"RASNA REVOLUCIJA" NA EVROPSKOM JUGOISTOKU 1920–1941
"RACIAL REVOLUTION" ON THE EUROPEAN SOUTHEAST 1920–1941

Summary/Abstract: The advent of national-socialist Germany in the second half of the 1930’s was strengthening antisemitism in European countries, primarily the ones with revisionist agenda. Institutionalization of antisemitism in these countries was conditioned not only by the international position, but also by the inner political currents. Among those, the determining were the social role and the size of the Jewish community, as well as the strength of the antisemitic traditions. Following Hitler’s coming to power, political and ideological offensive of Nazism in such countries squared with the already existing preconditions, making „the final solution of the Jewish question“ (Holocaust) possible. The first country of interwar Europe to institutionalize antisemitism was Hungary. Starting from 1920, this country introduced legal limitations for the schooling of Jews. Further antisemitic legislation following aligning with Germany and territorial expansion from the end of 30’s. The same process was mirrored in another revisionist country, Bulgaria. Principal German ally, Italy, has also embraced antisemitic ideology and political practice by the end of 30’s. However, unlike other German allies and satellites, it did not participate in the „final solution of the Jewish question“. Although Romania was in the camp of victorious countries of the First World War, strong antisemitic traditions resulted in legalization of antisemitism. By the beginning of October 1940 Yugoslavia legally limited schooling and businesses of the Jews, the determining factor being the political calculation. In spite of the large number of assaults on the Jews, mainly in Thessaloniki, antisemitism was not legalized in Greece until the German aggression and occupation in April 1941.

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