Yannis Tamtakos
Encyclopedia
Yannis Tamtakos (1908 – January 4, 2008) was a political activist, of trotskyism
at first, and of anarchism
, later on. He lived and remained politically active in Greece
. Due to his political activity, he was chased by the state and stalinists
. For quite a few years before his death, he was the oldest survivor among the active participants of the great strike of 1936, in Thessaloniki
.
. After traveling to Greece as a refugee, originating from Anatolia
during 1914, he returned to his hometown in 1914; he finally left it for good in 1922, when he moved to Thessaloniki. He got his first job when he was 6 years old, as a street vendor of simit
s and later as a shoeshiner
. In 1918 - 1919, aged 11, he participated in a workers manifestation for the 1st of May
, in the district of Evangelistria, Thessaloniki, for the first time. He had his first contact with supporters of Archeio-Marxism
in 1924.
He took part in every workers' struggle in Thessaloniki, as a shoemaker, having been elected committee member (1926–1927) and a secretary (1928–1929) of the Union of the Shoe-makers of Thessaloniki. Later, he got active through the union of the unemployed. In 1931, while on the frontline of a demonstration of the unemployed, in Syntrivani Square in Thessaloniki, he was attacked by a group of policemen, led by the nephew of the Head of the Police; the former shot him in the cheek and the bullet cut his tongue. He didn't lose his ability to speak, thanks to sub-consequent surgeries..
In 1936, after the violent suppression of the workers' revolt, he was found guilty by the Felony Court of Edessa
, along with another 52 workers, as organiser of the Thessaloniki strike, on May 1936.
He remained exiled and imprisoned, based on the idionymon
, from 1937 to 1942. The Tsouderos
government, before fleeing the country, let them exiled in Gavdos
and forwarded them to the German occupiers. A lot of his fellow detainees who had been exiled in Gavdos, were prosecuted in Kessariani and Nezero of Lamia
, including Pandelis Pouliopoulos
, the onetime secretary of the Communist Party of Greece
and leader of the trotskyist branch. Tamtakos skipped the prosecution by escaping from the police transfer detainment center and lived as an outlaw, after that.
Identifying himself as a revolutionary, he didn't fight in the Second World War, because he believed that the National Liberation Front was working in favour of the self-exiled Greek government, in order to liberate the Greek middle class. In 1942, he met Cornelius Castoriadis
and adopted his opinion on the bureaucratisation of the Communist Parties. Based on these positions, he quit troskyism in 1947. Along with his comrades, Agis Stinas, Dimosthenis Voursoukis, Makris, Krokos, Castoriadis et al., he believed in the principles of defeatism
and of revolutionary internationalism, by promoting an autonomous
, self-organised society and asking for the alliance among all of the fighting soldiers. Due to this position, Tamtakos and his comrades were chased by the German occupiers, the Chites (Greek right-wing collaborators of the occupiers) and the stalinists. He managed to escape assassination efforts by OPLA (militant organisation supported by the communist party) quite a few times while he used several identities and nicknames during the period of the ideological cleansing .
He left Greece in 1951, having been invited to work as an immigrant
in Australia, where he was employed in the factory of General Motors
. He returned to Greece in 1966, where he stayed for the rest of his life.
During the 80s, he was ideologically and politically connected with the antiauthoritarian scene of Thessaloniki. Despite his age, he took part in every workers manifestation in the city.
He died on the January 4, 2008, a few days before his 100th birthday and his political funeral was held the next day, in the cemetery of Malakopi.
Yannis Tamtakos was one of the main characters in the movie "Coursal", directed by Nikos Theodossiou .
Trotskyism
Trotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. Trotsky considered himself an orthodox Marxist and Bolshevik-Leninist, arguing for the establishment of a vanguard party of the working-class...
at first, and of anarchism
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
, later on. He lived and remained politically active in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. Due to his political activity, he was chased by the state and stalinists
Stalinism
Stalinism refers to the ideology that Joseph Stalin conceived and implemented in the Soviet Union, and is generally considered a branch of Marxist–Leninist ideology but considered by some historians to be a significant deviation from this philosophy...
. For quite a few years before his death, he was the oldest survivor among the active participants of the great strike of 1936, in Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
.
Biography
He was born in 1908, in FoçaFoça
Foça is town and district in Turkey's İzmir Province.The town of Foça is situated at about north by northwest of İzmir city center. The district also has a township with own municipality named Yenifoça , also along the shore and at a distance of from Foça proper...
. After traveling to Greece as a refugee, originating from Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
during 1914, he returned to his hometown in 1914; he finally left it for good in 1922, when he moved to Thessaloniki. He got his first job when he was 6 years old, as a street vendor of simit
Simit
A simit , Aramaic qeluro/qelora, koulouri , đevrek , gjevrek , gevrek , covrig is a circular bread with sesame seeds, very common in Turkey, as well as in Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria and other parts of the Balkans and Middle...
s and later as a shoeshiner
Shoeshiner
Shoeshiner or boot polisher is a profession in which a person polishes shoes with shoe polish. They are often known as shoeshine boys because the job is traditionally that of a male child. In the leather fetish communities, they are often called bootblacks...
. In 1918 - 1919, aged 11, he participated in a workers manifestation for the 1st of May
Labour Day
Labour Day or Labor Day is an annual holiday to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for...
