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Stylianos Pattakos

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Stylianos Pattakos
Στυλιανός Παττακός
Deputy Prime Minister of Greece
In office
13 December 1967 – 8 October 1973
Serving with Nikolaos Makarezos
MonarchConstantine II
Prime MinisterGeorgios Papadopoulos
Preceded byGrigorios Spandidakis
Succeeded byCharilaos Mitrelias
Minister of the Interior
In office
21 April 1967 – 25 August 1971
MonarchConstantine II
Prime MinisterConstantine Kollias
Georgios Papadopoulos
Preceded bySpiros Theotokis
Succeeded byAdamantios Androutsopoulos
In office
10 May 1973 – 8 October 1973
MonarchConstantine II
Prime MinisterGeorgios Papadopoulos
Preceded byAdamantios Androutsopoulos
Succeeded byIoannis Agathangelou
Personal details
Born
Stylianos G. Pattakos

(1912-11-08)8 November 1912
Agia Paraskevi, Rethymno, Crete
Died8 October 2016(2016-10-08) (aged 103)
Patisia, Athens, Attica, Greece
Resting placeAgia Paraskevi, Rethymno, Crete, Greece
CitizenshipGreece
NationalityGreek
Spouse
Dimitra Nikolaidou
​
​
(m. 1940; died 2013)​
Children
  • Roza
  • Rena
Parent(s)George Pattakos
Maria Pattakos
Alma materHellenic Military Academy
OccupationPolitician
ProfessionOfficer
AwardsCross of Valour
Order of George I
Order of the Phoenix
War Cross
Medal of Military Merit
Nickname"The man with the trowel"
Military service
Allegiance
Branch/serviceHellenic Army
Years of service1930–1967
RankMajor General
UnitHellenic Armed Forces
Battles/wars

Stylianos G. Pattakos (Greek: Στυλιανός Γ. Παττακός; 8 November 1912 – 8 October 2016) was a Greek military officer. Pattakos was one of the principals of the Greek military junta of 1967–1974 that overthrew the government of Panagiotis Kanellopoulos in a coup d'état on 21 April 1967.[1][2]

Biography

[edit]

Pattakos was born on 8 November 1912,[3][4] in the village of Agia Paraskevi in Rethymno Prefecture,[5][6][7] Crete,[3] and studied at the Hellenic Military Academy.[8] He was married to Dimitra Nikolaidi and had two daughters, Rosa and Eirini.[9] His parents were farmers. He served as a Lieutenant during the Greco-Italian War (1940-1941) and as cavalry captain and cavalry major during the Greek Civil War (1946-1949).[10] He was a deeply religious man.[11]

Pattakos eventually rose to the rank of Brigadier and was assigned to the tank training centre at Goudi in Athens.[12]

He, along with Georgios Papadopoulos and Nikolaos Makarezos, planned and executed the coup on the night of April 20 to April 21, 1967, claiming political anomaly had made them do so.[13][14] Many leading politicians and journalists were arrested that night and were led to a hotel in Pikermi. Among them were Kοnstantinos Mitsotakis, Andreas Papandreou, Georgios Rallis, Manolis Glezos.[15] Pattakos was assigned the Ministry of the Interior.[16] He became also the vice president of Kollias government.[10] As head of that post, Pattakos made the decision to strip Greek actress and political activist, Melina Mercouri, of her Greek citizenship and to also confiscate her property.[17] Mercouri retorted "I was born Greek. I will die Greek. Mr. Pattakos was born a fascist. He will die a fascist".[18][19][20][21][22] On 25 November 1973, Brigadier General Dimitrios Ioannides overthrew Papadopoulos.[23] The following year, the 7-year Junta came to an end in the aftermath of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.[24]

