King Michael's Coup
Encyclopedia
King Michael's Coup refers to the coup d'etat
led by King Michael of Romania
in 1944 against the pro-Nazi Romanian faction of Ion Antonescu
, after the Axis front in Northeastern Romania collapsed under the Soviet offensive.
On August 23, 1944, King Michael
joined with pro-Allied opposition politicians (who included the communists) and led a successful coup with support from the army. Michael, who was initially considered to be not much more than a "figurehead", was able to successfully depose the dictator Ion Antonescu
. The king offered a non-confrontational retreat to German ambassador Manfred Freiherr von Killinger
, but the Germans considered the coup "reversible" and tried to turn the situation around by military attacks. The Romanian First Army
, the Romanian Second Army (under formation), the remnants of the Romanian Third Army
and the Romanian Fourth Army
(one corps) were under orders from the king to defend Romania against any German attacks. The king then offered to put Romania's battered armies on the side of the Allies
.
The complexities of negotiations between the USSR and United Kingdom
postponed formal Allied recognition of the de facto change of orientation until September 12. During this time, Soviet troops started moving into Romania, taking approximately 140,000 Romanian prisoners of war. About 130,000 Romanian POWs were transported to the Soviet Union, where many perished in prison camps.
The armistice was signed three weeks later on September 12, 1944, on Soviet terms and effectively amounted to a capitulation to the Soviets.
In October 1944 Winston Churchill
, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
, proposed an agreement
with Soviet leader Joseph Stalin
on how to split up Eastern Europe
in spheres of influence after the war. The Soviet Union was offered a 90% share of influence in Romania.
Article 18 of the Armistice Agreement with Rumania stipulated that "An Allied Control Commission will be established which will undertake until the conclusion of peace the regulation of and control over the execution of the present terms under the general direction and orders of the Allied (Soviet) High Command, acting on behalf of the Allied Powers. The Annex to Article 18, specified that "The Rumanian Government and their organs shall fulfill all instructions of the Allied Control Commission arising out of the Armistice Agreement." It also made clear that The Allied Control Commission would have its seat in Bucharest
. In line with Article 14 of the Armistice Agreement two Romanian People's Tribunals
were set up to try suspected war criminals.
The Romanian Army ended the war fighting alongside the Soviets against Germany and its remaining allies. They fought in Transylvania
, Hungary
, and Czechoslovakia
. In May 1945, the Romanian First
and Fourth Armies
took part in the Prague Offensive
. The Romanians suffered a total of 169,822 casualties (all causes) fighting on the Allied side.
Ion Antonescu was placed under arrest; the new Prime Minister, Lt. General Constantin Sănătescu
, gave custody of Antonescu to Romanian communists who would turn the former dictator to the Soviets on September 1. He was returned to Romania, where he was tried and executed in 1946.
For his actions, king Michael was decorated with the Soviet Order of Victory
by Stalin "for the courageous act of the radical change in Romania's politics towards a break-up from Hitler's Germany and an alliance with the United Nations
, at the moment when there was no clear sign yet of Germany's defeat," in 1945. He was also awarded the highest degree (Chief Commander) of the Legion of Merit
by U.S. President Harry S. Truman
a year later. Nevertheless, he functioned as little more than a figurehead under the communist régime
and was finally forced to abdicate and leave the country in 1947. Michael remained in exile until after the Romanian Revolution of 1989
and was only allowed to return in 1992.
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
led by King Michael of Romania
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...
in 1944 against the pro-Nazi Romanian faction of Ion Antonescu
Ion Antonescu
Ion Victor Antonescu was a Romanian soldier, authoritarian politician and convicted war criminal. The Prime Minister and Conducător during most of World War II, he presided over two successive wartime dictatorships...
, after the Axis front in Northeastern Romania collapsed under the Soviet offensive.
