# Assassinating a King in Marseille, 1934 with Dr. Chris Millington

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Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-french-history-podcast-490285/assassinating-a-king-in-marseille-1934-with-dr-chris-millington.md
Podcast: [The French History Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-french-history-podcast-490285)
Published: 2026-05-02T17:07:00+00:00
Episode link: https://prefix.up.audio/s/www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/mgln.ai/e/1402/pscrb.fm/rss/p/swap.fm/track/2IMk17EdnEqyRhJTIpIU/traffic.megaphone.fm/FPMN4361233981.mp3?updated=1777742310
Audio file: https://prefix.up.audio/s/www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/mgln.ai/e/1402/pscrb.fm/rss/p/swap.fm/track/2IMk17EdnEqyRhJTIpIU/traffic.megaphone.fm/FPMN4361233981.mp3?updated=1777742310
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Duration seconds: 2600

## Resource

Dr. Chris Millington explores the 1934 assassination of the King of Yugoslavia in Marseille, revealing how state-sponsored right-wing terrorism operated in interwar Europe. The discussion highlights the sophisticated paramilitary training and international conspiracies that fueled political violence beyond simple anarchist acts.

## Highlights
- Main idea: The 1934 Marseille assassination was not an isolated act of anarchy but a sophisticated operation by trained paramilitary groups
- Failure mode: Security gaps in the police cordon allowed the assassin to penetrate the crowd and execute the attack
- Historical context: The assassination was fueled by revisionist tensions in Yugoslavia and supported by foreign powers like Italy and Hungary
- Practical takeaway: Modern understanding of terrorism often overlooks the critical role of extreme right-wing, state-sponsored violence during the interwar years
- Legal nuance: French juries often applied 'extenuating circumstances' to political assassins, viewing their motives as plausible rather than purely criminal

## Topics

Political Terrorism, Interwar Europe, Yugoslavia, Right-wing Extremism, Assassination, Marseille, Paramilitary Groups, 20th Century History

## Chapters
- 1:00 — The Rise of Interwar Terrorism: An introduction to Dr. Millington's research on political violence and the history of fascism in France.
- 5:30 — Researching the Yugoslav Connection: The challenges of using French and Eastern European archives to reconstruct the political landscape of Yugoslavia.
- 8:20 — The 1934 Royal Visit: The diplomatic significance of the King's visit to France and the underlying tensions in the Yugoslav state.
- 11:40 — Ethnic Tensions in Yugoslavia: An overview of the complex ethnic landscape, including Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, that drove political instability.
- 14:20 — Paramilitary Organizations: The roles of the Ustaše and IMRO in orchestrating political violence.
- 17:20 — Training and Execution: How terrorist cells were trained in specialized camps to use small arms and explosives.
- 23:30 — The Assassin: Vlado Chernozemsky: A profile of the man behind the assassination and the sensationalist media portrayal of his life.

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## Transcript

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