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Ioannis Metaxas
Ιωάννης Μεταξάς
Prime Minister of Greece
In office 13 April 1936 – 29 January 1941
Monarch
George II
Preceded by
Konstantinos Demertzis
Succeeded by
Alexandros Koryzis
Deputy Prime Minister
In office 30 November 1935 – 12 April 1936
Monarch
George II
Prime Minister
Konstantinos Demertzis
Preceded by
Ioannis Theotokis
Succeeded by
Konstantinos Zavitsianos
Minister of Defense
In office 5 – 13 March 1935
President
Alexandros Zaimis
Prime Minister
Panagis Tsaldaris
Preceded by
Georgios Kondylis
Succeeded by
Georgios Kondylis
In office 14 March 1936 – 29 January 1941
Monarch
George II
Prime Minister
Konstantinos Demertzis Himself
Preceded by
Konstantinos Demertzis
Succeeded by
Alexandros Koryzis
Minister of the Interior
In office 4 November 1932 – 16 January 1933
President
Alexandros Zaimis
Prime Minister
Panagis Tsaldaris
Preceded by
Ioannis Tsirimokos
Succeeded by
Georgios Maris
Minister of Public Transport
In office 4 December 1926 – 4 July 1928
President
Pavlos Kountouriotis
Prime Minister
Alexandros Zaimis
Personal details
Born
(1871-04-12)12 April 1871 Ithaca, Kingdom of Greece
Died
29 January 1941(1941-01-29) (aged 69) Athens, Kingdom of Greece
Cause of death
Toxemia
Political party
Freethinkers' Party (1922–1936) Independent (1936–1941)
Alma mater
Hellenic Army Academy Prussian War College
Awards
Gold Cross of the Order of the Redeemer
Signature
Military service
Allegiance
Kingdom of Greece
Branch/service
Hellenic Army
Years of service
1890–1920
Rank
Lieutenant General
Unit
Army of Thessaly
Commands
Epistratoi
Battles/wars
Greco-Turkish War (1897)
Balkan Wars
First Balkan War
Battle of Bizani
Second Balkan War
World War I
National Schism
Noemvriana
Ioannis Metaxas (/ˈmɛtəksæs/;[1] Greek: Ιωάννης Μεταξάς; 12 April 1871[2] – 29 January 1941) was a Greek military officer and politician who was Prime Minister of Greece from 1936 until his death in 1941. He governed constitutionally for the first four months of his tenure, and thereafter as the strongman leader of the 4th of August Regime following his appointment by King George II.
Born to an aristocratic family in Ithaca, Metaxas took part in the Greco-Turkish War of 1897 and the Balkan Wars (1912–13), and quickly rose through the ranks of the Hellenic Army. As a monarchist during the National Schism, Metaxas unsuccessfully opposed Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos and Greece's entry in World War I; he was exiled to Corsica in response in 1917. On his return, Metaxas moved into politics and founded the Freethinkers' Party, but had only limited success under the Second Hellenic Republic.
Metaxas was appointed Prime Minister in April 1936, a year after the Greek monarchy was restored. With the support of King George II, Metaxas initiated a self-coup and established an authoritarian, nationalist, and anti-communist regime. The ideology associated with his rule, Metaxism, has sometimes been characterized as fascist, though scholars have described his rule as a conventional authoritarian-conservative dictatorship akin to Francoist Spain or the Estado Novo in Portugal.[3][4]
Metaxas attempted to maintain Greek neutrality early in the Second World War. On 28 October 1940, Metaxas rejected an ultimatum imposed by the Italians to surrender, committing Greece to the Allies and bringing the country into the war. He died in January 1941, before the German invasion and subsequent fall of Greece.
^Benaki Museum, "Greek history – The dictatorship of Ioannis Metaxas and the start of World War II 1936–1940"
^Note: Greece officially adopted the Gregorian calendar on 16 February 1923 (which became 1 March). All dates prior to that, unless specifically denoted, are Old Style.
^Payne, Stanley G (1995). A History of Fascism, 1914–45. University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 0-299-14874-2.
