Theodoros Pangalos ( general ) Lieutenant General Theodoros Pangalos ( ) ( 11 January 1878 – 26 February 1952 ) was a Greek soldier , politician and dictator . A distinguished staff officer and an ardent Venizelist and anti - royalist , Pangalos played a leading role in the September 1922 revolt that deposed King Constantine I and in the establishment of the Second Hellenic Republic . In June 1925 Pangalos staged a bloodless coup , and his assumption of power was recognized by the National Assembly which named him Prime Minister . As a " constitutional dictator " he ruled the country until his overthrow in August 1926 . From April 1926 until his deposition , he also occupied the office of President of the Republic . Pangalos withdrew from public life for a while , but remained active in the Venizelist military circles . During the Axis Occupation of Greece , Pangalos and military officers close to him played a role in the establishment of the Security Battalions and was widely suspected of collaboration with the Germans . Cleared by a postwar court , he ran unsuccessfully for political office and died in 1952 . Early career . Pangalos was born on the island of Salamis . His mother was descendant of the local Arvanite fighter of the Greek Revolution , Giannakis Meletis [ Hatzimeletis ] , while his paternal side came from an aristocratic family of Kea island . He graduated first in his class from the Greek Army Academy in 1900 and continued his studies in Paris , France . In 1916 he supported Eleftherios Venizelos in his struggle against King Constantine I , and was rewarded with a senior position in the War Ministry . He participated in the Asia Minor Campaign in senior staff positions , but was demoted after Constantine returned to power in 1920 . In 1922 , Pangalos supported the 11 September 1922 Revolution , led by Nikolaos Plastiras , which abolished the monarchy and declared the Second Hellenic Republic , and was made War Minister . His first job was to prosecute a number of prominent pro - monarchist government leaders by military court in what became known as the Trial of the Six , which resulted in six executions ; he then rushed to Thessaloniki , from where he successfully reorganized the Greek army in Macedonia and Thrace , as the war with Turkey was not over , and an attack in the region was feared to be imminent . The reorganization was so successful that the Greek High Command prepared for a possible advance into Eastern Thrace in the face of the Turkish demands in the Lausanne peace talks . A sudden reversal of the Turks in April preempted the new war , and the Treaty of Lausanne was signed . A staunch nationalist , Pangalos objected to the terms of the treaty , and declared that his troops would attack Turkey nonetheless in order to block the deal . He was forced to resign , but his stance made him popular with the many segments of Greek society that objected to the treaty . During the period of political instability that followed , Pangalos jumped into the fray , gaining and losing a number of ministerial positions as governments came and went . In power . On June 24 , 1925 , officers loyal to Pangalos , fearing that the political instability was putting the country at risk , overthrew the government in a coup . Pangalos immediately abolished the young republic and began to prosecute anyone who could possibly challenge his authority , including his old chief , Plastiras . Freedom of the press was abolished , and a number of repressive laws were enacted ( including a law dictating the length of women ' s skirts - no more than 30 cm above the ground ) , while Pangalos awarded himself the Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer . Pangalos declared himself dictator on 3 January 1926 and had himself elected president in April 1926 . On the economic front Pangalos attempted to devalue the currency by ordering paper notes cut in half . His political and diplomatic inability however became soon apparent . He conceded too many rights to Yugoslav commerce in Thessaloniki , but worst of all , he embroiled Greece in the so - called War of the Stray Dog , harming Greece ' s already strained international relations . Soon , many of the officers that had helped him come to power decided that he had to be removed . On 24 August 1926 , a counter - coup deposed him , and Pavlos Kountouriotis returned as president . Relations with Albania . Pangalos was an Albanian - speaker , and declared himself proud of his Arvanite heritage . His priority in establishing good relations with Albania was soon materialized by four agreements between the two governments , among others addressing the confiscation of Cham properties before 1926 , when Greek refugees from Asia Minor were settled in the region . This agreement stated that Chams would be compensated " at least " as much as foreign citizens or ethnic Greeks . In a public statement he also recognized that Chams were an ethnic minority and promised that Albanian schools would be opened in the region . After his rule . In 1930 , Pangalos was sent to prison for a building scandal . He remained in prison for two years and was released during a period when a number of amnesties were given by Venizélos . He never regained the popular support he had before the coup , and never again played a role in Greek politics . After Greece fell to the Germans in 1941 , Pangalos and other Venizelist officers moved to support the new collaborationist regime . He also played an important role , albeit from behind the stage , in the establishment of the Security Battalions , which he hoped to use against both the Communist - dominated National Liberation Front and against a possible return of King George II and the royal government from exile . He was accused of collaboration , but was cleared of all charges in September 1945 . He unsuccessfully ran for parliament in 1950 and died in Kifissia two years later . His grandson , also named Theodoros Pangalos , served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Greece . He is a member of the PASOK socialist party . In popular culture . Theodoros Pangalos is mentioned in the song " Stin epohi tou Pangalou " ( In the times of Pangalos , ) by Giorgos Mitsakis , originally sung by George Dalaras .