Greece Created Democracy, But Did You Know It Also Saved It?

Jeff—Saturday

Today, October 28^th, is a Greek national holiday; one of two publicly revered ones to be precise.  The other, March 25, commemorates the day in 1821 that Greece declared its Independence from the Ottoman Empire and fought until 1832 to obtain it. 

Today’s holiday, “Oxi Day” (pronounced “O-hee” and meaning “no” in Greek), represents the moment in 1940 when Greece set in motion events ultimately saving democracy for the world.  As Adolph Hitler’s Chief of Staff later said, “The Greeks delayed by two or more vital months the German attack against Russia; if we did not have this long delay, the outcome of the war would have been different.”

“Oxi,” together with two other words uttered nearly two and a half centuries earlier by Spartan King Leonidas in response to Persian king Xerxes’ demand that the Spartans surrender their weapons—“Molon Labe” (pronounced mo-lone laveh), meaning “come and take them”—is all you need to know to understand how Greeks react to adversity.

Those three words represent the essence of the Greek will, and permeate their attitudes toward virtually all things.  Some say that leaves them open to manipulation by nationalistic political jingoists seeking to distract their attention from otherwise serious, underlying national problems and shortcomings…but what nation these days is free from that. 

Despite all the trials and tribulations endured by this nation of eleven million over the past near decade, and the certainty of more difficult times to come, to those of you who wonder if the Greek spirit will somehow throw in the towel—I simply say as I’ve said before, ‘NO.” 

King Leonidas I

And here’s how Oxi Day came to pass.

On the morning of August 15, 1940, the Greek navel vessel Elli was in the harbor of the Cycladic island of Tinos.  It was peacetime and the light cruiser was anchored to participate in a major Greek Orthodox holiday, The Dormition of the Theotokos (Assumption of the Virgin Mary).  Without warning the Elle was torpedoed and sunk by a submarine, killing nine and wounding twenty-four.  Although fragments of the torpedo clearly identified its source, the Greek government officially declared the nationality of the attacking submarine as “unknown.”  The Greek government may have been reluctant to declare the attacker as Italy, and therefore immerse itself in war, but the people knew who was behind it.

Elli

Two months later, around dawn on the morning of October 28, 1940, after a party at the German embassy in Athens, the Italian ambassador approached Greece’s Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas and demanded that Greece surrender to the Axis powers or face immediate war with Italy.  He offered Greece three hours to decide.  Italy had seven times the population of Greece, seven times the troops, ten times the firepower, and total air superiority. 

Ioannis Metaxa

The Prime Minister’s response was simple: “Oxi.”  And less than two hours later Italian troops stationed in Albania invaded Greece.  Occupation of Greece was critical to Hitler’s plan for isolating British troops in North Africa.  The Italians expected it to be a three-day war.  They learned otherwise. 

Oxi became the battle cry of the Greek people.  Within weeks the Italians were driven back into Albania, and repelled by the Greeks at every effort to occupy Greece.  It became clear to Hitler that Italy was not up to the task and on April 6, 1941 Germany invaded Greece, but it took even the Nazis five weeks to succeed.  Greek resistance had thrown off Hitler’s plans to capture Russia before the winter of 1941. 

The Greeks were the first people in Europe (outside of Great Britain) to stand up to the demands of Germany and its allies, but their one hundred eighty-five days of resistance took a horrific toll on their country:

One million of Greece’s citizens (13% of the population) are estimated to have died from battle, starvation, resistance, reprisals and concentration camps.

Greece’s infrastructure, economy and agriculture were destroyed.

Greece’s gold, works of art, and treasures were plundered.

Civil war followed and many emigrated.

On a purely economic basis, it is estimated that in standing up to the Axis’ threats Greece was left in financial straits twice as bad as it finds itself in today… and its societal costs were inestimably worse.

So today, as Greece struggles under different serious challenges, for those who seek to capture the extent of Greece’s national determination in a phrase, let me offer a quote from someone who understood as well as anyone on earth what the world once more owed to Greece: “Hence we will not say that Greeks fight like heroes, but Heroes fight like Greeks.”  Winston Churchill.

