Voting Station

Ion Antonescu

Please vote to return to collections.

World Leader

The Resume

    (June 15, 1882-June 1, 1946)
    Born in Pitești, Romania
    Wrote ‘The Romanians. Their Origin, Their Past, Their Sacrifices and Their Rights’ (1919)
    Romanian Minister of Defense (1937-1938)
    Conducător of Romania (September 6, 1940-August 23, 1944)
    Died in Jilava, Romania

Why he might be annoying:

    He was involved in the suppression of the 1907 Romanian Peasants’ Revolt.
    He had a falling out with King Carol II for deserting his army post to marry Zizi Lambrino (1918).
    He divorced his first wife, possibly on grounds of her Jewish heritage.
    He dated his twice-divorced wife before her second divorce was finalized.
    He sided with Hitler by cancelling all of Romania’s diplomatic relations made under Carol II.
    He passed many anti-Semitic laws regulating the lives of Romanian Jews.
    He rounded up many Jews and Roma from the territories he conquered and killed them off or sent them to concentration camps.
    Under his rule, Romania put more effort on the Axis war front than other Axis nations combined.
    He tried to rename Odessa after himself upon capturing it.
    At some point during his detainment upon his ouster, he became a vegetarian.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He had a reputation for toughness, earning him the nickname ‘red dog’.
    He was a distinguished military officer during World War I.
    Just because he was a military dictator and ally of Hitler doesn’t make him an outright Nazi, as evidenced by his struggle with the Iron Guard, who were downright Nazis.
    His dictatorship even permitted opposition critics to perform, albeit at a limited level.
    He granted King Carol II a safe exile despite their contempt for each other.
    Despite his anti-Semitism, he had a Jewish classmate who managed to convince him to spare the Jews living within Romania’s pre-war borders because they were vital to the Romanian economy.
    He tried to remain neutral during Germany’s conflict with Great Britain.
    He was a staunch opponent of communism, explaining his enthusiastic support of the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union.

Credit: Big Lenny


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 23 Votes: 47.83% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 5 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 14 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 24 Votes: 54.17% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 33 Votes: 48.48% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 31 Votes: 51.61% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 14 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 28 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 34 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 53 Votes: 50.94% Annoying