The Athens Polytechnic uprising in 1973 was the first step to overthrow the Greek military junta of 1967-1974, which was otherwise known as the Regime of the Colonels and led by the dictator George Papadopoulos.

The causes

• George Papadopoulos' regime was brutal and dictatorial
• People were denied basic civil rights
• Politicians were exiled or jailed
• Political parties were dissolved
• Fierce anti-communism (anyone who even said "communist" was jailed)
• other fundamental economic, social and political problems.

The events

On November 15, 1973 students at the National Technical University of Athens (also known as "Athens Polytechnic" or Polytechnion) went on strike and started protesting against US-backed military rule (the Regime of the Colonels). There was no response, so the students barricaded themselves in. Soon thousands of workers and youngsters joined them.

On November 17 1973 Papadopoulos sent the army to crush the demonstration. The crackdown was brutal, but for the moment, the demonstration was crushed.

After the massacre

The uprising was the first step which brought democracy to Greece. Demetrios Ioannides replaced George Papadopoulos as head of the junta on November 25 the same year. His botched coup attempt against archbishop Makarios, then president of Cyprus and the following Turkish intervention was the last piece which stopped the regime imploding. Constantine Karamanlis returned from exile in France and became Prime Minister of Greece, while democracy was gradually being reinstituted.

See also

• History of Modern Greece