Ioannis Metaxas

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Ioannis Metaxas

Ioannis Metaxas (Greek Ιωάννης Μεταξάς, April 12, 1871 – January 29, 1941) was a Greek General and the Prime Minister of Greece from 1936 until his death in 1941.

[edit] Life

Born in Kefalonia, Metaxas was a career military officer, first seeing action in 1897 fighting the Turkish army in the Thessalian campaign. Following studies in Germany, he returned to join the General Staff and was part of the modernizing process of the Greek Army before the Balkan Wars (1912-1913), in which he actively participated. He was appointed as Chief of the Greek General Staff in 1913 and was promoted to General.

A staunch monarchist, he supported Constantine I and opposed Greek entry into WW I. Eleftherios Venizelos, the prime minister, resigned over the refusal of Metaxas to aid the unsuccessful Dardanelles campaign and used the war as the major issue in the elections. When Venizelos won the March 1915 elections he mobilised the army but was dismissed by the king. In June 1917, with Allied support and 60,000 Cretan soldiers, the king was deposed and Venizelos came to power, declaring war on June 29, 1917.

Metaxas followed the king into exile, neither returning until 1920. When the monarchy was displaced in 1922 Metaxas moved into politics and founded the Freethinkers' Party in 1923.

[edit] Dictator

After a disputed plebiscite George II, son of Constantine I, returned to take the throne in 1935. The elections of 1936 produced a deadlock between Panagis Tsaldaris and Themistoklis Sophoulis. The political situation was further polarized by the gains made by the Communist Party of Greece (KKE). Disliking the Communists and fearing a coup, George II appointed Metaxas, then minister of war, to be interim prime minister and the appointment was confirmed by the Greek parliament.

Ioannis Metaxas, architect of the famous Greek "No" against Italian dictator Mussolini, with King George II of Greece, crown prince Paul of Greece and General Alexander Papagos at the successful Albanian Campaign against invading fascist Italy during World War II.

Widespread industrial unrest in May allowed Metaxas to declare a state of emergency. He suspended the parliament indefinitely and suspended various articles of the constitution. In August 4, 1936 Metaxas declared the 4th of August Regime. The regime's propaganda presented Metaxas as "the First Peasant", "the First Worker" and as "the National Father" of the Greeks. Metaxas adopted the title of Arhigos, Greek for "leader" or "chieftain", and claimed a "Third Hellenic Civilization" based upon ancient Greece and the Greek Byzantine Empire of the Middle Ages.

Patterning his regime on other authoritarian European governments (most notably Mussolini's fascist regime), Metaxas banned political parties, arrested communists, prohibited strikes and introduced widespread censorship of the media.

The Metaxas government promoted various popular measures, such as the 8-hour working day and mandatory improvements to the working conditions of workers. He established the Greek social security fund (IKA), still the biggest social security institution in Greece, and improved the country's defences. For rural areas agricultural prices were raised and farm debts were taken on by the government. Despite these efforts the Greek people generally moved towards the political left, but without actively opposing Metaxas.

In foreign policy Metaxas had a clear pro-British stance. He saw in the Mediterranean the British as a natural ally and their fleet was a major force while the expansionist goals of Mussolini were clearly threatening to Greece. The policy of Metaxas to keep Greece out of WWII was decisively broken by the blunt demands of Mussolini in October 1940. He demanded occupation rights to strategic Greek sites and was met with a curt reply by Metaxas "Alors, c'est la guerre" ("then it is war"), which was encapsulated in Greek popular feeling in the single word "No". Italy invaded Greece from Albania on October 28.

Thanks to preparations and an inspired defence the Greeks were able to mount a successful defense and counter offensive, forcing the Italians back into Albania and occupying large parts of Northern Epirus (Southern Albania). Metaxas died in Athens on January 29 of a phlegmon of the pharynx which subsequently led to uncurable toxaemia. At the time it was speculated that he was poisoned by the British. He was succeeded by Alexandros Korizis. After Metaxas' death, the Germans had a hard time facing the fortifications constructed by Metaxas in Northern Greece, which were called the Metaxas Line.

To this day, Metaxas remains a highly controversial figure in Greek history. He is reviled by some for his dictatorial state, and admired by others for his popular policies, patriotism, defence to aggression, and his military victory against Italy.

[edit] See also

• Greek Fascism
• Greek Civil War
• Greco-Italian War
• Metaxas Line
• 4th of August Regime
• Greek wikipedia entry

[edit] External links

• Metaxas Project - Inside Fascist Greece Pro-fascist website.