Propaganda in Metaxas' Greece 1936-1940

The thesis addresses the issue of propaganda in Greece during Metaxas’ dictatorship between 1936 and 1940. It aims to analyse the organisation and objectives of official propaganda and to assess its effectiveness; whether it achieved its stated objectives.

The introduction provides an overview of the historical and political context of propaganda as it developed in the twentieth century and its relevance to Metaxas’ regime. A concise reference to the primary and secondary sources used on Metaxas’ propaganda is also made. Chapter 1 deals with the press, the regime’s most effective instrument of propaganda, its organisation, structure and objectives under the ‘Fourth of August’ dictatorship, and with the establishment and function of Metaxas’ Youth. Chapter 2 considers one of the most significant themes disseminated by the regime’s propaganda, The Metaxas’ Myth, and the techniques and means used for its effective propagation. Chapter 3 examines the cinema as an important propaganda medium and the themes disseminated, while Chapter 4 considers the potentiality of the theatre as a major propagandistic instrument in reference to the themes of the ‘regeneration of Greece’ and the ‘Third Greek Civilisation’. Chapter 5 looks at the radio, Metaxas’ very own medium of political persuasion, its establishment and organisational developments. Chapter 6 analyses critically the impact of the Metaxas’ propaganda. Chapter 7 concludes.

The conclusions I draw are that Metaxas’ regime used every means of mass communication, which it fully controlled, to disseminate its beliefs and ideology. In this effort the regime’s propaganda adopted most of the techniques used by totalitarian states like Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. However, evidence suggests that the impact of Metaxas’ propaganda was not the expected one and left the majority of the Greek people indifferent and in many cases it provoked a hostile attitude towards the regime.