National Youth Organisation (Greece)

National Youth Organization
Εθνική Οργάνωσις Νεολαίας
Ethnikí Orgánosis Neoléas
National Youth Organization; Εθνική Οργάνωσις Νεολαίας; Ethnikí Orgánosis Neoléas
Chairperson	Crown Prince Paul (since December 1938)
Founded	7 October 1936
Dissolved	April 1941
Ideology	Metaxism; Greek nationalism; Christian nationalism; Monarchism; Anti-communism
Flag

The National Youth Organisation (Greek: Εθνική Οργάνωσις Νεολαίας, romanized: Ethnikí Orgánosis Neoléas, EON) was a youth organization in Greece during the years of the Metaxas Regime (1936–1941), established by the regime with the stated goals of helping the youth in the productive spending of their free time and cultivating their national values and cooperative spirit.

Membership

Membership was not mandatory, and—unlike most contemporary political youth organizations in Europe—EON was not affiliated with a political party, but there was widespread successful campaigning by the regime to include the largest part of the youth to EON, and later took over the scouts and other such organizations, although typically membership still remained strictly voluntary.^[1] However, only Christians could enroll and Muslims and Jews could not become EON members.^[2]

Activities and publication

Some of the activities that EON members were involved in included athletics events, parades and marches, military training, reforestations, recycling.^[1]^[3]

The official monthly magazine of EON was The Youth (Greek: Η Νεολαία).^[4]

Symbols

The emblem of EON was a labrys surrounded by laurel wreaths and topped with a royal crown, while the flag of EON was similar to the flag of Greece—featuring a white cross on a blue field- with the emblem of EON charged in the center in gold and the royal crown moved to the upper hoist side quadrant. The motto of EON was "One Nation, One King, One Leader, One Youth".^[5]

WWII successor organisations

The EON disbanded in late April 1941 with the start of the German occupation of Greece when some of its former members created the secret occupation resistance/liberation organizations "National Youth Committee" and—the strictly female—"SPITHA" under the leadership of Metaxas' daughter Loukia Metaxa.^[1]^[6]^[7]^[8]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c EON (in Greek)
^ Propaganda and ideology of the 4th of August regime in the context of Hitler’s ‘New European Order’
^ Μιχάλης Φύλλας, «Η δράση της Ε.Ο.Ν. στα Τρίκαλα στα τέλη του 1940 αρχές του 1941 μέσα από τον Τρικαλινό τύπο», Θεσσαλικό Ημερολόγιο, τομ.78 (2020), σελ. 73-79 [1]
^ "The Youth" EON magazine (in Greek)
^ Photograph of EON emblem and motto Archived 2014-01-10 at the Wayback Machine
^ National Youth Commity (in Greek)
^ SPITHA (in Greek)
^ Lucia Metaxa (in Greek)

External links

«ή Νεολαία» — official journal of the National Youth Organisation (Εθνική Οργάνωσις Νεολαίας).

[:0-1] EON (in Greek)

[2] Propaganda and ideology of the 4th of August regime in the context of Hitler’s ‘New European Order’

[3] Μιχάλης Φύλλας, «Η δράση της Ε.Ο.Ν. στα Τρίκαλα στα τέλη του 1940 αρχές του 1941 μέσα από τον Τρικαλινό τύπο», Θεσσαλικό Ημερολόγιο, τομ.78 (2020), σελ. 73-79 [1]

[4] "The Youth" EON magazine (in Greek)

[5] Photograph of EON emblem and motto Archived 2014-01-10 at the Wayback Machine

[6] National Youth Commity (in Greek)

[7] SPITHA (in Greek)

[8] Lucia Metaxa (in Greek)

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v t e 4th of August Regime
Ideas	Ethnic nationalism Anticommunism Monarchism Totalitarianism Corporatism Protectionism National populism Metaxism Greek Orthodox Christianity Third Hellenic Civilization
People	Ioannis Metaxas George II of Greece Alexandros Papagos Konstantinos Maniadakis Konstantinos Kotzias Kostis Bastias
Events	Metaxas Line construction 1938 Greek coup d'état attempt Elli sinking Greco-Italian War
Symbols	Double axe Roman salute Hymn of the 4th of August
Policies	Censorship National Youth Organisation Demotic Greek Demotic music Greek–Turkish alliance
Establishments	Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation IKA National parks of Greece

v t e Ioannis Metaxas
Family	Metaxas family
Politics	Metaxism (Freethinkers' Party) Ethnic nationalism National populism Protectionism Corporatism Anticommunism Anti-imperialism (Greco–Turkish alliance) Third Hellenic Civilization Demotic Greek
Events	Greco-Turkish War (1897) Balkan Wars National Schism Noemvriana Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922) Leonardopoulos–Gargalidis coup d'état attempt Second Hellenic Republic Greek monarchy referendum, 1935 4th of August Regime 1938 Greek coup d'état attempt Elli shinking Greco-Italian War
Establishments	Epistratoi EON Social Insurance Institute Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation Greek civil code National parks of Greece
Remembrance	Metaxas Line Ohi Day

v t e Greek nationalism
Ideology	Modern Greek Enlightenment Megali Idea Hellenization Grecoman Venizelism Metaxism Enosis
Organizations	Filiki Eteria Ethniki Etaireia Macedonian Committee Military League National Youth Organisation EDES Northern Epirus Liberation Front EOKA EOKA B
Political parties	Napist Party Nationalist Party New Party (1873) New Party (1947) Liberal Party Freethinkers' Party Politically Independent Alignment Greek Rally National Party of Greece 4th of August Party National Democratic Union National Alignment United Nationalist Movement Party of Hellenism National Political Union Hellenic Front Front Line Patriotic Alliance Political Spring National Front (Greece) Popular Orthodox Rally Golden Dawn Spartans ELAM (Cyprus) National Unity Association Greek Solution LEPEN Greeks for the Fatherland
People	Adamantios Korais Rigas Feraios Alexander Ypsilantis Ioannis Kapodistrias Athanasios Diakos Theodoros Kolokotronis Dionysios Solomos Constantine Paparrigopoulos Aristotelis Valaoritis Alexandros Koumoundouros Theodoros Diligiannis Kostis Palamas Pavlos Melas Ion Dragoumis Eleftherios Venizelos Nikolaos Plastiras Ioannis Metaxas Angelos Sikelianos Alexandros Papagos Napoleon Zervas Georgios Grivas Georgios Papadopoulos Dimitrios Ioannidis Antonis Samaras
Historical events	Greco-Persian Wars Byzantine Empire under the Palaiologos dynasty Greek War of Independence Epirus Revolt of 1854 1854 Macedonian rebellion 1867 Macedonian rebellion Cretan revolt (1866–1869) Cretan revolt (1878) Epirus Revolt of 1878 1878 Macedonian rebellion 1896–1897 Macedonian rebellion Greco-Turkish War (1897) Macedonian Struggle Maratha, Santalaris and Aloda massacre Theriso revolt Greece in the Balkan Wars Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus Greece during World War I Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) 1931 Cyprus revolt 4th of August Regime Greek resistance Cyprus Emergency (1955–59) Cyprus crisis of 1963–64 Bloody Christmas (1963) Greek junta (1967–74) 1974 Cypriot coup d'état 1990 Komotini events
Policies	Aromanian question Geographical name changes Greek language question