Hitler's Forgotten Ally: Ion Antonescu and his Regime, Romania 1940-1944 - Hardcover

Deletant, D.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1403993416 ISBN 13: 9781403993410

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006

Synopsis

Hitler's Forgotten Ally Romania fielded the third-largest Axis army in the European war. A military contribution of such magnitude, coupled with the delivery of oil to the German war machine and the personal respect which Ion Antonescu enjoyed from Hitler, places Romania on a par with Italy as a principal ally of Germany. Antonescu's precise role and the policies of Romania under his direction - especially towards the Jews - has been impeded in English-speaking accounts by the lack of a complete biography - this volume aims to fill this gap.

About this title

Review

'Dennis Deletant is one of the leading authorities on the history of Romania since the 1930s. His well-deserved scholarly reputation for thoroughness, fairness, and honesty is amply demonstrated in this exhaustively-researched and well-written study which aims to describe in detail, and to render historical judgment on, the wartime Romanian government of Ion Antonescu. His book fills a significant historiographical gap while providing a balance sheet for this hotly-controverted era in the Romanian past...In short, this is a fine piece of work, meticulously researched, and reasonably argued.' - Paul E. Michelson, Reviews in History

'Hitler's Forgotten Ally provides a brilliant demonstration of how a very gifted historian can take advantage of the opening of the East European archives in advancing the knowledge of his field.' - Radu Ioanid, Totalitarian Movements and Political Religions

'The richness of this work cannot remotely be caught in a short review...Hitler's Forgotten Ally...should be read by anyone who studies, teaches or simply thinks about the History of the Second World War. Professor Deletant has written an impressive and powerful piece of scholarship.' - Jonathan Steinberg, The European Legacy
 
'...this book is a notable achievement, and makes a strong case for putting Antonescu's Romania back at the heart of Axis Europe.' - Paul Betts, SEER, The Slavonic and East European Review
 
'The prime merit of the book lies in its systematic investigation into the tumultuous evolution of the Antonescu regime and into his personal life. In addition, the combination of historical details with societal factors brings new facets to this analysis. Thus, examination of the Iron Guard leadership and of religious confessions in Romania helps to decipher the atmosphere of those times. In addition, Deletant's writing style makes the book a gripping read, revealing the intimate connections between the personal life of the dictator and the political evolution of his regime. These points, coupled with the fact that most probably Antonescu remained the only leader who could publicly contradict the Führer, offer an incisive image of 'Hitler's forgotten ally'.' - Lucian N. Leustean, European History Quarterly

Synopsis

This book is the first complete study, in English, of Antonescu's part in the Second World War. Ion Antonescu was Romania's ruler from September 1940 to August 1944 and a major ally of Hitler. Romania fielded the third largest Axis army of the war, joined the Tripartite Pact in November 1940 as a sovereign state, participated in the attack on the Soviet Union of 22 June 1941 as an equal partner of Germany, and was never occupied by the Wehrmacht.

About this edition

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1403993416
• ISBN 13: 9781403993410
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 389