Language and education policies during the colonels' junta period in Greece (1967-1974)

Education is, above all, a political issue. As a key component of the state's dominant ideological apparatus, education must be approached, analyzed, and evaluated from a holistic perspective, taking into account its political and social context. In Greece, matters of language and education have been shaped primarily around the axis of reform and counter-reform, particularly since the 19th century. This has resulted in intense debates between two opposing camps: a liberal-progressive movement advocating the use of the Dimotiki in education, and a conservative-reactionary faction supporting Katharevousa. Within the context of the Greek Language Question, the struggle between Katharevousa and Dimotiki has consistently permeated educational discourse, playing a decisive role in shaping language and educational policy. In this context, the Greek Junta emerged as the final representative of the Katharevousa mentality. The military regime perpetuated various elements of the conservative educational approach from previous periods, positioning itself effectively as the protector of Katharevousa. Immediately after seizing power, the regime intervened rapidly in educational affairs, erasing all traces of the liberal-progressive 1964 reforms. Demonstrating unconditional allegiance to Heleno-Christian ideals, the junta sought to establish political and social legitimacy through an anti-communist ideology, attempted to shape society via language and educational policies. In the introduction, the research problem, objectives, significance, and methodology are outlined, while the theoretical framework is presented in the first chapter. The second chapter examines the transformation of language and educational policies in Greece up to 1967. The third chapter explores the political, social, and economic factors leading to the establishment of junta. In the fourth and concluding chapters, the elements that form the basis for analyzing the language and educational policies of the Greek Junta period are presented and examined within the theoretical framework developed throughout the study.