Greek junta
The Greek junta or Regime of the Colonels was a right-wing military dictatorship that ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974. On 21 April 1967, a group of colonels overthrew the caretaker government a month before scheduled elections which Georgios Papandreou's Centre Union was favoured to win.
Kingdom of Greece (1967–1973) Βασίλειον τῆς Ἑλλάδος Vasíleion tís Elládos Hellenic Republic (1973–1974) Ἑλληνικὴ Δημοκρατία Ellinikí Dimokratía | |||||||||
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| 1967–1974 | |||||||||
| Anthem: Hymn to Freedom | |||||||||
Map of Europe in 1973, showing Greece highlighted in green | |||||||||
| Capital | Athens | ||||||||
| Common languages | Greek | ||||||||
| Religion | Greek Orthodoxy | ||||||||
| Demonym(s) | Greek, Hellene | ||||||||
| Government | Unitary constitutional monarchy under a military dictatorship (1967–1973) Unitary semi-presidential republic under a military dictatorship (1 June to 25 November 1973) Unitary quasi-parliamentary republic under a military dictatorship (25 November 1973 to 24 July 1974) | ||||||||
| Monarch | |||||||||
Constantine II | |||||||||
Georgios Zoitakis Georgios Papadopoulos | |||||||||
| President | |||||||||
• 1973 | Georgios Papadopoulos | ||||||||
• 1973–1974 | Phaedon Gizikis | ||||||||
| Prime Minister | |||||||||
• 1967 | Konstantinos Kollias | ||||||||
• 1967–1973 | Georgios Papadopoulos | ||||||||
• 1973 | Spyros Markezinis | ||||||||
• 1973–1974 | Adamantios Androutsopoulos | ||||||||
| Legislature | Hellenic Parliament (nominal, suspended) Rule by decree (actual) | ||||||||
| Historical era | Cold War | ||||||||
| 21 April 1967 | |||||||||
• Constantine II exiled | 13 December 1967 | ||||||||
| 15 November 1968 | |||||||||
• Republic declared | 1 June 1973 | ||||||||
| 29 July 1973 | |||||||||
| 17 November 1973 | |||||||||
| 24 July 1974 | |||||||||
| Area | |||||||||
• Total | 131,957 km2 (50,949 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Population | |||||||||
• 1971 census | 8.768.372 | ||||||||
| Currency | Greek drachma (GRD) | ||||||||
| Driving side | right | ||||||||
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The dictatorship was characterised by policies such as anti-communism, restrictions on civil liberties, and the imprisonment, torture, and exile of political opponents. It was ruled by Georgios Papadopoulos from 1967 to 1973, but an attempt to renew its support in a 1973 referendum on the monarchy and gradual democratisation was ended by another coup by the hardliner Dimitrios Ioannidis, who ruled it until it fell on 24 July 1974 under the pressure of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, leading to the Metapolitefsi ("regime change") (Greek: Μεταπολίτευση) to democracy and the establishment of the Third Hellenic Republic. It has been said to have been heavily influenced by the CIA.