Nikolaos Makarezos
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Nikolaos Makarezos (Greek: Νικόλαος Μακαρέζος) was a Greek military man and one of the masterminds of the Greek military junta of 1967-1974 that overthrew the government of Panagiotis Kanellopoulos in a coup d'état on April 21, 1967.
He was born in 1919 in the village of Gravia, Phocis. Having distinguished himself in World War II, Colonel Makarezos met Colonel Georgios Papadopoulos after the war. Later the two men would meet Brigadier General Stylianos Pattakos. Together, the three men planned the coup d' etat that would overthrow the government of Panagiotis Kanellopoulos, taking advantage of the volatile nature of Greek politics of that time.
Makarezos was Vice-President of most of the ensuing dictatorial governments with special responsibility for the country's economy. After the Junta's fall in 1974, Makarezos was put on trial for treason and rebellion and was sentenced to death. His sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment.
Makarezos has been free on successive temporary leaves since 1990. He claims to have regrets for many of his actions but still boasts about his economic achievements of the 7-year era.
