Postwar & Junta: Recovery, Emigration and Dictatorship
After the Civil War, Greece rebuilt, hundreds of thousands emigrated and political tensions grew, ending in military dictatorship in 1967. Discover the events from recovery to the junta's fall in 1974.
Key Events of Postwar Greece & the Junta
The Story of Postwar Greece & the Junta
The years after the Civil War were a time of rebuilding, emigration and political tension. Greece joined NATO in 1952 and, with American aid, began to rebuild its economy. Hundreds of thousands of Greeks emigrated to Germany, Australia, the United States and Canada in search of work, shaping the modern Greek diaspora. Cyprus became a central national issue, as Greek Cypriots fought British rule, while the anti-Greek pogrom in Istanbul in 1955 drove many Greeks from the city. At home, the political system remained unstable, with the right dominating and the left excluded. After a political crisis in 1965, a group of colonels seized power on 21 April 1967 and established a military dictatorship. The junta banned political parties, censored the press and imprisoned and tortured opponents. Resistance grew, culminating in the Athens Polytechnic uprising in November 1973. In July 1974, the junta's coup in Cyprus led to the Turkish invasion of the island and the collapse of the dictatorship.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did so many Greeks emigrate after the war?
Poverty, unemployment and the damage of war and civil war led hundreds of thousands of Greeks to emigrate to Germany, Australia, the United States and Canada.
What was the Greek junta?
The junta was the military dictatorship that ruled Greece from 21 April 1967 to July 1974, led first by Georgios Papadopoulos and later by Dimitrios Ioannidis.
Why did the colonels seize power in 1967?
The colonels claimed to be saving Greece from communism and political chaos, acting weeks before elections that the Centre Union was expected to win.
How was life under the junta?
Political parties were banned, the press was censored, and thousands of opponents were imprisoned, tortured or exiled to remote islands.
How did the junta end?
The junta collapsed in July 1974 after its coup against Archbishop Makarios in Cyprus led to the Turkish invasion of the island.
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