Metaxas Regime
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Βασίλειον τῆς Ἑλλάδος Vasílion tis Elládos |
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| Authoritarian state | ||||||||||
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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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| Capital | Athens | |||||||||
| Languages | Greek | |||||||||
| Religion | Greek Orthodox | |||||||||
| Government | Metaxist authoritarian dictatorship | |||||||||
| Archigos | ||||||||||
| • | 1936–1941 | Ioannis Metaxas | ||||||||
| • | 1941 | Alexandros Koryzis | ||||||||
| • | 1941 | Emmanouil Tsouderos | ||||||||
| King | ||||||||||
| • | 1936–1941 | George II | ||||||||
| History | ||||||||||
| • | Established | 4 August 1936 | ||||||||
| • | End | May 1941 | ||||||||
| Currency | Greek drachma | |||||||||
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The 4th of August Regime (Greek: Καθεστώς της 4ης Αυγούστου, Kathestós tis tetártis Avgoústou), commonly also known as the Metaxas Regime (Greek: Καθεστώς Μεταξά, Kathestós Metaxá), was an authoritarian regime under the leadership of General Ioannis Metaxas that ruled the Kingdom of Greece from 1936 to 1941. It took its name from a self-coup carried out by Metaxas, with the support of King George II, on 4 August 1936. Metaxas presided over a conservative authoritarian and staunchly anti-communist government, the regime took inspiration in its symbolism and rhetoric from Fascist Italy, but never developed into a fully-fledged fascist dictatorship, and retained close links to Britain and France, rather than the Axis powers. Lacking a popular base, after Metaxas' death in January 1941 the regime hinged entirely on the King. Although Greece was occupied following the German invasion of Greece in April 1941 and the Greek government was forced into exile in the Middle East, several prominent figures and features of the regime, notably the notorious security chief Konstantinos Maniadakis, survived for several months in cabinet until the King was forced to dismiss them in a compromise with the representatives of the old democratic political establishment.
Metaxas imposed his regime primarily to fight the turbulent social situation prevalent in Greece in the 1930s, in which political factionalization had disrupted Greek parliamentary democracy. The sinking credibility of the Parliament was accompanied by several coup attempts; in March 1935, a Venizelist putsch failed, and in the following October, elections reinforced the Royalist majority, which allowed the exiled King George II to return to Greece.
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