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Conservative Authoritarianism in Inter-war Eastern Europe

Conservative Authoritarianism in Inter-war Eastern Europe. Conservative Authoritarian EE. Useful to start with ‘German fallacy’ Functioning democracies were established in the countries after WW1 These democracies could not survive the impact of the Great Depression

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Conservative Authoritarianism in Inter-war Eastern Europe

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  1. Conservative Authoritarianism in Inter-war Eastern Europe

  2. Conservative Authoritarian EE • Useful to start with ‘German fallacy’ • Functioning democracies were established in the countries after WW1 • These democracies could not survive the impact of the Great Depression • Democracies were replaced in the 1930s by fascist regimes

  3. In fact • With one clear exception (Czechoslovakia) and three partial exceptions (Yugoslavia, Latvia and Estonia) the countries of the region ceased to be democratic long before the recession • On the other hand, none of them were governed by fascist regimes for any significant period – most coups were to prevent fascist take-over, although some adopted some fascist trappings • Economic and especially ethnic crisis in Czechoslovakia resulted in not fascism but the destruction of the country

  4. Partial exceptions because • Yugoslavia, Latvia and Estonia were never challenged from the Left in the 1920s • The coup in Lithuania was in response to a socialist coalition government • Only Czechoslovakia had a legal Communist Party and allowed social democrats to participate fully in political life

  5. Nature of Regimes • Balkan Royal Dictatorships – Albania, Romania, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria • Baltic Presidential Dictatorships – Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia • Authoritarian democracies of the ‘historic nations’ of Central Europe – Hungary and Poland • Democratic Czechoslovakia

  6. Graphic Representation • In the following pictures notice the prominence of the army and the church in relationship to the high offices of state • Both Church and Army are classically conservative institutions • And the regimes created no new institutions for government • Nevertheless, there were fascist parties in all countries • But they nowhere held power for significant periods, and only approached mass support in Romania and Hungary

  7. Hugh Seton-Watson • ‘These dictatorships were not Fascist regimes in the proper sense … [they] never succeeded in raising the minimum of popular enthusiasm necessary for Fascism … [they] relied not even on artificially stimulated popular enthusiasm, but on police pressure … [they] were able to survive because they had a firm grasp on the bureaucratic and military machines, because the people were backward and apathetic, and because the bourgeoisie would always support them in case of need’

  8. Political violence - Bulgaria • 9 June 1923: coup d’état against Alexanander Stamboliiski’s peasant government organised by Professor Tsankov, Colonel Velchev and IMRO. • Thousands of peasants killed. • Stamboliiski handed over to IMRO, tortured, made to dig his own grave and executed. • His hands were cut off for having signed the Nis convention establishing better relations with Yugoslavia and his severed head was sent in a biscuit tin to Sofia

  9. Political Violence Yugoslavia • Stalemate over Croat reluctance to participate in the state reached a nadir on 20 June 1928 • Montenegrin radical produced a revolver and killed two deputies and mortally wounding the Croat Radić , who died some seven weeks later • 9 October 1934 Croatian Ustase assassinate King Alexander as he visits Marseilles

  10. Ethnic violence - Romania • 28 Dec 1937, following elections which produced no overall winner, King Carol, afraid of the Iron Guard and not wanting to call on Maniu, appoints a fascist Goga-Cuza government, even though he had only 9% of the vote (compared with Iron Guards 16%, NPP’s 22% and Government Party’s 38%) • interpreted by Right as approval of fascist violence. Romania descends into chaos - gang warfare, Jew-baiting, fighting between rival Iron Guard units, shops close, Stock Exchange collapses, Western Powers protest • 10 Feb 1938, Carol dismisses Goga, suspends constitution, introduces royal dictatorship

  11. Political Corruption - Romania • King Carol took a cut out of every stated contract and owned stock in all major companies, every casino and night club in Bucharest paid him extortion fees • Between 1930-40 he deposited $30-40m abroad • After the loss of Bessarabia and Transylvania he fled the country in dead of night in a nine-carriage railway train filled with gold and art treasures

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