''Final Report'', p. 227; Achim, p. 168; Deletant, pp. 187–188.</ref> The exact effect of the report's claims on Antonescu is uncertain.<ref>According to Achim (pp. 167–170, 179, 182–183, 185) and Deletant (pp. 189–190), the measures reflected Antonescu's views on "social problems" more than a racist perspective. However, Kelso (pp. 99–100) believes the report was a notable factor in the decision to deport the Romani people.</ref>