Censorship, as an attempt to control and restrict the expression of ideas and opinions in the public sphere, is a core structural element of any propaganda apparatus and is associated with power, especially in its totalitarian and authoritarian form. Greece has been no exception: a decisive moment in the history of its state-run censorship was the dictatorship of Ioannis Metaxas. Until 1936, censorship of the public expression of opinions and ideas was mainly repressive. The dictatorship of Metaxas introduced and systematized the concept of preventive censorship and in 1936 set up an Under-Secretariat for Press and Tourism that acted as the main censorship agency. According to the respective law, the Under-Secretariat in question was founded with a view to enlightening public opinion and monitoring all public events, making sure that they conformed to national traditions and ideals.After setting up the Under-Secretariat as a propaganda and enlightenment mechanism, the dictatorship established a legal framework of preventive censorship with the aim of monitoring the press, publishing and film industries and the production of songs and theatre plays. The Under-Secretariat for Press and Tourism undertook Greece’s wartime propaganda activities in the years 1940-1941 and continued to operate after the Germans occupied the country, carrying out its usual censorship and propaganda activities between 1941 and 1944. ... More