Elena Bacaloglu

Elena Bacaloglu (1878-?) was a Romanian journalist and supporter of Italian fascism.

Bacologlu was known initially for her marriage to Ovid Densuşianu as well as her journalism. Later she moved to Italy, marrying a local man, and whilst there became an ardent admirer of fascism. She returned to Romania and set up the National Italo-Romanian Cultural and Economic Movement in 1921, a movement that was noted for being highly mimetic of Italian fascism. [ [http://www.claremontmckenna.edu/hist/jpetropoulos/ironguard/chronology.htm Chronology of Romanian fascism] ] Characterised by her enormous ambition [Armin Heinen, "Legiunea Arhanghelului Mihail. O contribuţie la problema fascismului internaţional" (Bucharest: Humanitas, 1999), p. 107] , Bacaloglu hoped to replicate the success of fascism in Italy but attracted little more than 100 followers before the movement was closed down by the police in 1925. [Kevin Passmore, "Women, Gender and Fascism in Europe, 1919-45", Manchester University Press, 2003, p. 77] Her contacts in Italy also ensured a high profile for the successor National Fascist Movement, although this too failed to attract much domestic support. [Stanley G. Payne, "A History of Fascism, 1914-1945", Routledge, 1996, p. 135]

Although her movement failed to gain much support Bacaloglu was nonetheless one of only two women to take the lead of an avowedly fascist movement in pre-war Europe (the other being Rotha Lintorn-Orman).

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