Metaxas

Metaxas, John, 1871-1941, Greek general and statesman. A career soldier, he served in the Greco-Turkish War of 1897 and in the Balkan Wars of 1912-13, in which he was assistant chief of staff. He was later chief of staff, but was exiled (1917), along with most other prominent figures of Constantine I's government, as pro-German when Greece joined the Allies in World War I. He returned in 1920 and became prominent as a royalist politician during the Republic of 1924-35. After the monarchy had been reestablished in Greece, Metaxas became premier in Apr., 1936. With the support of King George II, Metaxas dissolved parliament on Aug. 4, 1936, and established a dictatorship that increasingly took on many Fascist trappings. Nevertheless, the fundamental ideology remained conservative, and Metaxas was clearly aware that the greatest threat to Greece came from the Fascist powers. He was thus prepared to resist Mussolini's attach on Greece (Oct. 28, 1940) and, prior to his death three months later, organized the successful Greek operations against Italy in Albania. His diaries are available in Greek.

(born April 12, 1871, Ithaca, Greece—died Jan. 29, 1941, Athens) Greek general and premier (1936–41). He rose in the Greek army to become chief of staff (1913–17). An ardent monarchist, he left Greece when King Constantine I was deposed in 1917, but he returned in 1920. After the monarchy's fall in 1923, he led an opposition ultraroyalist party until the monarchy was restored in 1935. He was appointed premier in 1936 and, with royal authority, established a dictatorship. He suppressed political opposition, carried out some beneficial economic and social reforms, and brought a united country into the Western alliance in World War II.

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(born April 12, 1871, Ithaca, Greece—died Jan. 29, 1941, Athens) Greek general and premier (1936–41). He rose in the Greek army to become chief of staff (1913–17). An ardent monarchist, he left Greece when King Constantine I was deposed in 1917, but he returned in 1920. After the monarchy's fall in 1923, he led an opposition ultraroyalist party until the monarchy was restored in 1935. He was appointed premier in 1936 and, with royal authority, established a dictatorship. He suppressed political opposition, carried out some beneficial economic and social reforms, and brought a united country into the Western alliance in World War II.

Learn more about Metaxas, Ioannis with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Metaxas may refer to:

• Metaxas Line, a chain of fortifications constructed along the line of the Greco-Bulgarian border
• Metaxas, Greece, a village in Servia, Kozani Prefecture, in the Greek region of Macedonia

People with the surname

• Ioannis Metaxas (1871 - 1941), Greek politician
• Andreas Metaxas (1786 - 1860), Greek politician

See also

• Metaxa, a Greek liqueur