Hellenic State (1941-1944)
| Hellenic State | ||||||||||
| Ελληνική Πολιτεία Elliniki Politeia |
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| Puppet government of Axis powers | ||||||||||
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Motto "Eleftheria i Thanatos" Ελευθερία ή θάνατος "Freedom or Death" |
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Anthem Ýmnos is tin Eleftherían Ὕμνος εἰς τὴν Ἐλευθερίαν "Hymn to Freedom" |
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.svg) Hellenic state during Axis occupation 1942
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| Capital | Athens | |||||||||
| Languages |
Greek German Italian |
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| Religion | Greek Orthodox | |||||||||
| Political structure | Authoritarian collaborationist state | |||||||||
| Plenipotentiary | ||||||||||
| • | 1941–1943 | Günther Altenburg | ||||||||
| • | 1943–1944 | Hermann Neubacher | ||||||||
| Prime Minister | ||||||||||
| • | 1941–1942 | Georgios Tsolakoglou | ||||||||
| • | 1942–1943 | Konstantinos Logothetopoulos | ||||||||
| • | 1943–1944 | Ioannis Rallis | ||||||||
| Historical era | World War II | |||||||||
| • | Battle of Greece | 6 April 1941 | ||||||||
| • | Battle of Crete | 20 May 1941 | ||||||||
| • | German withdrawal | 12 October 1944 | ||||||||
| Currency | Greek drachma (₯) | |||||||||
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The Hellenic State (Greek: Ελληνική Πολιτεία, Elliniki Politeia, also translated as Greek State) was the collaborationist government of Greece during the country's occupation by the Axis powers in the Second World War.
After the fall of Greece, General Georgios Tsolakoglou was appointed as Prime minister of the new Greek government on April 30, 1941. As King George II had left the country with the legitimate Greek government in exile, the new regime avoided all reference to the Greek monarchy and used Hellenic State as the country's official, generic, name. The collaborationist regime lacked a precise political definition, although Tsolakoglou, a republican officer, considered the Axis occupation as an opportunity to abolish the monarchy, and announced its end upon taking office. The existence of a native Greek government was considered necessary by the Axis powers, in order to give some appearance of legitimacy to their occupation, although it was never given more than an ancillary role. The country's infrastructures had been ruined by the war. Raw materials and foodstuffs were requisitioned, and the government was forced to pay the cost of the occupation, giving rise to inflation, further exacerbated by a "war loan" Greece was forced to grant to Nazi Germany. Requisitions, together with the Allied blockade of Greece, resulted during the winter of 1941-42 in the Great Famine (Greek: Μεγάλος Λιμός), which caused the deaths of an estimated 300,000 people.
The Hellenic State lacked the infrastructures and latitude for action to face the great difficulties of the Occupation period; it was also devoid of any political legitimacy, and was widely considered a puppet government. Tsolakoglou demanded greater political rights for his government, and soon threatened to resign. The proclamation of a mandatory work service in Germany for Greek citizens proved widely unpopular and hastened the fall of Tsolakoglou: on 17 November 1942, he was sacked and replaced by his deputy, Konstantinos Logothetopoulos. The new government announced that 80,000 Greek citizens were to be sent to Germany. This led to widespread demonstrations and strikes, and the decision was eventually revoked. Logothetopoulos, who had protested against the measures taken by the Axis occupation authorities, was himself sacked on 6 April 1943. Against the wishes of the Italians, who favored Finance Minister Sotirios Gotzamanis, he was replaced by Ioannis Rallis, a monarchist politician. Rallis, who was looking beyond the German withdrawal from Greece to the restoration of the post-war political order, and who was alarmed by the growth of the mostly Communist-dominated Greek resistance, obtained German consent for the creation of the Security Battalions, armed formations that were used in anti-partisan offensives.
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