KINGSHIP IN GREECE Commonwealth and Foreign
By ROBEAT BERNAYS, M.P.
THE first impression of a visitor to Greece today is of the value of monarchy as an institution. In King George II the people of Greece do appear to haVe found a man to whom they can give solid allegiance and respect. I was in Athens a few days after the Dictatorship had been declared. Indeed it was only as my ship steamed down the glorious Dalmatian coast that I heard of the suspension of the Constitution, and with my mind on the events of Spain I had naturally expected to find the whole city in a ferment and wholesale arrests and executions. It looked in fact in the August heat as, if nothing whatever had happened. I was told that the country was under martial law, but even at night there was no ekidenee of the people under an iron military or even police control. In all post-War Europe there can have been no coup d'elat more placidly accepted by the people than in Greece.
The main reason for it is the trust imposed in the new King. When he returned to • his country the shrewdest observers were convinced that the experiment was unlikely long to, survive. They now admit that they have been proved wrong. Where their calculations proved false was in thinking that the King would be content to be the mouth- piece of the Monarchists who had been instrumental in his return. His first move was, contrary to the advice of the Monarchists, to proclaim a general amnesty. His secor_d was -to dismiss the Monarchists and entrust the government to the Republicans, with the result that the position was reversed and the Republicans became the most fervent Monarchists. His dismissal of Kondylis, who had brought him back, won over. the Republicans to the Royalist side in a night.
He was met with opposition from a section of the Monarchists. He gave them very short shrift'. One after- noon a deputation of officers-high officials in the War Office—appeared to lay down certain conditions upon the fulfilment of which by the King, they' affirmed, their con- tinued support would alone depend. The King listened to them patiently. When they had taken their departure he rang up General Metaxas and appointed him head of the War Office. When the officers returned there they found that they had another chief and that they themselves were dismissed.
In the early months of his reign the King did not make a single false step. He was careful to take no part in Athenian society and thus kept himself aloof from all intrigue or possibility of being accused of creating a party of King's friends. He was at pains to avoid the charge of Royal extravagance. He realised that with a Civil List of only £40,000 the monarchy could not be maintained on a lavish scale, He refused therefore to return to the old Palace but was content to live in the house occupied by his father when 'he was Crown Prince. In fact he has not reopened' any of the Royal Palaces of the old regime.
He has consistently eschewed the spectacular, and con- centrated on the humdrtim duties of Monarchy. He has preferred to strive to win respect rather than to court popularity: Thus' he has thrown himself with praiseworthy energy into thetAreary round of inspections and tours of investigation. In his social activities he has modelled himself on. English Royalty.. .Indeed, the Greeks like to think of him as an ;Englishman. They like his English ways, and delight to recall that when he was in exile in England he was a frequent visitor to the Distinguished Strangers Gallery of the Hon* of Commons. He thits in his early months acquired a stock of goodviill which has been of immense value to him in the last -few weeki, when he haS found it necessary to support Metaxas in the creation of a Dictatorship. • • The new Dielatcir's recent action has inevitably aroused miativitigs' even among the moderates. - The 'excuse that it was dietated -by the Communist danger is very thin. The Communists in Greece are a negligible force. They only numbered 15 out of 300 in the Chamber. Their threat, to call a 24-hour. General Strike if the decree of compulsory arbitration recently promulgetzd was not withdrawn, should
have had no terrors for the Government. The_ strike would have been confined to the seaports, and the Government could easily have resorted to the old device in a country where the male population is conscripted, of summoning the strikers to the colours. Communism in any case can never have any great strength in a country like Greece where there is profound belief in individualism and the rights of property. Communism in Greece as elsewhere is being used as a convenient label of abuse for any body of men regarded as likely to make trouble for the party in power.
What has chiefly influenced the King in his support of Mertaxas is the apparent hopelessness of forming a stable Government out of the rival factions In Greek politics. Since the deaths in -quick succession of " Venizelos, Tsaldaris, and Kondylis there has not merely been a complet.• absence of leadership in Greek politics, but of any dividing principle. This is demonstrated by the fact that the main cleavage is between those who call themselves Venizelist and those who arc styled anti-Venizelists. On this odd issue the rival parties were returned to Parliament in the first election under the monarchy in almost exactly equal proportions. In such circumstances a Government operating through the normal channels of Parliament was extremely difficult. It became impossible when it was revealed in the negotiationi that all that the Party leaders were considering was the number of jobs they could obtain for themselves and their supporters as the price of their Parliamentary vote. There is no tradition of public life in Greece or any element of a governing class in politics. The simplest peasant imagines that he is perfectly capable of being. Prime Minister and is quite ready to apply for the job.
The result, therefore, of the King's conscientious attempts to create constitutional Goveriuncnt was hopeless inefficiency nnd corruption in the political institutions. The politicians flatly refused to collaborate and sink their differences. More and more the. King found himself forced to fall back upon the one man who stood out from the struggle of group and faction. General Metaxas is certainly no demccrat. Trained in the Prussian school of militarism, he has made no secret of the fact that it is his belief that there is no hope for Greece except in a military dictatorship. But lie doe; appear to be honest, able, and just. To these qualities he adds the courage to shoulder full responsibility for his action; and does not seek to shelter behind the King. The two men are on excellent terms with each other. In addition the king has the good fortune to have a first class adViser and administrator in M. Cotzias, the Mayor of Athens.
But it cannot be said that the future of democracy in Greece is bright. The King has let it be known that he desire; to restore the Constitution at the earliest favourable moment, but the same promise has been made by so many who set out on a temporary coup d'etat in a time of public danger, and ended in creating a permanent Dictatorship. For however much a Dictator may desire to place a legal wig over a naked sword he is always faced with the likelihood that the Parlia- ment that he summons to support him will decide that its first task is to destroy him.
For all that, the presence of the King has undoubtedly made the coup cre:at acceptable to the Greek people. The people are very poor. An examination, in the early weeks of the reign, of the standard of life of five hundred typical working- class families revealed that half of them lived on a wage of less than £4 per month. But the . position. is improving. The great proportion of the two million rehigees from Asia Minor have been now absorbed into employinent. Unem- ployment in Athens is decreasing, although the population haS increased from. 275,000 now to over a million. Tobacco is the 'great problem. The Greeks are hopeful that the con- tacts of their King- with England will assist in providing a Market for it .here. Incidentally, for this country even to take £250,000 of tobacco would be excellent business from our own point of view. It would rescue Greece frotntbe economic grip of Germany, and would ensure Greek support which might in an ereergeneibe worth three battleshipS to us.
Previous page