The coup
Michael I of Romania
Michael was the last King of Romania. He reigned from 20 July 1927 to 8 June 1930, and again from 6 September 1940 until 30 December 1947 when he was forced, by the Communist Party of Romania , to abdicate to the Soviet armies of occupation...
joined with pro-Allied opposition politicians (who included the communists) and led a successful coup with support from the army. Michael, who was initially considered to be not much more than a "figurehead", was able to successfully depose the dictator Ion Antonescu
Ion Antonescu
Ion Victor Antonescu was a Romanian soldier, authoritarian politician and convicted war criminal. The Prime Minister and Conducător during most of World War II, he presided over two successive wartime dictatorships...
. The king offered a non-confrontational retreat to German ambassador Manfred Freiherr von Killinger
Manfred Freiherr von Killinger
Manfred Freiherr von Killinger was a German naval officer, Freikorps leader, military writer and Nazi politician. A veteran of World War I and member of the Marinebrigade Ehrhardt during the German Revolution, he took part in the violent intervention against the Bavarian Soviet Republic...
, but the Germans considered the coup "reversible" and tried to turn the situation around by military attacks. The Romanian First Army
Romanian First Army
The 1st Infantry Division Dacica is one of the three major units of the Romanian Land Forces with its headquarters in Bucharest. Until June 15, 2008, it was designated as the 1st Territorial Army Corps "General Ioan Culcer" .On 22 June 1941, the 1st Infantry Division, under BG Emanoil Bârzotescu...
, the Romanian Second Army (under formation), the remnants of the Romanian Third Army
Romanian Third Army
The 3rd Army was a field army of the Romanian Land Forces active from the 19th century to the 1990s. It that fought as part of the German Army Group B during World War II, in Ukraine, Crimea, and the Caucasus...
and the Romanian Fourth Army
Romanian Fourth Army
The 4th Infantry Division Gemina is one of three major units of the Romanian Land Forces, with its headquarters in Cluj-Napoca. Until June 15, 2008 it was designated as the 4th Territorial Army Corps "Mareşal Constantin Prezan" .-Structure in April 2007 :This structure was in force when the...
(one corps) were under orders from the king to defend Romania against any German attacks. The king then offered to put Romania's battered armies on the side of the Allies
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
.
Aftermath
The coup sped the Red Army's advance into Romania. It is estimated that the coup shortened the war by as much as six months.The complexities of negotiations between the USSR and United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
postponed formal Allied recognition of the de facto change of orientation until September 12. During this time, Soviet troops started moving into Romania, taking approximately 140,000 Romanian prisoners of war. About 130,000 Romanian POWs were transported to the Soviet Union, where many perished in prison camps.
The armistice was signed three weeks later on September 12, 1944, on Soviet terms and effectively amounted to a capitulation to the Soviets.
In October 1944 Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
, proposed an agreement
Percentages agreement
The percentages agreement was an alleged agreement between Soviet premier Joseph Stalin and British prime minister Winston Churchill about how to divide southeastern Europe into spheres of influence during the Fourth Moscow Conference, in 1944 . This agreement was made public by Churchill...
with Soviet leader Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
on how to split up Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
in spheres of influence after the war. The Soviet Union was offered a 90% share of influence in Romania.
Article 18 of the Armistice Agreement with Rumania stipulated that "An Allied Control Commission will be established which will undertake until the conclusion of peace the regulation of and control over the execution of the present terms under the general direction and orders of the Allied (Soviet) High Command, acting on behalf of the Allied Powers. The Annex to Article 18, specified that "The Rumanian Government and their organs shall fulfill all instructions of the Allied Control Commission arising out of the Armistice Agreement." It also made clear that The Allied Control Commission would have its seat in Bucharest
Bucharest
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....
. In line with Article 14 of the Armistice Agreement two Romanian People's Tribunals
Romanian People's Tribunals
The two Romanian People's Tribunals , the Bucharest People's Tribunal and the Northern Transylvania People's Tribunal were set up by the post-World War II government of Romania, overseen by the Allied Control Commission to try suspected war criminals, in line with Article 14 of the Armistice...
were set up to try suspected war criminals.