The newly restored democratic government of Constantine Karamanlis put the junta officials on trial with charges of high treason and insurrection against Georgios Papadopoulos and other co-conspirators.[25] Pattakos, along with the other leaders of the 1967 coup, Papadopoulos and Makarezos,[26] were sentenced to death for high treason, following the trial.[27][28] Shortly after the sentences were pronounced, they were commuted to life imprisonment by the Karamanlis government.[29] Pattakos spent 17 years in prison.[30] He was released from prison on 28 September 1990 by the government of Konstantinos Mitsotakis allegedly for health reasons and was put under house arrest.[4][10] He was obliged to report to the police office for registration every 15 days.[31] He later stated that he did not regret any of his actions during the dictatorship.[32] In addition, he denied that people were tortured during the dictatorship, except Alekos Panagoulis and Spiros Moustaklis, who "had it coming".[10] Pattakos died of a stroke on 8 October 2016 at the age of 103.[33] His funeral took place on 11 October 2016, in Crete. Despite his requirement to his family to keep the funeral small when his death came on the news, many people were quick to attend it. Among them was Christos Pappas (member of the parliament and member of the ultra-nationalist party Golden Dawn) and many others.[34]

Other info

[edit]

Pattakos was nicknamed "trowel" since he frequently appeared at project inaugurations with a trowel in hand. A staunch non-smoker, he had ordered also all the restaurants in Greece to serve fried potatoes. [35]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Terence Roehrig (2002). The Prosecution of Former Military Leaders in Newly Democratic Nations: The Cases of Argentina, Greece, and South Korea. McFarland. pp. 98–. ISBN 978-0-7864-1091-0. Retrieved 17 March 2013. Within 24 hours, and before the generals could move on their plan, the colonels launched their own coup.62 Thus, the ... as leaders of the group: Colonel George Papadopoulos, Colonel Nicolaos Makarezos and Brigadier Stylianos Pattakos.
  2. ^ Barbara Jelavich (1983). History of the Balkans: Twentieth Century. Volume 2. Cambridge University Press. pp. 427–. ISBN 978-0-521-27459-3. Retrieved 17 March 2013. ...contingency plan designed to protect the government from a Communist takeover. ... Pattakos, in charge of the tank corps in Athens, had little difficulty in securing the capital, and the coup proceeded without outright opposition or bloodshed.
  3. ^ a b IEFIMERIDA.GR, NEWSROOM (November 8, 2012). "Ο δικτάτορας Στυλιανός Παττακός έγινε την Πέμπτη 100 χρονών". iefimerida.gr.
  4. ^ a b "Ο Στυλιανός Παττακός έγινε 100".
  5. ^ Rudolf Augstein (1970). Der Spiegel. Spiegel-Verlag. Retrieved 17 March 2013. Zuweilen verbreitet Pattakos nicht Schrecken, sondern Segen — zum Beispiel in seinem Heimatdorf Aghia Paraskevi...
  6. ^ Henry Robinson Luce (1969). Time. Time, Inc. Retrieved 17 March 2013. Deputy S. Pattakos. Aghia Paraskevi village, p. 18
  7. ^ Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. Südosteuropa-Arbeitskreis (1 January 1980). Südosteuropa-Handbuch: Griechenland. Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht. ISBN 978-3-525-36202-0. Retrieved 17 March 2013. Pattakos,. Stylianos. geb. 1912, Agia Paraskevi, Kreta
