On November 23, 1940, Romania signs the Tripartite Pact, officially allying itself with Germany, Italy and Japan.
As early as 1937, Romania had come under control of a fascist government that bore great resemblance to that of Germany’s, including similar anti-Jewish laws. Romania’s king, Carol II, dissolved the government a year later because of a failing economy and installed Romania’s Orthodox Patriarch as prime minister. But the Patriarch’s death and peasant uprising provoked renewed agitation by the fascist Iron Guard paramilitary organization, which sought to impose order. In June 1940, the Soviet Union co-opted two Romanian provinces, and the king searched for an ally to help protect it and appease the far right within its own borders. So on July 5, 1940, Romania allied itself with Nazi Germany—only to be invaded by its “ally” as part of Hitler’s strategy to create one huge eastern front against the Soviet Union.
King Carol abdicated on September 6, 1940, leaving the country in the control of fascist Prime Minister Ion Antonescu and the Iron Guard. Signing the Tripartite Pact was now inevitable. Originally formulated in Berlin on September 27, the pact formally recognized an alliance between Germany, Italy, and Japan, termed the “Axis.” As more European nations became subject to fascist domination and invasion, they too were drawn into the pact, albeit as unequal partners (Hungary was made an Axis “power” on November 20). Now it was Romania’s turn.
While Romania would recapture the territory lost to the Soviet Union when the Germans invaded Russia, it would also have to endure the Germans’ pillaging its resources as part of the Nazi war effort. Besides taking control of Romania’s oil wells and installations, Hitler would help himself to Romania’s food crops, causing a food shortage for native Romanians.
As an Italian in the United States in high school they would always bring this up when I first moved here lol
Romania (and whole eastern europe in general) was stuck between angry genocidal guy with large mustaches and angry, genocidal guy with small mustaches.
We hoped we’ll impress Hitler good enough to give Transilvania back to us. Meanwhile the Russians gave it back to us but with a price.
Well, choosing between slaughter and slaughter wasn’t exactly easy…
Read that Ion Antonescu was actually getting along pretty well with Hitler, who appreciated him for being smart and a good strategist, and was one of the first leaders outside of Nazi Germany to be informed about Operation Barbarossa.
Happy Nazi anniversary!
Like Finnland they had to choose between two fascist systems… they choosed also the (for them) lesser evil.
U-untill they changed their mind on 23 august 1944
My mother would say – bad choices of friends
Fun fact:
Both Hungary and Romania hoped to gain an advantage over the other by joining with Germany (because they hated each other). The nazis loved it because it made both countries try to “outperform” the other in licking Germanys boots.
On the other side this had major negative consequences on the military situation. Genrally speaking romanian and hungarian divisions/armies couldnt operate next to each other because there was the general fear that they would start fighting each other instead of the soviets. Therefore basically always a german (or italian) unit was placed in between them. Do to the hungarians and romanians usually beeing badly equipped this resulted in german units often (late war) heaving weaker flanks and getting easier encircled by the soviets.
Another military deficit of this was the fact that both Romania and Hungary kept major military units at home on each others borders. Both of them basically expected the other one to betray them at any point (which in Romanias case actually happened). These units were obviously needed elsewere.
Hungary and Romania in the Axis is propably one of the weirdest alliances of WW2. They were like siblings hating each other and competing for daddy germanys attention.
Cmon lads nobody needs to remember this.
But gypsies were persecuted in the holocaust. Romania has lots of those.
most people are well aware of the fact that Germany and Italy were fascist dictatorships but few know there were also *lesser* fascist or *quasi* fascist regimes in Europe – Romania, Hungary, Poland
Poland eg was described by the Nazi press as having a good understanding of the spirit of national socialism
the military junta that ruled Poland ran a brutal concentration camp where various opposition or minority leaders were extra judiciously thrown by government officials
Didn’t work out so well, did it? What could go wrong siding with a genocidal maniac?
Wouldn’t that make it the Quadpartite Pact?
Ewww Nazis
Imagine being the 4th signatory to the tripartite pact. Take the hint guys.
It wasn’t like there was much choice…being left alone and surrounded by enemies, with the country torn by Nazi sanctioned Wien Diktate…
Hitler was the only world leader that warranted Romania safe borders and help against Soviet agenda. The only one!!!
North, west and south borders were German and East border was Soviet…not much of a choice in the matter!
Hey, u/moomanjo, I don’t mind your nazi related posts at all, but why don’t you post soviet crimes as well?
20 comments
[Context ](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/romania-becomes-an-axis-power)
On November 23, 1940, Romania signs the Tripartite Pact, officially allying itself with Germany, Italy and Japan.
