Nicolae Rădescu (; 30 March 1874 – 16 May 1953) was a Romanian army officer and political figure. He was the last pre-
communist rule Prime Minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
of Romania, serving from 7 December 1944 to 1 March 1945.
Biography
Early life and education
The son of small landowners (Radu and Zamfira), Rădescu was born on 30 March 1874 in
Călimănești
Călimănești, often known as Călimănești-Căciulata, is a town in Vâlcea County, southern Romania. It is situated in the Historical regions of Romania, historical region of Oltenia and the northern part of the county, on the traditional rou ...
,
Vâlcea County
Vâlcea County (also spelt ''Vîlcea''; ) is a county (județ) that lies in south-central Romania. Located in the Historical regions of Romania, historical regions of Oltenia and Muntenia (which are separated by the Olt (river), Olt River), it i ...
.
He attended the Military School for Officers, graduating on 1 July 1898 with the rank of second lieutenant. He pursued his military studies at the Cavalry School, graduating in June 1900 and being promoted to lieutenant in 1903, and then at the
Higher War School in
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
(1904–1905), being promoted to captain on 4 October 1909.
Second Balkan War and World War I
In the summer of 1913 he saw action with the 1st Cavalry Division in the military campaign in
Bulgaria
Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
during the
Second Balkan War. He was promoted to major on 1 April 1916, and served in
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
during the
Romanian Campaign of 1916 with the 5th Regiment ''Călărași'', fighting against the
German forces at the
Carpathian mountain passes. For his bravery and skill at the
Battle of Sălătrucu
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
, in the
Topolog Valley, he was awarded on 10 January 1917 the
Order of Michael the Brave, 3rd Class. In April 1917 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel; he served as Chief of Staff for the 2nd Cavalry Division until 1 September 1918, and was promoted to colonel in April 1919.
The Interwar period
On 27 May 1920 Rădescu was appointed adjutant of
King
King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
Ferdinand
Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "courage" or "ready, prepared" related to Old High German "to risk, ventu ...
, after which he served as
in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
(1926–1928). Upon his return, he was promoted in March 1928 to brigadier general. He served as commanding officer of the 4th Brigade ''Roșiori'', after which he was attached to the Inspectorate-General of Cavalry, and then commanded the 1st Cavalry Division (1931–1933). He resigned from the Army on 5 February 1933 and transferred to the retired reserves.
Upon presenting his resignation, he accused "profiteering politicians" and King
Carol II
Carol II (4 April 1953) was King of Romania from 8 June 1930, until his forced abdication on 6 September 1940. As the eldest son of Ferdinand I of Romania, King Ferdinand I, he became crown prince upon the death of his grand-uncle, King Carol I, ...
's
camarilla of commercializing military life.
That same month Rădescu joined the
People's Party of
Marshal
Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...
Alexandru Averescu. In the mid-1930s, he became involved in nationalist politics; he supported a
far right
Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and Nativism (politics), nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on ...
movement called ''
Cruciada Românismului'' ("The
Crusade
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...
of Romanianism"), aimed at the cultural "Romanization" of Germans and Hungarians in
Transylvania
Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...
. This short-lived movement was a splinter group of the
Iron Guard
The Iron Guard () was a Romanian militant revolutionary nationalism, revolutionary Clerical fascism, religious fascist Political movement, movement and political party founded in 1927 by Corneliu Zelea Codreanu as the Legion of the Archangel M ...
, created by
Mihai Stelescu. After Stelescu was assassinated in July 1936 by an
Iron Guard death squad, Rădescu became a leader of the movement, which quickly faded afterwards.
Because of his political stances and his opinions regarding the royal camarilla, he started being monitored by the secret police (''
Siguranța Statului'').
World War II and the rise of Communism
After King Carol II abdicated in September 1940, Rădescu charged dictator
Ion Antonescu with collaborating with the
Nazis
Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
.
As noted by ex-
President Emil Constantinescu at a memorial ceremony, Rădescu opposed the advance of Romanian troops beyond the
Dniester River after
Bessarabia and
Northern Bukovina had been
recaptured in 1941 from the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. In 1942, Rădescu wrote an article critical of the German ambassador
Manfred Freiherr von Killinger and his constant intrusion in the internal affairs of Romania. He was interned as a
political prisoner
A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention.
There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although ...
in the
Târgu Jiu camp. On 23 August 1944, immediately after Antonescu's downfall in
King Michael's Coup
King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a constitutional monarch if his power is restrained by ...
, Rădescu was released from prison. On 15 October he was appointed
Chief of the Romanian General Staff at the insistence of the
Soviet
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
government, which favored him for his independence and his reputation as an ardent anti-fascist who was respected by the people.
He became prime minister on 7 December 1944. The Soviet government initially supported him; on a visit to Bucharest, the Deputy Foreign Minister,
Andrey Vyshinsky
Andrey Yanuaryevich Vyshinsky (; ) ( – 22 November 1954) was a Soviet politician, jurist and diplomat.
He is best known as a Procurator General of the Soviet Union, state prosecutor of Joseph Stalin's Moscow Trials and in the Nuremberg trial ...
, publicly expressed Soviet confidence in the
Rădescu government. Soon after the situation changed, as conflicts over the armistice agreement emerged, especially over Moscow's demand for $300 million in reparations; Rădescu also resisted the Soviet order to
deport Germans from Romania to the Soviet Union.