  8. ^ Terence Roehrig (2002). The Prosecution of Former Military Leaders in Newly Democratic Nations: The Cases of Argentina, Greece, and South Korea. McFarland. pp. 98–. ISBN 978-0-7864-1091-0. Retrieved 17 March 2013. All were military academy graduates with seven completing their studies in 1943, four in 1940 and one in 1939. As the ... as leaders of the group: Colonel George Papadopoulos, Colonel Nicolaos Makarezos and Brigadier Stylianos Pattakos.
  9. ^ "Αυτή ήταν η τελευταία επιθυμία του Στυλιανού Παττακού!". Athens Magazine. 10 October 2016.
  10. ^ a b c d Σήμερα .gr, Σαν. "Στυλιανός Παττακός". Σαν Σήμερα .gr.
  11. ^ "Ο ΣΤΥΛΙΑΝΟΣ ΠΑΤΤΑΚΟΣ ΜΙΛΑ ΓΙΑ ΤΟΝ ΒΑΣΙΛΙΑ". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14.
  12. ^ James Edward Miller (1 February 2009). The United States and the Making of Modern Greece: History and Power, 1950-1974. Univ of North Carolina Press. pp. 132–. ISBN 978-0-8078-8794-3. Retrieved 17 March 2013. Brigadier Stylianos Pattakos, the most senior plotter, had command of tank units at the Goudi military reservation in Athens. ...
  13. ^ Barbara Jelavich (1983). History of the Balkans: Twentieth Century. Volume 2. Cambridge University Press. pp. 427–. ISBN 978-0-521-27459-3. Retrieved 17 March 2013. ...contingency plan designed to protect the government from a Communist takeover. ... Pattakos, in charge of the tank corps in Athens, had little difficulty in securing the capital, and the coup proceeded without outright opposition or bloodshed.
  14. ^ James Edward Miller (1 February 2009). The United States and the Making of Modern Greece: History and Power, 1950-1974. Univ of North Carolina Press. pp. 132–. ISBN 978-0-8078-8794-3. Retrieved 17 March 2013. Pattakos labeled Kanellopoulos's April 3 assumption of power a "coup." The conspirators began final planning. They chose the night of April 20–21 because most key political leaders would be in Athens where they could be rounded up ...
  15. ^ "Η μαρτυρία του Μανώλη Γλέζου για τη σύλληψη του από τη Χούντα". 30 March 2020.
  16. ^ Greece: The First 100 Days Time Magazine "Brig. Gen. Stylianos Pattakos Minister of the Interior"
  17. ^ Newsweek. Newsweek. 1967. Retrieved 17 March 2013. Greek word for honey (rneli), but there was acid in her throaty voice last week as vibrant Melina Mercouri condemned Brig. Gen. Stylianos Pat- takos, strong man of the Greek revolutionary junta which had just stripped her of citizenship and property ... Mr. Pattakos was born a Fascist; he will die a Fascist," said the passionate performer who until the recent coup did as ...
  18. ^ Newsweek. Newsweek, Incorporated. 1967. Retrieved 17 March 2013. "I was born Greek. I will die Greek. Mr. Pattakos was born a Fascist. He will die a Fascist," said the passionate performer who until the recent coup did as much to spur Creek tourism as all the ancient ruins combined. Curled barefoot in a ...
  19. ^ Books and Bookmen. Hansom Books. 1971. Retrieved 17 March 2013. When asked if she had any comment on this she replied : 'I was born Greek. I shall die Greek. Mr Pattakos was born a fascist. He will die a fascist.' C ASANOVA (trans WILLARD TRASK) History of My Life 4.W PP II I I S LONGMAN 14.
  20. ^ Labor Today. National Center for Trade Union Action and Democracy. 1965. Retrieved 17 March 2013. No wonder the talented actress Melina Mercouri, after being stripped of her Greek citizenship in absentia, said of junta member Colonel Pattakos : "I was born a Greek and I will die a Greek. Pattakos was born a Fascist and will die a Fascist.
  21. ^ Helen Vlachos (1971). Free Greek voices: a political anthology. (10 Gayfere St., SWIP 3HN), Doric Publications Ltd. ISBN 9780902999008. Retrieved 17 March 2013. He repeated it. And my answer came like water from a fountain: 'I was born a Greek, I will die a Greek; Pattakos was born Fascist, he will die Fascist . . .' "And now what will happen, Melina?" I am asked. Now there will be a trial at some ...