As early as 1937, Romania had come under control of a fascist government that bore great resemblance to that of Germany’s, including similar anti-Jewish laws. Romania’s king, Carol II, dissolved the government a year later because of a failing economy and installed Romania’s Orthodox Patriarch as prime minister. But the Patriarch’s death and peasant uprising provoked renewed agitation by the fascist Iron Guard paramilitary organization, which sought to impose order. In June 1940, the Soviet Union co-opted two Romanian provinces, and the king searched for an ally to help protect it and appease the far right within its own borders. So on July 5, 1940, Romania allied itself with Nazi Germany—only to be invaded by its “ally” as part of Hitler’s strategy to create one huge eastern front against the Soviet Union.
King Carol abdicated on September 6, 1940, leaving the country in the control of fascist Prime Minister Ion Antonescu and the Iron Guard. Signing the Tripartite Pact was now inevitable. Originally formulated in Berlin on September 27, the pact formally recognized an alliance between Germany, Italy, and Japan, termed the “Axis.” As more European nations became subject to fascist domination and invasion, they too were drawn into the pact, albeit as unequal partners (Hungary was made an Axis “power” on November 20). Now it was Romania’s turn.
While Romania would recapture the territory lost to the Soviet Union when the Germans invaded Russia, it would also have to endure the Germans’ pillaging its resources as part of the Nazi war effort. Besides taking control of Romania’s oil wells and installations, Hitler would help himself to Romania’s food crops, causing a food shortage for native Romanians.
As an Italian in the United States in high school they would always bring this up when I first moved here lol
November 1940, so this happened [few months after USSR attacked Romania.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_occupation_of_Bessarabia_and_Northern_Bukovina)
Romania (and whole eastern europe in general) was stuck between angry genocidal guy with large mustaches and angry, genocidal guy with small mustaches.
We hoped we’ll impress Hitler good enough to give Transilvania back to us. Meanwhile the Russians gave it back to us but with a price.
Well, choosing between slaughter and slaughter wasn’t exactly easy…
Read that Ion Antonescu was actually getting along pretty well with Hitler, who appreciated him for being smart and a good strategist, and was one of the first leaders outside of Nazi Germany to be informed about Operation Barbarossa.
Happy Nazi anniversary!
Like Finnland they had to choose between two fascist systems… they choosed also the (for them) lesser evil.
U-untill they changed their mind on 23 august 1944
My mother would say – bad choices of friends
Fun fact:
Both Hungary and Romania hoped to gain an advantage over the other by joining with Germany (because they hated each other). The nazis loved it because it made both countries try to “outperform” the other in licking Germanys boots.
On the other side this had major negative consequences on the military situation. Genrally speaking romanian and hungarian divisions/armies couldnt operate next to each other because there was the general fear that they would start fighting each other instead of the soviets. Therefore basically always a german (or italian) unit was placed in between them. Do to the hungarians and romanians usually beeing badly equipped this resulted in german units often (late war) heaving weaker flanks and getting easier encircled by the soviets.
Another military deficit of this was the fact that both Romania and Hungary kept major military units at home on each others borders. Both of them basically expected the other one to betray them at any point (which in Romanias case actually happened). These units were obviously needed elsewere.
Hungary and Romania in the Axis is propably one of the weirdest alliances of WW2. They were like siblings hating each other and competing for daddy germanys attention.
Cmon lads nobody needs to remember this.
But gypsies were persecuted in the holocaust. Romania has lots of those.
most people are well aware of the fact that Germany and Italy were fascist dictatorships but few know there were also *lesser* fascist or *quasi* fascist regimes in Europe – Romania, Hungary, Poland
Poland eg was described by the Nazi press as having a good understanding of the spirit of national socialism
the military junta that ruled Poland ran a brutal concentration camp where various opposition or minority leaders were extra judiciously thrown by government officials
Didn’t work out so well, did it? What could go wrong siding with a genocidal maniac?
Wouldn’t that make it the Quadpartite Pact?
Ewww Nazis
Imagine being the 4th signatory to the tripartite pact. Take the hint guys.
It wasn’t like there was much choice…being left alone and surrounded by enemies, with the country torn by Nazi sanctioned Wien Diktate…
Hitler was the only world leader that warranted Romania safe borders and help against Soviet agenda. The only one!!!
North, west and south borders were German and East border was Soviet…not much of a choice in the matter!
Hey, u/moomanjo, I don’t mind your nazi related posts at all, but why don’t you post soviet crimes as well?