Introduction
By the Autumn of 1940, British forces fighting the Second World War were dangerously overstretched: Paris had fallen, Benito Mussolini had pledged Italy’s support to Germany, and Greece was under a state of emergency, with fascist sympathies.
A POLITICAL stalemate in the Greek Parliament was broken when on August 4th, 1936, King George II approved a state of emergency under the leadership of Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas.* Metaxas then modelled his authoritarian government on that of Benito Mussolini’s Italy.
Mussolini committed Italy to Germany’s cause in June 1940, and in the small hours of October 28th, with the Blitz already heavy in London, the Italian Ambassador to Greece broke away from an Embassy party in Athens to present Metaxas with an ultimatum on behalf of the Axis Powers, demanding to use Greece as a Mediterranean base. The alternative was war.
‘Then it is war’ replied Metaxas, somewhat surprisingly. Just ninety minutes later, Italian troops stationed in Albania attacked the Greek border, but the Greek people rallied to Metaxas’s side, taking to the streets and adding their own cries of ‘No!’ to his. Their defiance is proudly remembered each year on the day, with parades and the laying of wreaths.*
The instability in Greece was a result of a hung Parliament, with a small but potentially dangerous Communist party holding the balance of power (not necessarily a friend to Britain, as the Soviet Union still shared a non-aggression pact with Germany). King George II of Greece, moreover, had been restored to the throne only the year before, after eleven years of a Republic.
The Greek Church has moved the Feast of the Protection of the Mother of God from October 1st to October 28th, in recognition of the belief that Greece’s ‘No!’ was providential, a modern miracle. For the origins of the feast, see our post Our Lady’s Mantle.
Précis
On October 28th, 1940, the Italian Ambassador presented Greek Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas with a choice between siding with the Axis Powers and war. Despite being an authoritarian with sympathies towards Mussolini’s Italy, Metaxas defied the ultimatum, as did the Greek people, and their ‘No!’ is publicly commemorated every year on that day. (53 / 60 words)
On October 28th, 1940, the Italian Ambassador presented Greek Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas with a choice between siding with the Axis Powers and war. Despite being an authoritarian with sympathies towards Mussolini’s Italy, Metaxas defied the ultimatum, as did the Greek people, and their ‘No!’ is publicly commemorated every year on that day.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: because, besides, may, must, not, or, since, whereas.
Archive
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Alternative. Ambassador. Cry.
2 Emergency. Prime. Small.
3 Approve. But. Taking.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
Your Words ()
You are welcome to share your creativity with me, or ask for help with any of the exercises on Clay Lane. Write to me at this address:
See more at Email Support.
If you like what I’m doing here on Clay Lane, from time to time you could buy me a coffee.
Buy Me a Coffee is a crowdfunding website, used by over a million people. It is designed to help content creators like me make a living from their work. ‘Buy Me a Coffee’ prides itself on its security, and there is no need to register.
