One of the first actions of the Metaxas dictatorship, only twelve days after the abolition of democracy on August 4th, 1936, was to perform massive book burnings in several Greek cities. As an imitation of similar actions in Nazi Germany, […]
Read more »
One of the main drivers of the economic boost the Greek economy experienced under Metaxas was the armaments industry, which became Greece’s biggest industry and second largest export. At the center of this industry was the GPCC, the Greek Powder and Cartridge Company also […]
Read more »
Although the nationalist discourse of the 4th of August regime did not contain any aggressive or imperialistic resonance towards neighbouring countries, it did have a strong supremacist rhetoric concerning minorities in Greece, and most ethnic and religious minorities underwent hardships under Metaxas’ rule. […]
Read more »
The most characteristic feature of Cycladic architecture is the colors: blue and white are the dominating colors in all the islands of the archipelago. According to the nationalist myth, the reason goes back to the time of the Ottoman occupation: […]
Read more »
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, […]
Read more »
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 […]
Read more »
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 […]
Read more »
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 […]
Read more »
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 […]
Read more »
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 […]
Read more »