What Can the Study of Monuments and Ceremonies Tell Us About a Dictatorship? The Case of the Dictatorship of April 21 in Greece. 1967–74

The Dictatorship of April 21 holds a particular significance in the Greek political discourse. Its fall in 1974 was the first step toward the foundation of the Third Hellenic Republic, the most stable period of democracy in Greece’s history. However, many facets of the dictatorship remain undiscussed, especially regarding the features of the regime. If the past is a foreign country, following Lowenthal’s well-known dictum, can we use the dictatorship’s ceremonies and monuments asanew path for exploring the characteristics of the regime and pose new questions? This article is an attempt to reevaluate the dictatorship’s quest for legitimacy through its ritual politics. Moreover, it is also an attempt to explore rituals not asamere reflection of power, but as political acts with tangible effects.