Great Britain and the restoration of King George II
Part of : Balkan studies : biannual publication of the Institute for Balkan Studies ; Vol.23, No.2, 1982, pages 377-402
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377-402
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The article argues that the restoration of King George II in November1935 was imposed upon the Greek people by an elite groupof ultra-royalist elements who enjoyed the support of the British ForeignOffice and certain British financial circles. Moreover, the King’srestoration was the prelude to the authoritarian regime of GeneralJohn Metaxas with whom the King collaborated to install a dictatorshipafter August 4, 1936.A brief synopsis of the historical antecedents pertinent to therestoration a-e discussed beginning with the King’s forced abdicationin 1923. The focus of the study, however, is on the parliamentary regimewhich experienced a deep crisis in the 1930s and permitted theemergence of the extreme military and political right-wing elementswhose ultimate goal was to restore the dynasty and install an authoritariangovernment.A highly fraudulent plebiscite took place in November 1935 andGeorge II was returned to Greece. The role of the British governmentin the restoration was significant because the King was an Anglophilewho was committed to serving British economic/financial and diplomaticinterests in Greece. The collapse of the volatile Greek republictherefore, was caused by endogenous as well as exogenous factors.
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