Book presentation: Leon. Kallibretakis-The Polytechnic outside the Polytechnic…The unseen protagonists of the 1973 uprising

The Institute of Historical Research and the FOUNDATION publications organize a presentation of his book Leonida Kallibretakis “The Polytechnic outside the Polytechnic...The unseen protagonists of the 1973 uprising“, which will take place on Monday 13 November 2023 at 18.30 at the “Leonidas Zervas” auditorium of the National Research Foundation (Vas. Kon/nou 48)

What made the Polytechnic become the “Polytechnic”, and not a repetition of the previous ventures, not another “Law”, is not what happened inside the occupied higher education institution, but what took place outside it.

In those days, tens of thousands of people gathered around the Polytechnic and then poured into the streets of Athens, organized demonstrations from one end of the city to the other, panicked the guard of the Ministry of Public Order, set up barricades on Alexandra Avenue to block the passage of the armored personnel carriers, they drowned in tear gas and were savagely beaten by the Police, they stood in front of the cannons, because they did not want to leave the “children of the Polytechnic” alone in the night, and they did not retreat until they now counted hundreds of wounded and first dead.

These are those who in the following days, and while the Polytechnic center has now collapsed, abandoned their schools and their jobs and demonstrated amidst the fire of the police, snipers and armored personnel carriers, counting new – and more – victims.

Leonidas Kallibretakis, 50 years later, attempts to record the history of these unseen heroes of the 1973 uprising.

The author, Leonidas Kallibretakis, is a historian, director of research emeritus of the National Research Foundation. He has published books and articles about the political, social, military and economic history of the 19th and 20th centuries, the history of the city of Athens, the youth protest movements of the post-war world and aspects of the military dictatorship 1967-1974.

The book will be discussed by:

KATERINA DEDEhistorian / HEI;

VANGELIS KARAMANOLAKIShistorian / EKPA / ASKI, and

GEORGE ECONOMOUDoctor of Philosophy – author.

It will be coordinated by NIKOLAOS PAPAZARKADASdirector of the Historical Research Institute