Xronia Polla, y’all.

—Jeff

As I Said Before, Greeks Know How to Say "No!"

 

Jeff—Saturday

As a matter of a fact, I said that precisely five years ago today!  My how time flies on Murder is Everywhere.  So, to bring things up to date...

Yesterday, October 28^th, was a Greek National Holiday.  One of two publicly revered ones to be precise.  The other, March 25, commemorates the day in 1821 that Greece declared its Independence from the Ottoman Empire and fought until 1832 to obtain it.  

But it was yesterday that carried a more relevant lesson for those of you who might wonder about the effects on that nation of eleven million having endured more than a half-decade of economic crises exceeding the Great Depression, compounded by the European Union continuing to use their nation as a refugee filter trap for hundreds of thousands of families fleeing horrors not of their making, and a world media quick to disparage the Greek character with a catchy headline.   To those of you who wonder if the Greek spirit will somehow throw in the towel—I simply say, ‘NO.” 

Which is only appropriate since the name of yesterday’s holiday is “Oxi Day” (pronounced “O-hee”), meaning “no” in Greek.

And here’s how it came to pass. 

Thanks to John Pozadzides' blogsite for the photos.

On the morning of August 15, 1940, the Greek navel vessel Elli was in the harbor of the Cycladic island of Tinos.  It was peacetime and the light cruiser was anchored to participate in a major Greek Orthodox holiday, The Dormition of the Theotokos (Assumption of the Virgin Mary).  Without warning the Elle was torpedoed and sunk by a submarine, killing nine and wounding twenty-four.  Although fragments of the torpedo clearly identified its source, the Greek government officially declared the nationality of the attacking submarine as “unknown.”  The Greek government may have been reluctant to declare the attacker as Italy, and therefore immerse itself in war, but the people knew who was behind it.

Ioannis Metaxis

Two months later, around dawn on the morning of October 28, 1940, after a party at the German embassy in Athens, the Italian ambassador approached Greece’s Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas and demanded that Greece surrender to the Axis powers or face immediate war with Italy.  He offered Greece three hours to decide.  Italy had seven times the population of Greece, seven times the troops, ten times the firepower, and total air superiority. 

The Prime Minister’s response was simple: “Oxi.”  And less than two hours later Italian troops stationed in Albania invaded Greece.  Occupation of Greece was critical to Hitler’s plan for isolating British troops in North Africa.  The Italians expected it to be a three-day war.  They learned otherwise. 

Oxi became the battle cry of the Greek people.  Within weeks the Italians were driven back into Albania, and repelled by the Greeks at every effort to occupy Greece.  It became clear to Hitler that Italy was not up to the task and on April 6, 1941 Germany invaded Greece, but it took even the Nazis five weeks to succeed.  Greek resistance had thrown off Hitler’s plans to capture Russia before the winter of 1941. 

The Greeks were the first people in Europe (outside of Great Britain) to stand up to the demands of Germany and its allies, but their one hundred eighty-five days of resistance took a horrific toll on their country:

One million of Greece’s citizens (13% of the population) are estimated to have died from battle, starvation, resistance, reprisals and concentration camps.

Greece’s infrastructure, economy and agriculture were destroyed.

Greece’s gold, works of art, and treasures were plundered.

Civil war followed and many emigrated.

On a purely economic basis, it is estimated that in standing up to the Axis’ threats Greece was left in financial straits twice as bad as it finds itself in today… and its societal costs were inestimably worse.

Oh, yes, and on that subject of catchy headlines or phrases attempting to capture Greece’s national character, let me offer a quote from someone who understood how the actions of the many, not the failings of a few, are what matters in any such sort of measure: “Hence we will not say that Greeks fight like heroes, but Heroes fight like Greeks.”  Winston Churchill.

