metaxas celebrations 4th august 1936

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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metaxas greece book burning

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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bodosakis metaxas gpcc pyrkal

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 greece

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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900_kostas-kotzias

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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