^Lee, Stephen J. 2000. European Dictatorships, 1918–1945 Routledge; 2 ed. ISBN 0415230462.
IoannisMetaxas (/ˈmɛtəksæs/; Greek: Ιωάννης Μεταξάς; 12 April 1871 – 29 January 1941) was a Greek military officer and politician who was Prime Minister...
known as the Metaxas regime (Καθεστώς Μεταξά, Kathestós Metaxá), was an authoritarian regime under the leadership of General IoannisMetaxas that ruled...
Bulgarian invasion after the rearmament of Bulgaria. It was named after IoannisMetaxas, then Prime Minister of Greece, and chiefly consists of tunnels that...
referendum, upon which he resumed his royal duties. The king supported IoannisMetaxas' 1936 self-coup, which established an authoritarian, nationalist and...
Μεταξισμός) is a Greek authoritarian nationalist ideology associated with IoannisMetaxas. It called for the regeneration of the Greek nation and the establishment...
Georges Metaxa (1899–1950), Romanian singer and actor IoannisMetaxas (1871–1941), Greek general, prime minister and dictator Nemone Metaxas (born 1972)...
when democracy was abolished in Greece by the 4th of August Regime of IoannisMetaxas. Rallis originally belonged to the Greek conservative and monarchist...
support IoannisMetaxas' declaration of dictatorship on 4 August 1936. As head of the army and the palace's man, Papagos was a crucial figure in Metaxas' dictatorial...
Ioannis Metaxas, Greek general and politician Ioannis Okkas, Cypriot football player Ioannis Pangas, Greek philanthropist and businessman Ioannis Paraskevopoulos...
each year. Ohi Day commemorates the rejection by the Greek dictator IoannisMetaxas of the ultimatum made by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini on 28 October...
in May. The road was now clear for IoannisMetaxas, who had succeeded Demertzis as interim Prime Minister. Metaxas, a retired royalist general, believed...
assumed this role on 29 January 1941, when his predecessor, the dictator IoannisMetaxas died of throat cancer, during the Greco-Italian War. Prior to this...
the Germanophile General IoannisMetaxas. Knowing of the strong anti-Slavic racism held by the Emperor Wilhelm II, Metaxas argued that Germany was the...
presented Metaxas with a three-hour ultimatum, demanding free passage for troops to occupy unspecified "strategic sites" within Greek territory. Metaxas rejected...
were banned following their occupations by Germany. Prime Minister IoannisMetaxas banned all political parties in 1936. Golden Dawn was ruled as a criminal...
staff was reorganized and supporters of the Crown Prince, including IoannisMetaxas, were expelled. At the same time, a French army mission was called...
Tupi people, meaning "you are my brother". In Greece in 1936, when IoannisMetaxas and his 4th of August Regime took power, an almost identical salute...
historical Metaxas family, which originated in Constantinople and moved to Kefalonia in the 15th century. He was the second son of Petros Metaxas and Violeta...
overthrow the dictatorship of IoannisMetaxas. The uprising of 1938 was the only armed insurrection against the dictatorship of Metaxas and broke out on 28 July...
in May. The road was now clear for IoannisMetaxas, who had succeeded Demertzis as interim prime minister. Metaxas, a retired royalist general, believed...
developed in the army among lower officers, led by military officers IoannisMetaxas and Sofoklis Dousmanis, determined to oppose disarmament and the surrender...
1936-1941: A Political Biography of General IoannisMetaxas. Routledge. ISBN 9781134729333. Petrakis, Marina (2006). Metaxas Myth: Dictatorship and Propaganda in...
growing movement amongst the low-rank officers within the army, led by IoannisMetaxas and Sofoklis Dousmanis, were determined to oppose disarmament and any...
monarchy, he was again exiled in 1938 by the Greek royalist dictator IoannisMetaxas. Following the Axis occupation of Greece in the Second World War, he...
named after and inspired by the 4th of August Regime of Prime Minister IoannisMetaxas. On 24 February 1977, Aristotelis Kalentzis, a member of the party...
Global Information
Gold Cross of the Order of the Redeemer
Kingdom of Greece
Hellenic Army
Lieutenant General