Metaxas Establishes Dictatorship in Greece on 4 August 1936

On 4 August 1936, Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas, with the support of King George II, declared a dictatorship in Greece. He suspended several articles of the constitution, dissolved the parliament and instituted the authoritarian regime known as the “4 August Regime,” which remained in power until Metaxas’ death in 1941.

The coup followed months of political deadlock after the January 1936 elections, a brief coalition government and growing fears of communist agitation. Metaxas, leader of the small Liberal Party of Freedom, invoked the threat of a nationwide strike to obtain emergency powers, ushering in a regime that censored the press, imprisoned thousands of opponents and imposed a fascist‑styled order on the country.