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bktheirregularBack in the 1930's, there were more dictatorial regimes than you might have thought. There were the obvious ones: Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Generalissimo Francisco Franco (is he still dead?), but there were others.
Such as Antonio Salazar of Portugal, and Ioannis Metaxas.
Who's that last?
Minister of War under the Second Hellenic Republic. Appointed Prime Minister by the restored King George II, and promptly declared a state of emergency in 1936 and took basically all the reins of power, supposedly to protect the country from social unrest and the threat of Communism (ah, the red menace; still being invoked in 2008, haven't you heard?). Inspired primarily by Antonio Salazar of Portugal, also with a bit of resemblence to the other authoritarian regimes of the time - although his regime apparently didn't kill opponents outright, instead exiling them to islands in the Aegean to go stir-crazy or get more resentful and determined.
Quite a bit of the social infrastructure he put together is still intact - minimum wage, unemployment insurance and social security (IKA, they call it here), 40-hour work week, maternity leave, that sort of thing.
He's not really remembered for that, though, I don't think.
You see, he wanted to keep Greece out of World War II. Traditionally, Greece had been psychologically a bit pro-German, but somewhat dependent on Great Britain's fleet to maintain security. On the other side of the Ionian Sea, the Kingdom of Italy (read: Mussolini) was getting restless at being forced to play second fiddle to their allies in Germany. Mussolini wanted a shiny conquest of his very own, so he sent an ultimatum to Athens.
On October 28, 1940, Metaxas received the ultimatum from Italy's ambassador to Greece, and reportedly responded thus: "Alors, c'est la guerre." This didn't sound pithy enough for the crowds, who gave their own rendition of Metaxas' answer: "Okhi!"
Literally, "No!" Less literally, "piss off!" or "go to hell!"
Inevitably, the Italians responded by throwing about eight divisions of troops into Greece through Albania. Inevitably, the Greek forces (outnumbered about two-to-one) resisted.
Not so inevitably, the defenders not only stopped the invaders cold, but had blasted them back about forty miles into Albania by the time Mussolini called the hot line to Berlin to ask Der Fuehrer to pull his chestnuts out of the fire.
The German response is another story, a sadder one, but from then on, October 28 has been "Okhi Day" in Greece.
Which is why I won't be at the office tomorrow. (Well, I won't be at the office because it won't be open, but that's why the office won't be open.)
Such as Antonio Salazar of Portugal, and Ioannis Metaxas.
Who's that last?
Minister of War under the Second Hellenic Republic. Appointed Prime Minister by the restored King George II, and promptly declared a state of emergency in 1936 and took basically all the reins of power, supposedly to protect the country from social unrest and the threat of Communism (ah, the red menace; still being invoked in 2008, haven't you heard?). Inspired primarily by Antonio Salazar of Portugal, also with a bit of resemblence to the other authoritarian regimes of the time - although his regime apparently didn't kill opponents outright, instead exiling them to islands in the Aegean to go stir-crazy or get more resentful and determined.
Quite a bit of the social infrastructure he put together is still intact - minimum wage, unemployment insurance and social security (IKA, they call it here), 40-hour work week, maternity leave, that sort of thing.
He's not really remembered for that, though, I don't think.
You see, he wanted to keep Greece out of World War II. Traditionally, Greece had been psychologically a bit pro-German, but somewhat dependent on Great Britain's fleet to maintain security. On the other side of the Ionian Sea, the Kingdom of Italy (read: Mussolini) was getting restless at being forced to play second fiddle to their allies in Germany. Mussolini wanted a shiny conquest of his very own, so he sent an ultimatum to Athens.
On October 28, 1940, Metaxas received the ultimatum from Italy's ambassador to Greece, and reportedly responded thus: "Alors, c'est la guerre." This didn't sound pithy enough for the crowds, who gave their own rendition of Metaxas' answer: "Okhi!"
Literally, "No!" Less literally, "piss off!" or "go to hell!"
Inevitably, the Italians responded by throwing about eight divisions of troops into Greece through Albania. Inevitably, the Greek forces (outnumbered about two-to-one) resisted.
Not so inevitably, the defenders not only stopped the invaders cold, but had blasted them back about forty miles into Albania by the time Mussolini called the hot line to Berlin to ask Der Fuehrer to pull his chestnuts out of the fire.
The German response is another story, a sadder one, but from then on, October 28 has been "Okhi Day" in Greece.
Which is why I won't be at the office tomorrow. (Well, I won't be at the office because it won't be open, but that's why the office won't be open.)
no subject
Date: 2008-10-27 05:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-27 07:44 pm (UTC)