The Unrest in .Greece _General Metaxas' coup d'etat in Greece
last week was sudden but not unexpected. It was directly caused by the calling of a general strike by the Communists, which General Metaxas called "a threat of bloodshed." There was no stable majority in the Greek Parliament, in which the 15 Communists held the balance between the Venizel- ists and the Populists, General Metaxas' party. The possibility of a reconciliation between the Venizelists and Populists was removed owing to the Communists' partly successful efforts to join with the Left Wing Populists in a Popular Front. For such a Front there promised to be considerable support, among the peasants and the middle class. Thus General Metaxas, like all would-be dictators, struck in order to avoid a possible consolidation of the Left. His latest declaration adds nothing to his policy. though it shows that he will continue the restriction of Greece's foreign trade which has caused considerable unrest. Another Parliamentary regime is extinguished, but the Greek Chamber, though technically in being, had in fact been suspended for some months. The country appears to be quiet and King George has left for a holiday. but a heavy-censorship is evidently in force and more may be happening than we know.
*
Previous page