—Jeff

A Message to Remember: Don't Mess With the Greek People

October 28^th is a major holiday in Greece, called Oxi Day (pronounced o-hee and meaning “no”).  It commemorates the day in 1940 when Greece responded to Italy’s demand for its surrender to the Axis powers with the single word, “Oxi.”  What the Italians thought would be a three-day war had them tossed back on their heels for more than five months, forcing the Germans to invade Greece on April 6, 1941, an effort that took the Nazis an additional five weeks and dealt a disastrous blow to their planned invasion of Russia before winter.  Greece suffered horrifically during the war years for their defiance but left no doubt in anyone’s mind how tough and determined Greeks can be when their backs are against the wall.

So what does all this have to do with the few days I just spent in Athens?  Let’s begin with the good news.  Well-informed rumor has it that big spending foreign tourists sent the high-end food, drink, hotel, and private yacht tourism sector off the charts, and ultra-luxury foreign name brands did extraordinarily well among foreign tourists.  As for how much of that is attributable to there being few daring enough to venture further east in the Mediterranean during these unsettled days I have no way of knowing.  I’m sure, though, that the Greek government is thankful for those six weeks of blissful revenue generation. Or was it eight weeks?

But summer is over folks and it’s back to reality.  Here’s the reality: IT’S NOT GREEKS SPENDING.   They simply don’t have it.  Basically, Greece’s only serious revenue generating engine operates a couple of months a year, and even then not at all times on all cylinders.  On the other hand, the government has a huge public sector work force that it refuses to pare, and so it must pay.  So, where does the government get what it needs to pay all the people it employs?  Yep, you got it, by raising taxes.  And raising taxes. And raising taxes.

Imagine yourself as one who’s worked hard and honestly all your life.  You have a pension of $2000 a month for which you paid every working day of your life.  You live in a house that you paid for in a nice neighborhood.  Imagine now, that over a five year period the government increased your real estate taxes five-fold (from $5000 to $25,000 per year) based on a fair market value for your property at least twice its actual worth, cut your paid-for pension to $800 per month, converted “temporary taxes” into permanent, and raised your income tax rates while cutting down on deductions.

How would you react? Back in the U.S. I bet the Tea Party would be selling one hell of a lot of tee-shirts.  And Occupy Wall Street might even find game.

But wait, there’s more.  In Greece you can’t just ignore the tax bills, because your electricity is shut off if you don’t pay real estate taxes, forcing many into making triage like decisions on what to cut:  heating, petrol, food, medical, children’s education?   And if you’re lucky enough to have a business (obviously not my retiree example) you’ll likely have little choice than to fire employees, expanding the depth of their problems.

If you have an ancestral home in your family’s village, or a summer place you bought in the good times, you’re likely trying to sell it if not rent it.  But there are no takers.  Except, it seems, foreigners—or Greeks who somehow have money available to take advantage of fire-sale opportunities.

All the while you’re hoping there is light at the end of the tunnel, and that all your suffering is part of a grander government plan to save your country’s way of life.  But it’s hard to keep the faith when your only first-hand interactions with your government are far too often with bureaucratic employees surly, resentful and unhelpful; as if you, personally, are responsible for expense cutting measures threatening their public employee way of life, rather than as a fellow citizens asked to sacrifice much of what you’ve acquired in life to pay their salaries. 

Resentment now builds on both sides, and paired with a loss of faith in their government to lead, drives a suffering, hopeless electorate to extremes. In Greece those extremes are represented by an amalgam of parties on the far left promising nirvana (SYRIZA), and Chrysi Avgi (Golden Dawn) promising a right-wing Greek Reich.

Thankfully, the government has taken bold steps against Chrysi Avgi to label it a criminal enterprise, and prosecute its leadership for complicity in a host of crimes, including murder.  One can only pray the prosecutions will prove successful, but that alone will not end the extremist rhetoric or limit the appeal of demagogues.  Not as long as the Greek people believe—as virtually any Greek you ask will admit—that their government is either unwilling or unable or to go after the corrupt and the tax cheats, and has no thoughtful plan for resurrecting the Greek economy beyond making the honest already paying taxes pay more.

The government is not seen as listening to its people.  The middle class is screaming.  The poor are devastated.  The public sector is demonstrating.  The private sector is disheartened and on the run. 