, in the district of Evangelistria, Thessaloniki, for the first time. He had his first contact with supporters of Archeio-Marxism
Archeio-Marxism
Archeio-Marxism was a radical left political movement that was active in interwar Greece. The main motto of its supporters was "first education and then action" and they were against mass demonstrations and unionism. They were named after the "Archive of Marxism" magazine, that was published in...
in 1924.
He took part in every workers' struggle in Thessaloniki, as a shoemaker, having been elected committee member (1926–1927) and a secretary (1928–1929) of the Union of the Shoe-makers of Thessaloniki. Later, he got active through the union of the unemployed. In 1931, while on the frontline of a demonstration of the unemployed, in Syntrivani Square in Thessaloniki, he was attacked by a group of policemen, led by the nephew of the Head of the Police; the former shot him in the cheek and the bullet cut his tongue. He didn't lose his ability to speak, thanks to sub-consequent surgeries..
In 1936, after the violent suppression of the workers' revolt, he was found guilty by the Felony Court of Edessa
Edessa, Greece
Edessa , is a city in northern Greece and the capital of the Pella regional unit, in the Central Macedonia region of Greece. It was also the capital of the defunct province of the same name.-Name:...
, along with another 52 workers, as organiser of the Thessaloniki strike, on May 1936.
He remained exiled and imprisoned, based on the idionymon
Idionymon
The term idionymon was defined by a Greek law, voted in 1929 , after being introduced by the Eleftherios Venizelos government. It was a law "concerning safety measures for the social establishment and protection of the freedom"...
, from 1937 to 1942. The Tsouderos
Emmanouil Tsouderos
Emmanouil Tsouderos was a political and financial figure of modern Greece, serving as Prime Minister of the Greek government in exile during World War II.-Early life:...
government, before fleeing the country, let them exiled in Gavdos
Gavdos
Gavdos is the southernmost Greek island, located to the south of its much bigger neighbour, Crete, of which it is administratively a part, in the peripheral unit of Chania. It forms a community with surrounding islets and was part of the former Selino Province. It is the southernmost point of...
and forwarded them to the German occupiers. A lot of his fellow detainees who had been exiled in Gavdos, were prosecuted in Kessariani and Nezero of Lamia
Lamia
Lamia may refer to:* Lamia , a Greek mythological female creature* Lamia of Athens courtesan* Lamia , a magical beast in Dungeons & Dragons* Lamia , a city in Greece* Lamia , a genus of longhorn beetles...
, including Pandelis Pouliopoulos
Pandelis Pouliopoulos
Pandelis Pouliopoulos was a Greek communist and onetime general secretary of the Communist Party of Greece . He stood for the internationalist and revolutionary character of the communist movement...
, the onetime secretary of the Communist Party of Greece
Communist Party of Greece
Founded in 1918, the Communist Party of Greece , better known by its acronym, ΚΚΕ , is the oldest party on the Greek political scene.- Foundation :...
and leader of the trotskyist branch. Tamtakos skipped the prosecution by escaping from the police transfer detainment center and lived as an outlaw, after that.
Identifying himself as a revolutionary, he didn't fight in the Second World War, because he believed that the National Liberation Front was working in favour of the self-exiled Greek government, in order to liberate the Greek middle class. In 1942, he met Cornelius Castoriadis
Cornelius Castoriadis
Cornelius Castoriadis was a Greek philosopher, social critic, economist, psychoanalyst, author of The Imaginary Institution of Society, and co-founder of the Socialisme ou Barbarie group.-Early life in Athens:...
and adopted his opinion on the bureaucratisation of the Communist Parties. Based on these positions, he quit troskyism in 1947. Along with his comrades, Agis Stinas, Dimosthenis Voursoukis, Makris, Krokos, Castoriadis et al., he believed in the principles of defeatism
Defeatism
Defeatism is acceptance of defeat without struggle. In everyday use, defeatism has negative connotation and is often linked to treason and pessimism, or even a hopeless situation such as a Catch-22...
and of revolutionary internationalism, by promoting an autonomous
Autonomy
Autonomy is a concept found in moral, political and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it is the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision...
, self-organised society and asking for the alliance among all of the fighting soldiers. Due to this position, Tamtakos and his comrades were chased by the German occupiers, the Chites (Greek right-wing collaborators of the occupiers) and the stalinists. He managed to escape assassination efforts by OPLA (militant organisation supported by the communist party) quite a few times while he used several identities and nicknames during the period of the ideological cleansing .
He left Greece in 1951, having been invited to work as an immigrant
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
in Australia, where he was employed in the factory of General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
. He returned to Greece in 1966, where he stayed for the rest of his life.
During the 80s, he was ideologically and politically connected with the antiauthoritarian scene of Thessaloniki. Despite his age, he took part in every workers manifestation in the city.
He died on the January 4, 2008, a few days before his 100th birthday and his political funeral was held the next day, in the cemetery of Malakopi.
Published material
His book "Memories of a life in the revolutionary movement", which was published on March 2003, contains transcripts of recorded self-biographic tellings, including references to historical and political events of the last century. Part of his personal diary has been published in 1995, in the "Alfa" newspaper .Yannis Tamtakos was one of the main characters in the movie "Coursal", directed by Nikos Theodossiou .