From 1936 to 1941 , the Kingdom of Greece was an authoritarian regime led by General Ioannis Metaxas , comparable to those of the Spain of Franco or Portugal of Salazar. Historians of this period insist that this was not a government "fascist" but "authoritarian with fascist leanings. The Metaxas regime was differentiated from those of Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler in many respects: it was relatively nonviolent, did not pursue expansionist policy of neither anti-Semitic, and has not been a mass political movement.

Origins of the regime

Metaxas imposed behind his regime to fight against the social instability that prevailed in Greece in the 1930s, parliamentary democracy has degenerated into bickering political factions. The loss of credibility of Parliament accompanied by several coup attempts, and in March 1935, a coup Venizelist had failed and the October elections had strengthened the royalist majority, which allowed the return from exile of King George II of Greece. The king restored the monarchy, but Parliament, divided into irreconcilable factions, was unable to reach a clear political majority for the government to function. Moreover, the increasing activity of Communists in arbitrage position through their 15 members of the 1936 elections against Monarchists to 143 and 142 Liberals, Agrarians and Republicans, created a political impasse.

In May of that year, the unrest spread to the agricultural community (growers) and Industrial North led the prime minister, General Metaxas, to suspend the parliament on the eve of a major strike, August 4 1936. Supported by the king, Metaxas declared a state of emergency, declared martial law, repealed various sections of the constitution and establish a crisis cabinet to put an end to the riots and restore social order. During one of his first speech, he announced: "I decided to take all the power necessary to save Greece disasters that threaten it."

Metaxas dictatorship was well established, and the period that would follow was named after the date on which he seized full powers: August 4. The new regime was supported both by small extremist political parties and the Conservatives, with the hope of a collapse of the Communists.

References to ancient Greece

The roots of the "New State" were searched in classical Greek history. Greek nationalism was to combine the pagan values of ancient Greece and especially those of Sparta, with the Christian values of the Byzantine Empire.

"Country, Loyalty, Family and Religion" were regarded as fundamental values.

Was adopted as the main symbol labrys , an ancient symbol of Minoan Crete.

Other Influences

Metaxas saw Salazar's Portugal as his main inspiration, and surrounded himself with elements borrowed from the scheme as well as other contemporary dictatorships. But he used his own uniforms, salutes, songs and rituals, military, whose Roman hello.

Regarding Metaxas can also evoke typical traits of authoritarian states in the 1930s as Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany and the USSR Stalinist regime's propaganda presented the leader as the "First peasant, "" Prime Worker "and" Father of the Nation. " He adopted the title "Archigos" ("head" in Greek) and proclaimed the "Third Hellenic Civilization" based on ancient Greek and Byzantine Greek Empire of the Middle Ages.

Greek Authoritarianism

The scheme seeks to fundamentally transform the country, he established control of society, politics of language and economics. In each case the policy was closer to that of Spain as that of Nazi Germany or Fascist Italy.

The quest for social stability

Established with a stated aim of restoring public order, the rule of Metaxas achieved largely under the direction of that which can be regarded as its most fascist member, the Minister of Public Order Konstantinos Maniadakis.

Some measures such as banning strikes were conventional and existed in some democracies, others copied the contemporary European authoritarian regimes, as a large media censorship, banning of political parties, and the organization of a political police, the asfleia , with the aim of defending public order.

Shortly after his accession the regime severely repressed the Communists and supporters of the Left. Approximately 15,000 people were arrested and imprisoned or exiled for political reasons and some were tortured. The Communist Party was forced into hiding, and the regime tried to dismantle the old system of alliances and Venizelist royalist party. These powerful forces continued to exist, however, as in previous decades, and rapparuent immediately after the 4-year regime of Metaxas.

While the scheme put forward a supposed communist threat to justify its repression, it is noticeable that no political assassination is attributed to him, and that the death penalty has not been established. The dissidents were banished in general rather small islands of the Aegean, the liberal leader George Papandreou was thus exiled to Andros. The Communist Party of Greece (KKE), however, which had already been banned, remained intact. Legal restrictions against him ended in 1974.

The role of youth

To safeguard and transmit the values of the regime, Metaxas created the Ethniki Organosi Neolaia (National Youth), EON. The aim was to bring together in one the young people of all social and economic strata. The education of boys insisted on discipline and physical training while the girls was to do wives and attentive mothers, capable of generating a new generation stronger and healthier. The EON published a magazine ("Neolaia" - "Youth" in Greek), which had a major influence in both schools and secondary schools.

The EON was dissolved by the occupation forces between Germany and Italy continued to resist it vigorously opposed the invasion.

Censorship

Musicians rebetiko had to modify the lyrics of their songs were often referred to drug use, so the tekkedes were a target for police. The entire "movement" rebetiko was considered decadent and anti-national.

Nationalism

Like most other similar schemes, the scheme of 4 August adopted a strongly nationalist program. Although Metaxas is opposed to the invasion of Asia Minor under the Big Idea , his vocabulary about the Greek minorities in adjacent countries and its responses to threats from its neighbors was strongly nationalistic. He also referred to the "Greek race".

The ethnic and religious minorities were persecuted, however, the regime was tolerant of Greek Jews, anti-Semitic groups such Ethniki Enosis Ellas the ultranationalist (EEA) were banned as well as the spread of antisemitic ideas in the press. Metaxas also tied to good relations with representatives of the Jewish community. The strong Sephardic community of Thessaloniki area (annexed by Greece in 1913) was mostly opposed to Venizelist. Metaxas was firmly opposed to the irredentist factions slavophones of northern Greece, including Macedonia and Thrace.

Economic policy

The Metaxas government People went through a program developed for "socialize" the Greek economy, introducing:

• minimum wage
• unemployment insurance
• maternity leave
• Week 5 days and 40 hours
• 2 weeks vacation
• standards more stringent safety

Many elements of this program are still present in the Greek economic policy. The scheme also founded the National Social Service (IKA)

The government initially stabilized in the course of the drachma, which had suffered from high inflation. He then took advantage of the newly acquired strength of money to launch a broad program of public works, including drainage works, construction of railways, road improvement and modernization of telecommunications infrastructure.

This economic program initially met with success, with a marked increase in income per capita and a temporary decrease in unemployment in Greece between 1936 and 1938 (unemployment soared after 1938). Building on these successes, the government instituted a debt forgiveness for farmers minimum prices for some agricultural products in order to redistribute wealth to the countryside.

The end of the regime

Foreign policy was one of the major concerns of the regime. Metaxas, who had studied in Germany in his youth, was pro-German as well as the king. But the country's security depended on the facts of its traditional protector, the United Kingdom , which was the dominant superpower in the eastern Mediterranean with its fleet. In addition, the grandiose project of Mussolini create a new Roman Empire in the Mediterranean clashed head-on the Greek claims to control the Aegean and the Dodecanese Islands (then under Italian rule) and to exert a growing influence in Albania.

While the war seemed increasingly likely in Europe on the eve of World War II, the situation in Greece was identical to that of the first world war, the government has strong affinities pro-Germanic as the country depended of England for his safety. Most observers expected that Greece tries to stay neutral, what actually tried Metaxas. The Italian expansionism however, leads to an unacceptable ultimatum to Greece.

Metaxa went so popular simply by answering "" ("No"), probably referring to the brevity of the former Spartan. The Day No one is currently the 2 Greek national holidays, with the Independence Day.

During the Italo-Greek war that ensued, the Italian invasion was repelled and the Greek army occupied the same part of Albania (then under Italian rule).

The regime ended after the German invasion in 1941, Metaxas being himself died in January this year and was replaced by a collaborationist government under German rule.

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