Radicalisation, State Antisemitism, and Diplomatic Perceptions in Europe: The Goga–Cuza Government (1937–1938) through Belgian Archives

Radicalisation, State Antisemitism, and Diplomatic Perceptions in Europe: The Goga–Cuza Government (1937–1938) through Belgian Archives Maria Costea ; Simion Costea AbstractThis article examines the antisemitic policies of the Goga–Cuza government (December 1937–February 1938) as perceived by Belgian diplomats accredited in Bucharest, situating these developments within the broader European context of radicalisation and revisionism in the late interwar period. It highlights the transformation of antisemitism into state policy through legislative measures, most notably the decree-law on the revision of Jewish citizenship, and analyses the negative domestic, economic, and international repercussions of these actions. Particular attention is paid to the diplomatic position of Belgium as a small state confronted with the rise of Nazi Germany, the constraints of appeasement and the fragility of the Goga-Cuza government. The article also highlights the continuities between the Goga–Cuza cabinet, the royal dictatorship established in 1938, and the Antonescu regime, with their antisemitic policies and far-right radicalisation, while emphasising the strong democratic resistance within Romanian society. Keywords: radicalisation, State antisemitism, Minorities and citizenship, Goga–Cuza government, Belgian diplomacy, Interwar Europe, Appeasement and international relations, Romania (1930s), Hungary, Germany, Spain, George Calinescu