2. Alexandru Averescu: 3 April 1859 – 2 October 1938) was a
Romanian marshal and populist politician. A Romanian Armed
Forces Commander during World War I, he served as Prime
Minister of three separate cabinets (as well as being interim
Foreign Minister in January–March 1918 and Minister without
portfolio in 1938). He first rose to prominence during the
peasants' revolt of 1907, which he helped repress in violence.
Credited with engineering the defense of Moldavia in the
1916–1917 Campaign, he built on his popularity to found and
lead the successful People's Party, which he brought to power
in 1920–1921, with backing from King Ferdinand I and the
National Liberal Party (PNL), and with the notable participation
of Constantin Argetoianu and Take Ionescu.
3. His controversial first mandate, marked by a political crisis and
oscillating support from the PNL's leader Ion I. C. Brătianu,
played a part in legislating land reform and repressed
communist activities, before being brought down by the rally
of opposition forces. His second term of 1926–1927 brought a
much-debated treaty with Fascist Italy, and fell after Averescu
gave clandestine backing to the ousted Prince Carol. Faced
with the People Party's decline, Averescu closed deals with
various right-wing forces and was instrumental in bringing
Carol back to the throne in 1930. Relations between the two
soured over the following years, and Averescu clashed with
his fellow party member Octavian Goga over the king's
attitudes. Shortly before his death, he and Carol reconciled,
and Averescu joined the Crown Council.
4. Averescu was born in Ozerne (previously known
as Babele, and subsequently renamed Alexandru
Averescu), a village northwest of Izmail, now
part of Ukraine. The son of Constantin Averescu,
who held the rank of sluger, he studied at the
Romanian Orthodox seminary in Izmail, then at
the School of Arts and Crafts in Bucharest
(intending to become an engineer).[2] In 1876,
he decided to join the Gendarmes in Izmail.[2]
5. World War and first cabinet
During the World War (which Romania entered in 1916),
Marshal Alexandru Averescu led the Second Romanian
Army in the defense of the Southern Carpathians, and
was then moved to the head of the Third Army (following
the latter's defeat in the Battle of Turtucaia).[1] He
commanded Army Group South in the Flămânda
operation against the Third Bulgarian Army and other
forces of the Central Powers, ultimately stopped by the
German offensive (Averescu's forces did not register
important losses, and orderly retreated to Moldavia,
where Romanian authorities had taken refuge from the
successful German operations).[1]
7. Final years
He ultimately showed himself hostile to Carol's inner circle, and especially to
the king's lover Magda Lupescu; consequently, Goga was instigated by Carol
to take over as leader of the People's Party, and the latter attacked Averescu
for "subverting [...] the traditional respect enjoyed by the Crown".[14] The
clash led to Goga's creation of the splinter National Agrarian Party, which,
although never an important force, obtained more of the vote in the 1932
elections (approx. 3% compared to Averescu's 2%).[14]
In 1937, despite his ongoing feud with Carol, Averescu was appointed a
member of the Crown Council. Argetoianu recalled that he and the Marshal
had reconciled — at a time when Argetoianu pondered rallying all opposition
forces, including the National Peasants' Party, the National Liberal Party-
Brătianu, and the Iron Guard, in a single electoral bloc[37] (before the general
election of December, the various groups successfully negotiated an electoral
pact against the government of Gheorghe Tătărescu). Averescu, who,
according to Argetoianu, declared was more interested in convincing Carol to
allow his estranged wife Elena of Greece to return to Romania, remained
opposed to the deal.[37]
