Georgios Papandreou ( ''Geórgios Papandréou''; 13 February 1888 – 1 November 1968) was a
Greek politician, the founder of the Papandreou
political dynasty. He served three terms as
prime minister of Greece
The prime minister of the Hellenic Republic ( el, Πρωθυπουργός της Ελληνικής Δημοκρατίας, Prothypourgós tis Ellinikís Dimokratías), colloquially referred to as the prime minister of Greece ( el, Πρωθυ� ...
(1944–1945, 1963, 1964–1965). He was also
deputy prime minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...
from 1950–1952, in the governments of
Nikolaos Plastiras
Nikolaos Plastiras ( el, Νικόλαος Πλαστήρας; 4 November 1883 – 26 July 1953) was a Greek general and politician, who served thrice as Prime Minister of Greece. A distinguished soldier known for his personal bravery, he b ...
and
Sofoklis Venizelos
Sofoklis Venizelos (, also transliterated as Sophocles Venizelos) (3 November 1894 – 7 February 1964) was a Greek politician, who three times served as Prime Minister of Greece – in 1944 (in exile), 1950 and 1950–1951.
Life and career
Ve ...
and served numerous times as a cabinet minister, starting in 1923, in a political career that spanned more than five decades.
Early life
Papandreou was born at
Kalentzi
Kalentzi ( el, Καλέντζι) is a village and a former community in Achaea, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Erymanthos, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area ...
, in the
Achaea
Achaea () or Achaia (), sometimes transliterated from Greek as Akhaia (, ''Akhaïa'' ), is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Western Greece and is situated in the northwestern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. The ...
region of the northern
Peloponnese.
He was the son of Father Andreas Stavropoulos, an Orthodox
archpriest
The ecclesiastical title of archpriest or archpresbyter belongs to certain priests with supervisory duties over a number of parishes. The term is most often used in Eastern Orthodoxy and the Eastern Catholic Churches and may be somewhat analogous ...
(protopresvyteros). His last name is derived from his father's Christian name and the word ''papas'' "priest". He studied
law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vari ...
in
Athens and
political science in
Berlin. His political philosophy was heavily influenced by German
social democracy. As a result, he was adamantly opposed to the monarchy and supported generous social policies, but he was also extremely
anti-communist
Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when the United States and the ...
(and specifically against the
KKE
The Communist Party of Greece ( el, Κομμουνιστικό Κόμμα Ελλάδας, ''Kommounistikó Kómma Elládas'', KKE) is a political party in Greece.
Founded in 1918 as the Socialist Labour Party of Greece and adopted its curren ...
's policies in Greece). As a young man, he became involved in politics as a supporter of the Liberal leader
Eleftherios Venizelos, who made him governor of
Chios
Chios (; el, Χίος, Chíos , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greek island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. Chios is notable for its exports of mastic ...
after the
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars refers to a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan States in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan States of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and def ...
. One of his brothers, Nikos, was killed in the
Battle of Kilkis-Lachanas
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
.
He married twice. His first wife was Sofia Mineyko, a
Polish national, daughter of
Zygmunt Mineyko and paternal granddaughter of Stanislaw Mineyko (1802–1857). Their son
Andreas Papandreou
Andreas Georgiou Papandreou ( el, Ανδρέας Γεωργίου Παπανδρέου, ; 5 February 1919 – 23 June 1996) was a Greek economist, politician and a dominant figure in Greek politics, known for founding the political party PASOK, wh ...
was born in
Chios
Chios (; el, Χίος, Chíos , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greek island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. Chios is notable for its exports of mastic ...
in 1919. His second wife was the actress
Cybele Andrianou and their son was named George Papandreou.
Political career
During
the political crisis surrounding
Greece's entry into the
First World War, Papandreou was one of Venizelos's closest supporters against the pro-German monarch,
King Konstantínos I. When Venizelos in 1916 left Athens, Papandreou accompanied him to
Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cypru ...
, and then went to
Lesbos
Lesbos or Lesvos ( el, Λέσβος, Lésvos ) is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It has an area of with approximately of coastline, making it the third largest island in Greece. It is separated from Asia Minor by the na ...
, where he mobilised anti-monarchist supporters in the islands and rallied support for Venizelos's insurgent
pro-Allied government in Thessaloniki.
