He led one of the WW2 Fascist anti Communist groups that were so committed to Nazi ideals, that the actual Nazis asked them to tone it down a bit because they were making them look bad.
> I looked up how he's actually associated with the Iron Guard, and it looks like he literally said that they 'also did “good deeds”' [1]. This is literally on the level of "fine people" hoax that the mainstream media perpetrated against Trump!
The hoax was and is that Trump called white supremacists "very fine people". As the transcript shows, that remark was specifically in regards to people disagreeing with the notion of removing statues of slaveholders and Confederates. Trump went on to say
>And you had people -- and I’m not talking about the neo-Nazis and the white nationalists -- because they should be condemned totally
Did you read the part, why the allied rather supported their ideological enemies, than the iron guard? What I understood, they aligned with the Nazis quite naturally.
As far as I know, Americans supported Italian partisans (of any color, but the majority of them communists or socialists) against the nazi-fascists, so I'm not terribly surprised they did it elsewhere.
I would ask myself first, why the partisans want to kill me.
There were (and maybe still are) indeed also communist fanatics - but the common red partisan was not a bloodthirsty killer going after anyone who had private property.
So the alignment with the Nazis of the wealthy and privileged happened way before. I am from germany. We had the same story, the common people all did not turn Nazis overnight, but fear of the communist made them align with the Nazis. And the rest is history. I am no expert on concrete romanian or slovenian history. But what I know sounds pretty much the same what I know from german history where I have also first hand accounts. And I strongly disagree to that excuse. The bourgeois did had a choice and it was NOT just between communist or faschism. But they eventually did choose one side - and bear the responsibility. They did fought for a faschist europe, with all implications.
It’s obviously different than in Germany, where nazis were (mostly) homegrown.
I know several second/hand accounts (i.e. from people who had it happen to their family). Murders, theft, barbarism (stabbing a pregnant woman in her stomach). Some during the war, some after when communists won.
As I said, terrible times. War. No good choices, especially without foresight. I just wish people didn’t praise communists as much as they do, and vilify their opponents.
Well, Nazis were the german flavour of the rise of ultranationalism, racism and fascism, but the movement existed in all of europe. With the first peak in the civil war in spain.
And Hitler was very clear on his plans for the jews and for war to conquer in eastern europe. Anyone siding with him, did make their choices and could have known the consequences. (same goes for anyone siding with Stalin).
"No good choices"
So probably yes. And I won't claim I would have decided much better, if I would have lived in that time. So I am not trying to judge from moral high ground.
But the choice was never binary between Stalin and Hitler, or only in extreme situations maybe. Because you know, after the war in germany - there were also no Nazis anymore. Never have been. They just had no choice. Followed orders. Were afraid of the communists. So definitely not responsible for anything.
