Ion G. Duca
Encyclopedia
Ion Gheorghe Duca was prime minister of Romania
from November 14 to December 30, 1933, when he was assassinated for his efforts to suppress the fascist Iron Guard
movement.
, he entered Romania's Chamber of Deputies
for the National Liberal Party
in 1907 and served in the cabinet from 1914.
As part of a group of a group of professor
s, physician
s, soldier
s, etc., he helped bring Scouting
to Romania (see also Cercetaşii României
).
Appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1922, he was an avid supporter of the Little Entente
, formed between Romania, Yugoslavia
, and Czechoslovakia
to fend off Hungarian
irredentist claims
(Hungary claimed Transylvania
, which Romania had been awarded after World War I
) and prevent the Habsburg
dynasty from returning to power in Central Europe
.
In November, 1933, King Carol II
asked Duca to head the government as prime minister
in preparation for the December elections. In this capacity, Duca worked to keep the rising support for the Iron Guard
, also known as The Legion of the Archangel Michael, a fascist movement led by Corneliu Zelea Codreanu
, in check, even outlawing the All for the Fatherland-party, which was their political arm. What followed was a time of violence when police on orders from Duca sometimes attacked Iron Guard-members (which led to the deaths of some of the members) and jailed thousands of them. Shortly after these events and the release of many of the Iron Guard-members from jail, Duca was shot to death, as a form of revenge, on the platform of the Sinaia train station
by Nicolae Constantinescu accompanied by two other persons. All three of them was sentenced to jail for the murder.
Duca wrote extensive memoirs about his experiences as a cabinet minister during World War I
. His son, George, edited Duca and George's memoirs while at the Hoover Institution
at Stanford University
in the 1970s and 1980s.
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
from November 14 to December 30, 1933, when he was assassinated for his efforts to suppress the fascist Iron Guard
Iron Guard
The Iron Guard is the name most commonly given to a far-right movement and political party in Romania in the period from 1927 into the early part of World War II. The Iron Guard was ultra-nationalist, fascist, anti-communist, and promoted the Orthodox Christian faith...
movement.
Life and political career
Born in BucharestBucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, he entered Romania's Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of Romania
The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house in Romania's bicameral parliament. It has 315 seats, to which deputies are elected by direct popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms...
for the National Liberal Party
National Liberal Party (Romania)
The National Liberal Party , abbreviated to PNL, is a centre-right liberal party in Romania. It is the third-largest party in the Romanian Parliament, with 53 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 22 in the Senate: behind the centre-right Democratic Liberal Party and the centre-left Social...
in 1907 and served in the cabinet from 1914.
As part of a group of a group of professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
s, physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
s, soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
s, etc., he helped bring Scouting
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
to Romania (see also Cercetaşii României
Cercetasii României
Cercetaşii României is the primary national Scouting organization of Romania...
).
Appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1922, he was an avid supporter of the Little Entente
Little Entente
The Little Entente was an alliance formed in 1920 and 1921 by Czechoslovakia, Romania and Yugoslavia with the purpose of common defense against Hungarian revision and the prevention of a Habsburg restoration...
, formed between Romania, Yugoslavia
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
, and Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
to fend off Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
irredentist claims
Greater Hungary (political concept)
Greater Hungary is the informal name of the territory of Hungary before the 1920 Treaty of Trianon. After 1920, between the two World Wars, the official political goal of the Hungary was to restore those borders. After World War II, Hungary abandoned this policy, and today it only remains a...
(Hungary claimed Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
, which Romania had been awarded after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
) and prevent the Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
dynasty from returning to power in Central Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
.
In November, 1933, King Carol II
Carol II of Romania
Carol II reigned as King of Romania from 8 June 1930 until 6 September 1940. Eldest son of Ferdinand, King of Romania, and his wife, Queen Marie, a daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the second eldest son of Queen Victoria...
asked Duca to head the government as prime minister
Prime Minister of Romania
The Prime Minister of Romania is the head of the Government of Romania. Initially, the office was styled President of the Council of Ministers , when the term "Government" included more than the Cabinet, and the Cabinet was called The Council of Ministers...
in preparation for the December elections. In this capacity, Duca worked to keep the rising support for the Iron Guard
Iron Guard
The Iron Guard is the name most commonly given to a far-right movement and political party in Romania in the period from 1927 into the early part of World War II. The Iron Guard was ultra-nationalist, fascist, anti-communist, and promoted the Orthodox Christian faith...
, also known as The Legion of the Archangel Michael, a fascist movement led by Corneliu Zelea Codreanu
Corneliu Zelea Codreanu
Corneliu Zelea Codreanu was a Romanian politician of the far right, the founder and charismatic leader of the Iron Guard or The Legion of the Archangel Michael , an ultra-nationalist and violently antisemitic organization active throughout most of the interwar period...
, in check, even outlawing the All for the Fatherland-party, which was their political arm. What followed was a time of violence when police on orders from Duca sometimes attacked Iron Guard-members (which led to the deaths of some of the members) and jailed thousands of them. Shortly after these events and the release of many of the Iron Guard-members from jail, Duca was shot to death, as a form of revenge, on the platform of the Sinaia train station
Sinaia train station
The Sinaia train station serves the Sinaia mountain resort in Romania. The first station was built in 1913 by the Demeter Cartner Company, and it was reserved exclusively for the Royal Family and its guests at Peleş Castle, generally foreign leaders. On the station platform, there is a memorial...
by Nicolae Constantinescu accompanied by two other persons. All three of them was sentenced to jail for the murder.
Duca wrote extensive memoirs about his experiences as a cabinet minister during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. His son, George, edited Duca and George's memoirs while at the Hoover Institution
Hoover Institution
The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace is a public policy think tank and library founded in 1919 by then future U.S. president, Herbert Hoover, an early alumnus of Stanford....
at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in the 1970s and 1980s.