Editing Democratic Defense

{{Unreferenced|date=December 2009}}
{{Infobox political party
|name         = Democratic Defense
|native_name        = Δημοκρατική Άμυνα
|logo         = 
|colorcode          = lightblue
|country            = Greece
|leader             = [[Georgios Mylonas]], {{Interlanguage link multi|Sakis Karagiorgas|el|3=Σάκης Καράγιωργας}}
|secretary_general  = 
|founder            = 
|foundation         = May 1967 
|ideology           = [[Greek nationalism]], [[Democratic socialism]], [[Social democracy]], [[Progressivism]], [[Antifascism]], [[Antiauthoritarianism]], Opposition to [[Greek military junta of 1967–1974|Greek military junta]]
|position           = [[Left-wing]]
|Succeeded by       = 
|international      = 
|colours            = 
|slogan             = 
|merged             = [[Panhellenic Socialist Movement]]
|youth_wing         =
|headquarters       = 
|website            = 
}}
'''Democratic Defense''' ({{Langx|el|Δημοκρατική Άμυνα}}) was one of the many anti-dictatorial struggle groups that fought against the [[Greek military junta of 1967–1974]]. It evolved from the "[[Alexandros Papanastasiou]]" political research group in 1967, as a response to the regime.

In reality, there was no leader, but after arrest, the members nominated as leader a prominent retired general, general [[George Iordanides]], because he was the best-known personality among all the participants as he had held high ranking positions in the [[NATO]] during the 1950s. The organisation responded to the brutal regime with bombings to some targets that represented the financial supporters of the junta (like the [[Esso]]-PAPPAS gas station blowing in 1969).

Among its most widely known members were film director Jules Dassin, [[Costas Simitis]], subsequently [[Prime Minister of Greece]], [[Nikos Konstantopoulos]], subsequently president of the [[Synaspismos]] party, professor of economics in [[Panteion University]] {{Interlanguage link multi|Sakis Karagiorgas|el|3=Σάκης Καράγιωργας}}, {{Interlanguage link multi|Georgios-Alexandros Mangakis|el|3=Γεώργιος - Αλέξανδρος Μαγκάκης}}, professor of criminal law in the [[University of Athens]], Pavlos Zannas,a writer and film critic, general Georgios Iordanides, a well known military analyst and a national security advisor of [[Georgios Papandreou]] during {{Interlanguage link multi|1963 cabinet of George Papandreou{{!}}his administration|el|3=Κυβέρνηση Γεωργίου Παπανδρέου 1963}}, [[Vasilis Filias]], professor of sociology in Panteion University, lawyer [[Dimosthenis Konaris]], [[John Starakis]], a journalist, [[Christos Rokofyllos]], subsequently [[Minister for Foreign Affairs (Greece)|minister of Foreign Affairs]], {{Interlanguage link multi|Dimitrios Kotsakis|el|3=Δημήτριος Κωτσάκης}}, a trade union member, [[Athanasios Filias]], a mechanical engineer, [[Georgios Kouvelakis]], subsequent [[minister of Justice (Greece)|minister of Justice]], brothers [[Antonios Michalakeas]] (later on a judge of the [[Supreme Court of Greece]]) and [[Athanassios Michalakeas]] (later on a president of the court of Appeal), [[Georgios Kosmas]] (later on also a member of the supreme court of Greece), {{Interlanguage link multi|Spyros Plaskovitis|el|3=Σπύρος Πλασκοβίτης}} (later on also a judge of the Supreme Court of Greece and a [[member of the European Parliament]] elected with [[PASOK]]), [[:el:%CE%93%CE%B9%CE%AC%CE%BD%CE%BD%CE%B7%CF%82 %CE%A0%CE%B1%CF%80%CE%B1%CE%B4%CF%8C%CF%80%CE%BF%CF%85%CE%BB%CE%BF%CF%82 (%CF%80%CE%BF%CE%BB%CE%B9%CF%84%CE%B9%CE%BA%CF%8C%CF%82)|Ioannis Papadopoulos]], a well known plastic surgeon (later on a [[minister of Health (Greece)|minister of Health]] during the {{Interlanguage link multi|First cabinet of Andreas Papandreou{{!}}first government|fr|3=Gouvernement Andréas Papandréou I}} formed by PASOK in 1981) etc.

The trial began in March 1970, and most of the members were condemned to heavy sentences after months of trial. The trial attracted the attention of the press, and it was considered as a major act of resistance against the regime of the colonels because many of the accused persons held important positions in the public life of Greece and they represented an intellectual elite with [[center (politics)|center]]/[[center left]] views of governance. Many people who belonged to different political camps like [[Panagiotis Kanellopoulos]], an ex prime minister, or [[Georgios Rallis]] and {{Interlanguage link multi|Panagis Papaligouras|el|3=Παναγής Παπαληγούρας}}, both significant ministers in the [[National Radical Union|ERE]] government, stood up as witnesses of defence, while it was known that they did not share the same convictions with the accused, giving the idea to the people of a solid front against the junta. Thus this organisation achieved to shake the impression that people who belonged to the establishment were continuing to support the junta, especially when it was revealed to the eyes of the public that generals, lawyers or active judges, who were amongst them, had developed a dynamic form of resistance against the military regime. With the [[metapolitefsi|collapse of the junta in 1974]] most of the members of the group aligned with [[Andreas Papandreou]] and they were integrated in the [[Panhellenic Socialist Movement|PASOK]] political party, even though their views were not absolutely similar to the political beliefs of the party leader,

Andreas Papandreou

== See also ==
* [[History of Modern Greece]]
* [[Greek military junta of 1967–1974]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Resistance to the Greek junta]]
[[Category:Defunct political parties in Greece]]
[[Category:Left-wing militant groups in Greece]]