By his own account, Makanec swore the Ustaše oath in April 1941, days after the establishment of the Independent State of Croatia, but historians believe Makanec may have joined the Ustaše much earlier, in late 1939 or early 1940.[3][6] Shortly after the formation of the Ustaše government he served as adjutant in the Croatian army's Bilogora headquarters, in Bjelovar.[7] From 1942 he was the chief of spiritual upbringing in the Ustaša Youth. In March 1943 he was named extraordinary professor of philosophy at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb.[1] In October 1943 he became the Independent State of Croatia's Minister of National Education.[1] He also wrote books in his field as well as contributing to various periodicals and newspapers.[citation needed]
In a 1942 brochure titled Ustaše Virtues (Ustaške vrline), Makanec openly advocated for genocide. He wrote: "[...] every community has the right to exterminate, destroy, or at least render harmless those individuals who weaken it and bring it to ruin due to their utter lack of virtue."[8][9][10]
On 6 May 1945, shortly before Yugoslav Partisans entered Zagreb, Makanec fled the city in a group of sixteen government ministers. On 17 May, they surrendered to the British in Tamsweg, Austria, and were extradited to Yugoslav authorities. After a one-day trial before a military tribunal in Zagreb on 6 June he was sentenced to death for high treason and war crimes and executed by firing squad in the morning of the following day.[2][11]
