logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2024
9m 13s

How Greece got rid of their king

Bbc World Service
About this episode

In 1974, Greece held a referendum to decide the future of the country’s monarchy, and whether Constantine II would remain their king.

Constantine had come to the throne in 1964, but he’d inherited a divided country. Political divisions, between the left and right, ran deep.

In 1967, a group of army officers launched a coup, and Constantine fled into exile in England. When the military regime collapsed seven years later, the new government called a referendum to decide the fate of the country.

Some of the population supported the king, but many thought the monarchy was outdated and irrelevant.

Finally, in December, 1974, four and a half million people went to the polls to cast their vote. The result was two to one in favour of a republic. Constantine had lost his crown.

Jane Wilkinson has been looking through the BBC archives to find out more.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: The wedding of King Constantine and Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark, Athens, 1964. Credit: Central Press/Getty Images)

Up next
Aug 22
Geneva Conventions
In 1859, Swiss businessman Henry Dunant witnessed the Battle of Solferino, in Italy. He couldn’t believe the lack of aid for the wounded soldiers and came up with two ideas – a voluntary aid organisation and an international treaty to protect those injured in wartime. They went o ... Show More
10m 2s
Aug 21
The rise and fall of BlackBerry
In the early 2000s, BlackBerry was the phone that ruled the world. But within a decade, it collapsed, overtaken by the touch screen revolution.Sam Gruet speaks to former co-CEO Jim Balsillie about BlackBerry’s meteoric rise, its battle against Apple, and the moment he knew it was ... Show More
9m 50s
Aug 20
The book that changed Norway’s view of immigrants
In 2010, a book came out in Norway that transformed the way people looked at paperless immigrants. The author, a 25-year-old Russian woman, fled North Ossetia as a child with her parents. They were never granted asylum, yet she managed to earn a university degree and eventually h ... Show More
10m 13s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2025
The mystery of Raoul Wallenberg
Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat, saved thousands of Hungarian Jews from the Nazis during World War Two.Once Soviet troops reached Budapest, Wallenberg reported to Soviet officials on 17 January 1945. But he was never seen in public again. Rumours of his fate have circled eve ... Show More
8m 58s
Nov 2024
Alexander the Great Finds His Destiny
November 14th, 332 BCE. Alexander the Great has conquered an unprecedented amount of territory in a relatively short amount of time. At just 24 years old, he's in control of Macedonia, much of Greece, and now, a huge part of Egypt.But Alexander doesn't want to just conquer each o ... Show More
36m 16s
Jan 2021
Ancient Greece
Sophie (age 7) and Ellie (age 5) tell how the Ancient Greeks helped make the world around us. ----more---- We hear about how the Greeks learned about the stars and gave them the names of their Gods.   We hear how the Greek Hoplite was a war winning machine. We learn how Sparta tu ... Show More
9m 39s
Aug 2024
Constantinople
From humble beginnings as a modest Greek colony, through its later grandeur as part of the Roman and Ottoman Empire, the city of Constantinople has witnessed centuries of transformation. A melting pot of cultures and religions, it was the bridge between the East and West, where i ... Show More
59m 55s
Feb 2025
4 Living Former Monarchs whose Thrones were Abolished
In the last episode we met 7 living former monarchs who chose to retire, hand their thrones to their children and enjoy their golden years. But not all living former monarchs chose to get off the throne, some were pushed off. In the 20th century, 28 national-level monarchies acro ... Show More
27m 48s
Aug 2024
485. Henry IV: The Usurper King (Part 1)
Henry IV has been portrayed as both a shadowy, obscure figure, but also, a strong king who was loved by his people. Prior to ascending the throne, Henry, the son of John of Gaunt, was admired for his glamour, clemency, courage and strong faith, but these sympathies quickly turned ... Show More
1h 6m
Aug 2024
481. The French Revolution: The Women's March on Versailles (Part 7)
By the summer of 1789 the different sections of the Revolution were at loggerheads, and the recently created National Assembly riven in two. Both factions, the radicals on the left and the more moderate revolutionaries on the right, upheld different interpretations of how the new ... Show More
1 h
Mar 2025
546. The French Revolution: The Monarchy Falls (Part 3)
“From this place and from this day forth commences a new era in the world’s history, and you can all say you were present at its birth!” By September 1792, the Prussians, under the leadership of the formidable Duke of Brunswick, were closing in on revolutionary Paris. There, the ... Show More
1h 2m
Aug 2019
Queen Olympias & Alexander the Great's Women, Part 1
Season 2, Episode 11. Ancient Greek queen Olympias went to epic lengths to ensure her son Alex ended up on the throne. In doing so, she helped make him worthy of his title: Alexander the Great. Alexander accomplished a lot all on his own, but there’s no doubt he got a lot of help ... Show More
49m 1s