Modern Greek history: how many traitors did Greece had collaborating with the german occupation during World War II?
General George Tsolakoglou, commander of the western Macedonian army, negotiated an armistice with the Germans and collaborated with them. At this point there was no way to resist the Germans any more, so some historians have given him the benefit of doubt regarding his intentions, as he may have acted to save the remaining Greek army from destruction. He was appointed Prime Minister by the Germans in 30 April 1941. Most of his cabinet was made up of high ranking military officials. In 15 November 1942, he was replaced by Logothetopoulos, a medical doctor. In 7 April 1943, the last collaborationist government was formed by Ioannis Rallis. It should be noted that at this point the defeat of the Germans was becoming evident and Ioannis Rallis and others later claimed to have collaborated with the Germans then in order to prevent a communist takeover of Greece by the communist dominated resistance. Ioannis Rallis also equipped 'Security Battalions' to fight against the communists.
How long has tax evasion been a national sport in Greece?
Through what magic spell did the Roman Empire become Greek?
Seriously Greece, why so many military juntas?
1) Some historians have claimed that tax avoidance was a way of Greeks to resist Ottoman authorities. There is doubt as to the truth and extend of this statement, however, as the Patriarch and the local elites were responsible for tax collection and had reason to please the Sultan.
2) The Eastern part of the Roman Empire was influenced by Greek culture due to the Hellenistic Kingdoms. The most important cities in the East had Greek speaking elites and the Romans saw no reason to attempt to 'Latinize' the East and preferred the cooperation of Greek elites. Greek was the dominant language in the East and the New Testament was written in Greek. The only Latin speaking institutions in the East were the Governors. Also, to quote from the book "Greece - A Short History of a Long Story" by Carol G. Thomas:
Destroyed for its role against Rome in 146 bce, Corinth was re-founded in 44 bce as a Roman colony populated largely by Roman freedmen whose language was naturally Latin. Over time its Roman character was increasingly Hellenized. By the early second century ce its language was officially Greek.
So, when Diocletian and later Constantine divided the Empire into East and West, the Eastern portion of the Empire came under the influence of Hellenism. Already during Justinian's time important laws were written in Greek and even before his reign the language of the Imperial Palace and the people was Greek. By 641, with the loss of the Eastern provinces, the change of administrative language to Greek only, the adoption of the Hellenistic title ΄Βασιλεύς' (Vasileus, King) and the concentration of the Empire in Greek speaking Anatolia, the Eastern Roman Empire had become Hellenized and was in many ways a 'Greek' Empire. It has to be noted however that the 'Byzantines' considered themselves to be Romans and legally speaking, their Empire was the continuation of the Roman state.
3) From 1844 to 1909, Greece had only three coups and neither of them led to a military junta. From 1864 to 1909, Greece had a pretty stable parliamentary democracy and enjoyed a stability that other countries in this era lacked. So no, Greece did not have many military juntas. The instability of the first half of the 20th century was due to the civil war during WWI between Venizelists (liberals) and Monarchists, which eventually resulted to the Metaxas dictatorship. The other dictatorship (1967 - 1974) was the result of the hostility of the army to the center-left. I do not believe that two dictatorships constitute what people think as 'many military juntas'.
I don't have a quetion so much as a general request:
Tell us about Ottoman Greece.
You know, just because i (an presumably others) know very little about it.
Like, things such as how Greek culture changed in appropriating some things Ottoman while actively rejecting others.
Feel free to pick whatever you deem interesting, surprising, amusing, whatever.
Ottoman occupation of Greece lasted from the 1400's to 1821 (and up to 1912 for some parts of Greece). During this time the political leader of the Greeks (and also religious leader and responsible for tax collection too) was the Patriarch of Constantinople. He was subject to the Sultan's approval, however, and when Patriarchs displeased the Sultan, they could be executed. The diplomatic service of the Ottoman Empire had offices filled by Phanariots, educated and affluent Greeks living in Constantinople, descended from Byzantine nobles mostly, and who had knowledge of foreign languages which many Ottomans lacked. Phanariots also served as as Princes in the Danubian Principalities between 1711 and 1760's. In that position, they promoted Greek culture and learning but were unpopular among the native peasants.
The majority of Greeks, however, was not as privileged. Overtaxation and corruption reigned and many lived in poverty. Bandits (Klefts) also posed a problem and Ottomans hired some of those bandits (Armatoloi) to serve as local 'police' of sorts against the bandits. There was not clear division, however, between those two groups and bandits could go from outlaws to Ottoman collaborators to outlaws again. Villages in this era were largely self-governed as the Ottomans cared chiefly for taxation. Village Elders and local priests ruled those villages and formed sort of an elite. Most of Greece was rural at that time and there were few true cities. To give an example, Attica had a population of 300,000 during the age of Pericles but during Ottoman times it had a population of about 35,000 people.
It should be noted, however, that during the second half of the 18th century Greek merchants became affluent, especially during the French Revolutionary Wars by breaking through blockades and supplying the combatants. There was also a 'Greek Enlightenment' during which Greek scholars living in the West translated Western texts and transmitted the ideas of enlightenment and of the French Revolution to Greece.
