Balilla

Opera Nazionale Balilla

thumb|240px|A young balilla in [[Piazza Venezia]].Opera Nazionale Balilla was an Italian Fascist youth organization functioning, as an addition to school education, between 1926 and 1937 .It was named after Balilla, the moniker of Giovan Battista Perasso,...

. This shape became more obvious on December 3, 1938, when Straja Ţării was re-organized along the lines of Carol's personal dictatorship

Dictatorship

A dictatorship is defined as an autocratic form of government in which the government is ruled by an individual, the dictator. It has three possible meanings:...

 (see National Renaissance Front

National Renaissance Front

The National Renaissance Front was a fascist Romanian political party created by King Carol II in 1938 as the single monopoly party of government following his decision to ban all other political parties and suspend the 1923 Constitution, and the passing of the 1938 Constitution of Romania...

), replacing all existing youth movements, including Scouting

Scouting in Romania

The Scout Movement of Romania consists of several associations with slightly different aims. Among them are:* Organizaţia Naţională Cercetaşii României , member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, founded in 1991 with 4,927 members...

, and became overseer of sports and all other activities, as well as one of the main agents of Carol's own personality cult. Although the King was often referred to Marele Străjer ("The Great Sentinel"), the actual leaders of the group were General Teofil Sidorovici and Nisa Cămărăşescu.

All boys aged 7 to 18 and all girls between 7 and 21 were supposed to join. A body comprising 18 to 21-year old boys completed Straja, and it was responsible for offering low-level military education and training

Military education and training

Military education and training is a process which intends to establish and improve the capabilities of military personnel in their respective roles....

.

Members were bound by a Crez ("Credo

Credo

A credo |Latin]] for "I Believe") is a statement of belief, commonly used for religious belief, such as the Apostles' Creed. The term especially refers to the use of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed in the Mass, either as text, Gregorian chant, or other musical settings of the...

"), which read:

"Credinţă şi muncă pentru Ţară şi Rege
1. Cred în Dumnezeu şi în Biserica străbunilor mei;
2. Cred în Regele Ţării, Marele nostru Străjer, Cârmuitorul destinelor Poporului Român;
3. Cred în muncă şi jertfă — închinându-mi întreaga mea fiinţă pentru ridicarea şi propăşirea Patriei;
4. Cred în Straja Ţării — chezăşia Unităţii Neamului, Hotarelor şi Sufletului Românesc."

("Faith and labour for Country and King. 1. I believe in God and the Church of my ancestors; 2. I believe in the King of the Country, our Great Sentinel, the Leader of the Romanian People's destinies; 3. I believe in labour and sacrifice — dedicating my entire being to the advancement and prosperity of the Motherland; 4. I believe in Straja Ţării — the guarantee of the People's Unity, of the Boundaries and of the Romanian Soul.")

End

In the summer of 1940, following the cession of Northern Bukovina and Bessarabia

Bessarabia

Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....

 to the Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

 (see Soviet occupation of Bessarabia), it was employed in an offering help to the many refugees in various parts of Romania. The Romanian Radio

Romanian Radio Broadcasting Company

The Romanian Radio Broadcasting Company , informally referred to as Radio Romania , is the public radio broadcaster in Romania. It operates four national radio channels, and, under the Radio România Regional umbrella, eleven regional radio stations. The four national radio channels are: Radio...

 engaged in a propaganda

Propaganda

Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....

 campaign, praising Straja Ţării as Armata Albă a Regelui ("the King's White Army"), while hiding the fact that theirs had been the only form of aid for the displaced.

Later that year, when the National Legionary State

National Legionary State

The National Legionary State was the Romanian government from September 6, 1940 to January 23, 1941. It was a single-party regime dictatorship dominated by the overtly fascist Iron Guard in uneasy conjunction with the head of government and Conducător Ion Antonescu, the leader of the Romanian...

 government replaced Carol's regime, after the crisis provoked by the Second Vienna Award

Second Vienna Award

The Second Vienna Award was the second of two Vienna Awards arbitrated by the Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. Rendered on August 30, 1940, it re-assigned the territory of Northern Transylvania from Romania to Hungary.-Prelude and historical background :After the World War I, the multi-ethnic...

 (the cession of Northern Transylvania

Northern Transylvania

Northern Transylvania is a region of Transylvania, situated within the territory of Romania. The population is largely composed of both ethnic Romanians and Hungarians, and the region has been part of Romania since 1918 . During World War II, as a consequence of the territorial agreement known as...

 to 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...

), the organization was disbanded and all its assets were taken over by the Iron Guard – which replaced official education with its own version of Fascism.