Pangalos Coup

In June 1925, General Theodoros Pangalos seized power in Greece in a military coup, overthrowing the government of the young Second Hellenic Republic. Pangalos was an ambitious officer who had been involved in the revolution of 1922 and the Trial of the Six. Taking advantage of political instability, he forced the government to resign, and in 1926 he declared himself dictator and was elected president in a controlled election. His rule was authoritarian and often eccentric. He restricted the press and political freedoms, and he became known for unusual decrees, including one setting the length of women's skirts, which were not to be more than 30 centimeters above the ground. In foreign policy, he made concessions to Yugoslavia over Thessaloniki and launched a brief border war with Bulgaria in October 1925, known as the Incident at Petrich, which was ended by the League of Nations. His dictatorship lasted just over a year. In August 1926, he was overthrown in a countercoup led by General Georgios Kondylis, and Admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis returned as president.