In the
1920 general election, Papandreou unsuccessfully ran as an independent liberal in the
Lesbos
Lesbos or Lesvos ( el, Λέσβος, Lésvos ) is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It has an area of with approximately of coastline, making it the third largest island in Greece. It is separated from Asia Minor by the na ...
constituency. In 1921 as a lawyer he defended
Alexandros Papanastasiou
Alexandros Papanastasiou ( el, Αλέξανδρος Παπαναστασίου; 8 July 1876 – 17 November 1936) was a Greek lawyer, sociologist and politician who served twice as the Prime Minister of Greece in the interwar period, being a pione ...
, during a trial for his critic against King Konstantínos. Because of an article calling on King Konstantínos to abdicate, he was imprisoned by the royalist regime and later he narrowly escaped assassination from royalist extremists in Lesbos.
From January to October 1923, he served as
interior minister in the cabinet of
Stylianos Gonatas
Stylianos Gonatas ( el, Στυλιανός Γονατάς; 15 August 1876 – 29 March 1966) was an officer of the Hellenic Army, Venizelist politician, and Prime Minister of Greece from 1922 and 1924.
Early life and military career
Gonatas was ...
. In the December
1923 elections, he was elected as a
Venizelist
Venizelism ( el, Βενιζελισμός) was one of the major political movements in Greece from the 1900s until the mid-1970s.
Main ideas
Named after Eleftherios Venizelos, the key characteristics of Venizelism were:
*Greek irredentism: T ...
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
member of parliament for
Lésvos, and served as finance minister for just 11 days in June 1925, education minister in 1930–1932 and transport minister in 1933.
As minister of education he reformed the Greek school system and built many schools for the children of refugees of the
Greco-Turkish War. During the dictatorship of Pangalos, he was again imprisoned.
In 1935, he set up the
Democratic Socialist Party of Greece. The same year, a royalist coup by
General Geórgios Kondylis took place for the re-establishment of monarchy and he was placed in internal exile. A lifelong opponent of the
Greek monarchy
The monarchy of Greece ( el, Μοναρχία της Ελλάδας, Monarchía tis Elládas) or Greek monarchy ( el, Ελληνική Μοναρχία, Ellinikí Monarchía) was the government in which a hereditary monarch was the sovereign of ...
, he was again exiled in 1938 by the Greek royalist dictator
Ioannis Metaxas
Ioannis Metaxas (; el, Ιωάννης Μεταξάς; 12th April 187129th January 1941) was a Greek military officer and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Greece from 1936 until his death in 1941. He governed constitutionally for t ...
.
Following the
Axis occupation of Greece in the
Second World War, he was imprisoned by the
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional It ...
authorities. He later fled to the
Middle East and joined the predominantly Venizelist government-in-exile based in the
Kingdom of Egypt
The Kingdom of Egypt ( ar, المملكة المصرية, Al-Mamlaka Al-Miṣreyya, The Egyptian Kingdom) was the legal form of the Egyptian state during the latter period of the Muhammad Ali dynasty's reign, from the United Kingdom's recog ...
. With British support,
King Geórgios II appointed him as Prime Minister, and under his premiership took place the
Lebanon conference (May 1944) and later the
Caserta Agreement (September 1944), in an attempt to stop the crisis in Greece and the conflicts between
EAM and non-EAM forces (a prelude of the
civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policie ...
) and establish a national unity government.
Liberation of Greece and the ''Dekemvrianá'' events
After the evacuation of Greece by the Axis powers, he entered
Athens (October 1944) as Prime Minister of the
Greek government-in-exile with some units of the
Greek Army
The Hellenic Army ( el, Ελληνικός Στρατός, Ellinikós Stratós, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece. The term ''Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is the ...
and the allied British. During the same month, he became Prime Minister in the , which had succeeded the Greek government-in-exile. He tried to normalise the highly polarised situation between the EAM and non-EAM forces, collaborating mainly with
Lieutenant-General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
Sir Ronald Scobie, who was, after the Caserta agreement, responsible for all the Allied forces.
Although he resigned in 1945, after the ''
Dekemvriana
The ''Dekemvriana'' ( el, Δεκεμβριανά, "December events") refers to a series of clashes fought during World War II in Athens from 3 December 1944 to 11 January 1945. The conflict was the culmination of months of tension between the ...
'' events, he continued to hold high office. From 1946–1952 he served as labour minister, supplies minister, education minister, finance minister and public order minister. In 1950–1952, he was also
deputy prime minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...
.
The 1952–1961 period was a very difficult one for Papandreou. The liberal political forces in the
Kingdom of Greece were gravely weakened by internal disputes and suffered electoral defeat from the conservatives. Papandreou continuously accused
Sofoklis Venizelos
Sofoklis Venizelos (, also transliterated as Sophocles Venizelos) (3 November 1894 – 7 February 1964) was a Greek politician, who three times served as Prime Minister of Greece – in 1944 (in exile), 1950 and 1950–1951.