  22. ^ Balkania. Balkania Publishing Company. 1967. Retrieved 17 March 2013. ... Patakos was born a fascist and will die a fascist," Miss Mercouri said at a press conference she called shortly after hearing that her citizenship had been ...
  23. ^ Dimitris Keridis (1 July 2009). Historical Dictionary of Modern Greece. Scarecrow Press. p. 89. ISBN 978-0-8108-6312-5. Retrieved 17 March 2013. On 25 November 1973, Brigadier Dimitris Ioannides replaced Papadopoulos with his loyal officers. ... On 20 July 1974, Turkey invaded Cyprus, and on 24 July the junta's president of Greece, General Phaidon Gizikis, appointed Konstantinos ...
  24. ^ Korina Miller; Kate Armstrong; Michael Stamatios Clark; Chris Deliso (1 March 2010). Greece 9. Lonely Planet. p. 49. ISBN 978-1-74220-342-3. Retrieved 17 March 2013. 1974 A botched plan to unite Cyprus with Greece prompts the invasion of Cyprus by Turkish troops and results in the fall of the military junta. This acts as a catalyst for the restoration of...
  25. ^ The Colonels on Trial Time Magazine Retrieved 15 August 2008 Quote: "Along with 19 other former members of the ousted military junta, the ex-dictator was charged with acts of high treason and insurrection that had subjected Greece to 7½ years of dictatorship, from 1967 to 1974."
  26. ^ Terence Roehrig (2002). The Prosecution of Former Military Leaders in Newly Democratic Nations: The Cases of Argentina, Greece, and South Korea. McFarland. pp. 98–. ISBN 978-0-7864-1091-0. Retrieved 17 March 2013. Within 24 hours, and before the generals could move on their plan, the colonels launched their own coup.62 Thus, the ... as leaders of the group: Colonel George Papadopoulos, Colonel Nicolaos Makarezos and Brigadier Stylianos Pattakos.
  27. ^ Richard Clogg (20 June 2002). A Concise History of Greece. Cambridge University Press. p. 171. ISBN 978-0-521-00479-4. Retrieved 17 March 2013. The original troika behind the coup, Colonels Papadopoulos and Makarezos and Brigadier Pattakos, were sentenced to death. ...
  28. ^ Answering to History Time magazine Retrieved 18 August 2008
  29. ^ Book: The Trials of the Junta, 12 Volumes Pericles Rodakis (publisher), The Trials of the Junta: A: The Trial of the Instigators, B: The Trial of the Polytechnic, C: The Trials of the Torturers (Περικλής Ροδάκης (εκδ.), Οι Δίκες της Χούντας: Α: Η Δίκη των Πρωταιτίων, Β: Η Δίκη του Πολυτεχνείου, Γ: Οι Δίκες των Βασανιστών, 12 τόμοι, Αθήνα 1975-1976)
  30. ^ "Στυλιανός Παττακός". YouTube. 7 September 2014. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14.
  31. ^ "Ποιός ήταν ο Στυλιανός Παττακός". 8 October 2016.
  32. ^ "Παττακός: Δεν μετανιώνω για όσα έκανα – Η Χρυσή Αυγή είναι η ελπίδα". 24 November 2012.
  33. ^ "ΕΛΛΑΔΑ | ΕΙΔΗΣΕΙΣ". in.gr. 21 May 2023.
  34. ^ "Κρήτη: Η κηδεία του Παττακού – Οι παρουσίες που συζητήθηκαν και η σκηνή που προκάλεσε αίσθηση". 11 October 2016.
  35. ^ Pattakos and the French fries in Greek
[edit]
Political offices
Preceded by Minister for the Interior of Greece
21 April 1967 – 25 August 1971 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Deputy Prime Minister of Greece
13 December 1967 – 8 October 1973
(from 26 August 1971 along with Nikolaos Makarezos) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister for the Interior of Greece (interim)
10 May – 8 October 1973 		Succeeded by
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