Scans from Junges Griechenland
These are some scans from the ‘Junges Griechenland’ book (‘Young Greece’), published by Alfred Widenmann in Berlin in 1940.
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The celebrations of August 4, 1936
A day just like today, 84 years ago, a 4th of August, Ioannis Metaxas established his regime. As a commemoration, August 4 became a day of national holiday and throughout the dictatorship it was celebrated with massive rallies and festivities all across […]
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The role of sport in Metaxas’ Greece compared to Hitler’s Germany
The regime of Metaxas (1936-1941) was a totalitarian regime with nationalistic and militaristic features. The purpose of this study is to collect and process data about the role of competitive sport and physical education in the regime of Metaxas. An […]
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Book burnings under Metaxas’ rule
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, […]
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Scans from a book celebrating the 4th of August regime’s first year
These are a number of scanned pages from the book “Enas Xronos Dimiourgikon Mochthon” (Ενας Χρονος Δημιουργικον Μοχθον), “One Year of Creative Hard Work”, published in Athens in 1937 by the usual Ekdoseis Ethnikis Etairias. It celebrated the Metaxas’ regime first […]
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The Greek arms industry under the 4th of August regime
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 […]
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King George II of Greece
George II (Greek: Γεώργιος Βʹ, 1890–1947) was the eldest son of Prince Constantine of Greece and his wife, Princess Sophia of Prussia. George pursued a military career, training with the Prussian Guard at the age of 18, then serving in […]
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The persecution of minorities
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. […]
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Kostas Kotzias – The man behind Metaxas
Konstantinos “Kostas” Kotzias (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος “Κώστας” Κοτζιάς) was one of Metaxas’ closest collaborators. He was born in Athens on 17 May 1892, the son of a famous merchant called Georgios Kotzias. He studied law in Athens and Rome, and worked […]
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Cycladic architectural scenery – A gift from Metaxas?
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: […]
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