Banco de dados da Segunda Guerra Mundial (WW2DB)

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseIoannis Rallis was the son of Greek Prime Minister Dimitrios Rallis, a member of a powerful political family. He studied law in Greece, France, and Germany, and practiced law before entering politics. He served in a wide range of parliamentary and ministerial posts until Ioannis Metaxas established his dictatorship in 1935 and disbanded the parliament. During German occupation, he was one of the puppet leaders Germany used to establish a foothold in Greece; with the power invested by Berlin, he established an anti-Communist front. His gamble in siding with Germany soon turned out to be the unwise choice; as the tides of the war turned against Germany, Berlin began to impose heavy taxes on Greece.

ww2dbaseRallis was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment for collaboration with the enemy. He died in captivity in 1946. In 1947, his son and future Prime Minister George Rallis published an apologetic letter written by Ioannis Rallis during his imprisonment for his decision to collaborate with the German occupiers.

Ioannis Rallis Timeline