Cleansing the Czechoslovak Borderlands: Migration, Environment, and Health in the Former Sudetenland

The Legionary headquarters only moved from Iaşi, the Moldavian capital, to Bucharest in 1933. Codreanu ceased wearing Moldavian peasant costume in favour of a suit and tie. Nevertheless, Schmitt argues that Codreanu remained essentially a national romantic from rural Moldavia, more at home in nature and in the mountain monasteries than amongst Bucharest intellectuals. It is therefore not surprising that for Codreanu the salvation of the Romanian nation was ultimately religious rather than political. There is much in this volume that will be of interest to those seeking to understand the origins, growth and popularity of the Romanian Legionary movement. More importantly, however, Schmitt gives us important insights into the mind-set and character of one of inter-war Europe’s most popular and charismatic fascist leaders.