Life and career
Ve ...
for these maladies, considering his leadership dour and uninspiring.
Founder of the Centre Union and later confrontation with the Palace
In 1961, Papandreou revived Greek liberalism by founding the
Centre Union Party, a confederation of old liberal Venizelists, social democrats and dissatisfied conservatives. After the
elections
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...
of "violence and fraud" of 1961, Papandreou declared a "
Relentless Struggle" against the right-wing
ERE and the "parakrátos" (deep state) of the right.
Finally, his party won the
elections
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...
of November 1963 and those of 1964, the second with a
landslide majority. His progressive policies as premier aroused much opposition in conservative circles, as did the prominent role played by his son
Andreas Papandreou
Andreas Georgiou Papandreou ( el, Ανδρέας Γεωργίου Παπανδρέου, ; 5 February 1919 – 23 June 1996) was a Greek economist, politician and a dominant figure in Greek politics, known for founding the political party PASOK, wh ...
, whose policies were seen as being considerably left of center. Andreas disagreed with his father on many important issues, and developed a network of political organizations, the
Democratic Leagues (''Dimokratikoi Syndesmoi'') to lobby for more progressive policies. He also managed to take control of the Center Union's youth organization,
EDIN.
Papandreou had opposed the
Zürich and London Agreement
, neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon
, twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco
Zür ...
, which led to the foundation of the Republic of
Cyprus. Following clashes between the
Greek and
Turkish communities, his government sent a
Greek army
The Hellenic Army ( el, Ελληνικός Στρατός, Ellinikós Stratós, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece. The term ''Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is the ...
division to the island.
King Constantine II
Constantine II ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Βʹ, ''Konstantínos II''; 2 June 1940) reigned as the last King of Greece, from 6 March 1964 until the abolition of the Greek monarchy on 1 June 1973.
Constantine is the only son of King Paul an ...
openly opposed Papandreou's government, and there were frequent ultra-rightist plots in the Army, which destabilised the government. Finally, the King engineered a split in the Centre Union, and in July 1965, in a crisis known as the ''
Apostasia'' or ''Iouliana,'' he dismissed the government following a dispute over control of the Ministry of Defence.
After the April 1967 military coup by the
Colonels' junta led by
George Papadopoulos, Papandreou was arrested. Papandreou died under house arrest in November 1968. His funeral became the occasion for a massive anti-dictatorship demonstration. He is interred at the
First Cemetery of Athens
The First Cemetery of Athens ( el, Πρώτο Νεκροταφείο Αθηνών, ''Próto Nekrotafeío Athinón'') is the official cemetery of the City of Athens and the first to be built. It opened in 1837 and soon became a prestigious ceme ...
, alongside his son Andreas.
Legacy
Papandreou was regarded as one of the best
orators in the Greek political scene and a persistent fighter for Democracy. During the junta and after his death he was often referred to affectionately as "ο Γέρος της Δημοκρατίας" (''o Géros tis Dimokratías, the old man of Democracy''). Since his grandson
George A. Papandreou entered politics, most Greek writers use Γεώργιος (''Geórgios'') to refer to the grandfather and the less formal Γιώργος (''Giórgos'') to refer to the grandson.
Works
*''The Liberation of Greece'', Athens, 1945
Decorations and awards
In 1965, the
University of Belgrade awarded him an
honorary doctorate.
See also
*
Andreas Papandreou
Andreas Georgiou Papandreou ( el, Ανδρέας Γεωργίου Παπανδρέου, ; 5 February 1919 – 23 June 1996) was a Greek economist, politician and a dominant figure in Greek politics, known for founding the political party PASOK, wh ...
, his son
*
George Papandreou
George Andreas Papandreou ( el, Γεώργιος Ανδρέας Παπανδρέου, , shortened to ''Giorgos'' () to distinguish him from his grandfather; born 16 June 1952) is a Greek politician who served as Prime Minister of Greece from ...
, his grandson
References
Further reading
* Kassimeris, Christos. "Causes of the 1967 Greek coup." ''Democracy and Security'' 2#1 (2006): 61–72.
* Wilsford, David, ed. ''Political leaders of contemporary Western Europe: a biographical dictionary'' (Greenwood, 1995) pp. 346–75.
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Papandreou, George 01
1888 births
1968 deaths
20th-century prime ministers of Greece
People from Achaea
George 01
Liberal Party (Greece) politicians
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