So where’s it all headed, toward a resounding bang or a muffled whimper?  In revolution or an inexorable slide toward a third world economic existence that relies upon the spending whims of foreign vacationers coming here to enjoy their holidays oblivious to everything but the sweet song of summer—akin to a crew of well-meaning Neros fiddling on while someone else’s Rome burns.

Or something in between…like a massive taxpayer boycott.   

But if the government does not get the message and act, something will happen.

For this is the land of men and women who know how to shout, “OXI,” and back up their words with determined resistance.

Jeff—Saturday

Greeks Know How to Say "NO!"

December 16, 1940

Yesterday, October 28^th, was a Greek National Holiday.  One of two publicly revered ones to be precise.  The other, March 25, commemorates the day in 1821 that Greece declared its Independence from the Ottoman Empire and fought until 1832 to obtain it.  

But it was yesterday that carried a more relevant lesson for those of you who might think the omnipresent daily media frenzy over Greece’s financial situation fairly portrays the national character of the eleven million who live in Greece today.  And to those media types so quick to disparage the Greeks—or any culture for that matter—with a catchy phrase I say, ‘NO.” 

Which is only appropriate since the name of yesterday’s holiday is “Oxi Day” (pronounced “O-hee”), meaning “no” in Greek.

So what is this earth shattering revelation?

Thanks to John Pozadzides' blogsite for the photos.

On the morning of August 15, 1940, the Greek navel vessel Elli was in the harbor of the Cycladic island of Tinos.  It was peacetime and the light cruiser was anchored there to participate in a major Greek Orthodox holiday, The Dormition of the Theotokos (Assumption of the Virgin Mary).  Without warning the Elli was torpedoed and sunk by a submarine, killing nine and wounding twenty-four.  Although fragments of the torpedo clearly identified its source, the Greek government officially declared the nationality of the attacking submarine as “unknown.”  The Greek government may have been reluctant to declare the attacker as Italy, and therefore immerse itself in war, but the people knew who was behind it.

Ioannis Metaxas

Two months later, around dawn on the morning of October 28, 1940, after a party at the German embassy in Athens, the Italian ambassador approached Greece’s Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas and demanded that Greece surrender to the Axis powers or face immediate war with Italy.  He offered Greece three hours to decide.  Italy had seven times the population of Greece, seven times the troops, ten times the firepower, and total air superiority. 

The Prime Minister’s response was simple: “Oxi.”  And less than two hours later Italian troops stationed in Albania invaded Greece.  Occupation of Greece was critical to Hitler’s plan for isolating British troops in North Africa.  The Italians expected it to be a three-day war.  They learned otherwise. 

Oxi became the battle cry of the Greek people.  Within weeks the Italians were driven back into Albania, and repelled by the Greeks at every effort to occupy Greece.  It became clear to Hitler that Italy was not up to the task and on April 6, 1941 Germany invaded Greece, but it took even the Nazis five weeks to succeed.  Greek resistance had thrown off Hitler’s plans to capture Russia before the winter of 1941. 

The Greeks were the first people in Europe (outside of Great Britain) to stand up to the demands of Germany and its allies, but their one hundred eighty-five days of resistance took a horrific toll on their country:

One million of Greece’s citizens (13% of the population) are estimated to have died from battle, starvation, resistance, reprisals and concentration camps.

Greece’s infrastructure, economy and agriculture were destroyed.

Greece’s gold, works of art, and treasures were plundered.

Civil war followed and many emigrated.

On a purely economic basis, it is estimated that in standing up to the Axis’ threats Greece was left in financial straits twice as bad as it finds itself in today… and its societal costs were inestimably worse.

Oh, yes, and on that subject of catchy phrases attempting to capture Greece’s national character, let me offer a quote from someone who understood how the actions of the many, not the failings of a few, are what matters in any such sort of measure: “Hence we will not say that Greeks fight like heroes, but Heroes fight like Greeks.”  Winston Churchill.

Jeff—Saturday