Like other European countries, Greece was swept up in the 1930s by a strongly nationalist sentiment, and a fascist regime was established in 1936 by General Metaxas. As in Germany and Italy, the Metaxas dictatorship established a youth organization, the Ethniki Organosi Neolaias (EON, […]
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This is the English translation of an article published in a French newspaper about the swearing ceremony of the first phalanx of the EON, the National Youth Organization, under the presidence of Metaxas. Yesterday at noon, in the presence of the […]
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With the exception of his late months of life, Metaxas was never extremely popular, and the regime he established in 1936 was not either. But Metaxas enjoyed some sort of social acceptance or even support, and because of this, he could withhold the most powerful seat […]
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Until we secure mothers of conscience for Greece, we must emphasise the family order… As the family is the basic cell of every society, mothers also constitute the primary foundation of society. (H Neolaia, July 1937) The compounded impact of the […]
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One of the few episodes of actual significant opposition to the 4th of August State occured in June 1940, when a number of pro-Axis politicians and officers tried to change Metaxas’ foreign policy orientation and align Greece with Nazi Germany. The core of […]
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Around the time of the 4th anniversary of the establishment of the 4th of August State, a train-based exhibition was launched to show the regime’s achievements to the citizens of the countryside. Approppiately, it was organized by the Directorate for Popular Enlightenment of the Sub-ministry […]
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Metaxas’ ghost still haunts many in Greece. His historiography is often plagued by partisan politics and interpretations, which do not contribute to the true grasp of his personality and his regime. In this context, the following article about Metaxas and […]
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After the Wehrmacht invaded Greece on the spring of 1941, a new quisling Greek government was created in Athens headed by General Georgios Tsolakoglou, the army commander who had signed the armistice with the Germans. Although Joachim von Ribbentrop, the German […]
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After Metaxas’ death in late January 1941, the former Alexandros Koryzis, Governor of the National Bank of Greece and a former Minister of Social Welfare in the 4th of August’s cabinet, was sworn as Metaxas’ successor. He pledged himself to […]
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One of the most remarked features of the Metaxas regime was that the 4th of August state, unlike Nazi Germany or Italian Fascism, Greek fascism did not have a mass party. Indeed, while many interwar authoritarian or totalitarian regimes were supported by strong […]
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