To assist with the imposition of a communist government, the Soviet
NKGB and the Romanian communists supported the ''Patriotic Defense Guards''; these paramilitary organizations, which appeared after August 1944, were placed under the command of
Emil Bodnăraș. On 15 January 1945, Rădescu ordered the dissolution of the Guards, but
Teohari Georgescu and Bodnăraș ignored the instructions. At the same time, Deputy Prime Minister
Petru Groza
Petru Groza (7 December 1884 – 7 January 1958) was a Romanian politician, best known as the first Prime Minister of Romania, Prime Minister of the Romanian Communist Party, Communist Party-dominated government under Soviet Union, Soviet Sovie ...
, anticipating the
imminent agrarian reform, encouraged the peasants to forcibly take the land of the big landlords.
On 24 February 1945, the
Communist Party of Romania and its allies organized a mass rally in front of the
Royal Palace to call for his resignation. As the protest carried on, communist agents opened fire from the Interior Ministry building situated across the street, killing several people. In a radio address later that day, Rădescu blamed the attack on
Ana Pauker and
Vasile Luca, calling them "hyenas" and "strangers without kin or God".
The next day, the Communist Party orchestrated an unprecedented propaganda campaign against Rădescu. His son, Nicu, who had participated at the rally (he had been recruited into the Party in 1940), wrote an open letter to his father; the letter, published in
Scînteia and
România Liberă on 28 February, accused Rădescu of issuing the order to shoot peaceful demonstrators.
Radio Moscow called Rădescu the "Butcher of
Palace Square
Palace Square ( rus, Дворцо́вая пло́щадь, r=Dvortsovaya Ploshchad, p=dvɐrˈtsovəjə ˈploɕːɪtʲ), connecting Nevsky Prospekt with Palace Bridge leading to Vasilievsky Island, is the central city square of St Petersb ...
".
Concomitantly, Vyshinsky arrived in Bucharest and demanded from King Michael the resignation of Rădescu;
at the direction of
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...
, he warned that the Soviet Union would not allow
Northern Transylvania
Northern Transylvania (, ) was the region of the Kingdom of Romania that during World War II, as a consequence of the August 1940 territorial agreement known as the Second Vienna Award, became part of the Kingdom of Hungary (1920-1946), Kingdom ...
to be returned to Romania if Rădescu were to remain prime minister. As a result of all these pressures, Rădescu resigned his position on 1 March.
On 6 March 1945, the
first Communist-dominated government of Romania took office under the direction of Petru Groza. Over the next few years, the Communists completely consolidated their power.
Exile in the West
One of the first decrees of the Groza government (issued on 7 March 1945) was to impose mandatory domicile for General Rădescu. Pursued by the Communist authorities, Rădescu sought refuge in the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
legation
A legation was a diplomatic representative office of lower rank than an embassy. Where an embassy was headed by an ambassador, a legation was headed by a minister. Ambassadors outranked ministers and had precedence at official events. Legation ...
, stayed there for about two months, and was then handed over to Romanian authorities, who had guaranteed his safety but placed him under
house arrest
House arrest (also called home confinement, or nowadays electronic monitoring) is a legal measure where a person is required to remain at their residence under supervision, typically as an alternative to imprisonment. The person is confined b ...
.
His personal secretary,
Adriana Georgescu-Cosmovici, was arrested and was subjected to rape and torture at in Bucharest. On 17 June 1946, he managed to flee on board a plane to the British
Crown colony
A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony governed by Kingdom of England, England, and then Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain or the United Kingdom within the English overseas possessions, English and later British Empire. There was usua ...
of
Cyprus
Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
, where he was detained in a refugee camp by the authorities until the
Paris Peace Treaties were signed in 1947.
Via Lisbon and Paris he ended up in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
.
Once in America, he and other exiled Romanian political figures, including ,
Mihail Fărcășanu,
Grigore Gafencu, and
Constantin Vișoianu, came together to form a united anti-communist opposition in exile called the
Romanian National Committee. In 1950, after disagreements within the committee, he was one of the founders of the ''Liga Românilor Liberi'' ("The League of Free Romanians"), together with Grigore Gafencu,
Nicolae Caranfil, Mihail Fărcășanu,
Carol "Citta" Davila,
Viorel Tilea, general , and
Vintilă Brătianu.
Rădescu died of
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
on 16 May 1953 in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
; he was buried in the city's
Calvary Cemetery.
At the initiative of Prime Minister
Mugur Isărescu, the remains of General Rădescu were brought back to Romania in 2000. Following the wishes expressed in his testament, he was reburied at the
Orthodox Bellu Cemetery in Bucharest on 23 November 2000.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Radescu, Nicolae
1874 births
1953 deaths
People from Călimănești
Carol I National Defence University alumni
Romanian military personnel of the Second Balkan War
Romanian military personnel of World War I
Romanian Land Forces generals
Recipients of the Order of Michael the Brave
Chiefs of the General Staff of Romania
Inmates of Târgu Jiu camp
Prime ministers of Romania
Ministers of interior of Romania
World War II political leaders
Romanian people of World War II
Romanian expatriates in the United States
Members of the Crusade of Romanianism
Tuberculosis deaths in New York (state)
20th-century deaths from tuberculosis
Burials at Calvary Cemetery (Queens)
Burials at Bellu Cemetery