The Romanian Army ended the war fighting alongside the Soviets against Germany and its remaining allies. They fought in 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...
, Hungary
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...
, 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...
. In May 1945, the Romanian First
Romanian First Army
The 1st Infantry Division Dacica is one of the three major units of the Romanian Land Forces with its headquarters in Bucharest. Until June 15, 2008, it was designated as the 1st Territorial Army Corps "General Ioan Culcer" .On 22 June 1941, the 1st Infantry Division, under BG Emanoil Bârzotescu...
and Fourth Armies
Romanian Fourth Army
The 4th Infantry Division Gemina is one of three major units of the Romanian Land Forces, with its headquarters in Cluj-Napoca. Until June 15, 2008 it was designated as the 4th Territorial Army Corps "Mareşal Constantin Prezan" .-Structure in April 2007 :This structure was in force when the...
took part in the Prague Offensive
Prague Offensive
The Prague Offensive was the last major Soviet operation of World War II in Europe. The offensive, and the battle for Prague, was fought on the Eastern Front from 6 May to 11 May 1945. This battle for the city is particularly noteworthy in that it ended after the Third Reich capitulated on 8 May...
. The Romanians suffered a total of 169,822 casualties (all causes) fighting on the Allied side.
Ion Antonescu was placed under arrest; the new Prime Minister, Lt. General Constantin Sănătescu
Constantin Sanatescu
Constantin Sănătescu was a Romanian statesman who served as the first Prime Minister of Romania after the August 23, 1944 coup, through which Romania left the Axis Powers and joined the Allies....
, gave custody of Antonescu to Romanian communists who would turn the former dictator to the Soviets on September 1. He was returned to Romania, where he was tried and executed in 1946.
For his actions, king Michael was decorated with the Soviet Order of Victory
Order of Victory
The Order of Victory was the highest military decoration in the Soviet Union, and one of the rarest orders in the world. The order was awarded only to Generals and Marshals for successfully conducting combat operations involving one or more army groups and resulting in a "successful operation...
by Stalin "for the courageous act of the radical change in Romania's politics towards a break-up from Hitler's Germany and an alliance with the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, at the moment when there was no clear sign yet of Germany's defeat," in 1945. He was also awarded the highest degree (Chief Commander) of the Legion of Merit
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
by U.S. President Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
a year later. Nevertheless, he functioned as little more than a figurehead under the communist régime
Communist Romania
Communist Romania was the period in Romanian history when that country was a Soviet-aligned communist state in the Eastern Bloc, with the dominant role of Romanian Communist Party enshrined in its successive constitutions...
and was finally forced to abdicate and leave the country in 1947. Michael remained in exile until after the Romanian Revolution of 1989
Romanian Revolution of 1989
The Romanian Revolution of 1989 was a series of riots and clashes in December 1989. These were part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several Warsaw Pact countries...
and was only allowed to return in 1992.
See also
- Armistice between Italy and Allied armed forces
- Bulgarian coup d'état of 1944Bulgarian coup d'état of 1944The Bulgarian coup d'état of 1944, also known as the 9 September coup d'état and called in pre-1989 Bulgaria the National Uprising of 9 September or the Socialist Revolution of 9 September was a change in the Kingdom of Bulgaria's administration and government carried out on the eve of 9 September...
- Moscow ArmisticeMoscow ArmisticeThe Moscow Armistice was signed between Finland on one side and the Soviet Union and United Kingdom on the other side on September 19, 1944, ending the Continuation War...
and Lapland WarLapland WarThe Lapland War were the hostilities between Finland and Nazi Germany between September 1944 and April 1945, fought in Finland's northernmost Lapland Province. While the Finns saw this as a separate conflict much like the Continuation War, German forces considered their actions to be part of the... - Romania during World War IIRomania during World War IIFollowing the outbreak of World War II on 1 September 1939, the Kingdom of Romania officially adopted a position of neutrality. However, the rapidly changing situation in Europe during 1940, as well as domestic political upheaval, undermined this stance. Fascist political forces such as the Iron...