Athens Polytechnic uprising

Athens Polytechnic uprising
Εξέγερση του Πολυτεχνείου Part of the Greek junta and the Cold War
Protesters outside the Athens Polytechnic on Patission Street
Date	14–17 November 1973
Location	National Technical University of Athens 37°59′16″N 23°43′54″E / 37.98778°N 23.73167°E / 37.98778; 23.73167
Caused by	Junta's authoritarianism
Goals	Fall of the Junta
Methods	Student protest
Resulted in	Uprising suppressed: Junta is preserved Many students murdered Attempts at liberalization by Georgios Papadopoulos, which results in another coup launched by hardliner Dimitrios Ioannidis
Parties
Greek students Support: Greek anarchists ΕΚΟΝ Rigas Feraios PAK Communist Youth of Greece (disputed) Progressive All-Student Unionist Camp AASPE Greek junta Ministry of National Education and Religious Affairs Ministry of Public Order Cities Police Hellenic Army
Lead figures
Non-centralized leadership Georgios Papadopoulos Spyros Markezinis Panagiotis Sifnaios Panagiotis Therapos Nikolaos Dertilis
Casualties
Death(s)	40 (24 identified, 16 unidentified)[1]
Injuries	2,000+ (1,103 verified)[1]

The Athens Polytechnic uprising occurred in November 1973 as a massive student demonstration of popular rejection of the Greek military junta of 1967–1974. It began on 14 November 1973, escalated to an open anti-junta revolt, and ended in bloodshed in the early morning of 17 November after a series of events starting with a tank crashing through the gates of the Athens Polytechnic. It is believed that approximately 40 people were killed by the Greek army on that day, and more than 2,000 were injured. This was the first event in a series of political crises that ultimately led to the fall of the junta in the summer of 1974, just a few months later.

The uprising had a lasting impact on Greek politics; it marked a break between the Greek youth and traditional leftist parties (KKE), and it also saw the beginning of the revival of Greek anarchism. The repression faced by students gave rise to the terrorist organization 17N.