Metapolitefsi

Metapolitefsi refers to the period in Greek history after the restoration of democracy, subsequently to the fall of the Junta in 1974.

Prologue

In September 1973, George Papadopoulos pursuing a liberalization plan of the dictatorship and feeling confident about his grasp on power after a six year dictatorship career that saw him appoint himself to every possible high echelon position in the Greek government icluding Regent, appointed Spiros Markezinis as Prime Minister of Greece, with the task to lead Greece to parliamentary rule. Spiros Markezinis accepted the task but sensing that the power was shifting to the politicians from the iron grip of the military demanded that Papadopoulos curtail any military interference. Papadopoulos not only acquiesced but he also proceeded with a wide range of liberalization measures such as abolishing martial law, easing censorship of the press and freeing political prisoners. Free elections were proclaimed soon after in which political formations including part of the traditional left were expected to participate.

In November 1973 the Athens Polytechnic uprising broke out. The student uprising is believed to have been spontaneous, and not orchestrated by any political groups in Greece. It eventually evolved to a universal demonstration against the dictatorship. In November 25 1973, Brigadier Demetrios Ioannides used the uprising as a pretext to stage a countercoup that overthrew Papadopoulos, and put an abrupt and dramatic end to Markezinis's attempt for transition to democratic rule. Ioannidis arrested Markezinis and Papadopoulos, cancelled the elections, reinstated martial law and appointed Phaedon Gizikis, an old dictatorship workhorse devoid of any charisma and faithful follower of Ioannidis' orders, as the new president. Ioannidis liked to work in the shadows and the shadows just became lighter as he put himself squarely in the driver's seat of the government hidden only by the shadows of his puppets. The new puppet regime pursued an aggressive internal crackdown and an expansionist foreign policy. Internally they moved quickly to stifle any dissent and reinstituted repressive measures such as heavy censorship, expulsions, detentions and torture worse than even the worst days under Papadopoulos. Having successfully terrorized the population they embarked on the Cyprus adventure that only a dictator such as Ioannidis could perceive as foreign policy and in July 1974 after an abortive coup against Archbishop Makarios the Turkish invasion of Cyprus began.