Friday, June 3rd, 10.45 – 13.00, at Università di Verona, Room 1.1
Abstract:
Fascism is perhaps the quintessential example of political violence, both in its ideological glorification of conflict and war, and in its style of politics, displaying some of the most brutal manifestations of aggression in human history. The extensive literature on the subject addresses the cult of violence as an integral part of fascism, considered both theoretically and in its practical consequences (Mosse 1979; O’Sullivan 1983; Griffin 1991; 1998). However, it fails to account for the curious case of a prominent fascist movement adopting a non-violent stance at a time when its popularity was increasing; this offers the researcher an interesting opportunity for refining the existing interpretations of political violence.
The case is that of the ‘Legion of the Archangel Michael’, the only lasting mass movement in the history of Romania and the third largest fascist organisation in Europe. It is generally considered as the most radical group in the history of Romania, and one which is responsible for the introduction of political violence in the country (Ioanid 1990; Volovici 1991; Ornea 1999). Paradoxically, the movement also displayed an all-pervading religiosity that was an integral part of both its ideology and practices(Haynes 2006). In practical terms, this manifested in the asceticism visible in the actions of the legionaries, subordinate to a general vision of self-sacrifice towards “the resurrection of the nation” (Codreanu 1936: 425), allowing Stanley Payne to argue that “in the Legion martyrdom was virtually required” (Payne 1995: 280).
Religious principles and extreme violence sit uncomfortably with each other. Moreover, in the case of the legionary movement, the tension between the two was to be resolved in a rather unexpected manner for a fascist group. From 1936 onwards, following their most brutal assassination to date, CorneliuZeleaCodreanu, founder and undisputed leader of the movement, ordered all legionaries to act peacefully, not to respond to provocations from other groups or the authorities, and not to resist arbitrary arrest or imprisonment. In 1937, the same Codreanu refused a proposal for a coup d’état coming from a Romanian army general, although the Legion’s ranks numbered in the hundreds of thousands by that time and the group was being severely persecuted by the government (CNSAS).
These premises call for a re-assessment of existing interpretations of violence, one which the present paper will attempt with the help of a methodology inspired by psychoanalytic theory. The key to this interpretation lies with Sigmund Freud’s conceptualisation of the duality of violence, understood as both outward aggression and inward repression, expressed both in his theory of the instincts (e.g., Freud 1955 [1920]; 1961 [1923]) and in his writings on group psychology and social phenomena (e.g., Freud 1955 [1921]; 1964 [1932]). A close analysis of the most significant tropes consistently employed by legionaries in their formulations, both public and private, allowed me to identify a subtle yet solid common ground between the asceticism practiced by the legionaries and their extreme violence. Along these lines, I plan to show in my presentation how the non-violent stance adopted by the members of the ‘Legion of the Archangel Michael’ represented in a sense an inward diversion of violence, rather than a complete surrender of it. Such considerations appear relevant beyond their immediate context for more general assessments concerning the perennial character of violence in human societies.
