The Liberal Party ( , literally "Party of Liberals") was a major political party in Greece during the early-to-mid 20th century. It was founded in August 1910 by

Eleftherios Venizelos Eleftherios Kyriakou Venizelos ( el, Ελευθέριος Κυριάκου Βενιζέλος, translit=Elefthérios Kyriákou Venizélos, ; – 18 March 1936) was a Greek statesman and a prominent leader of the Greek national liberation movem ...

and went on to dominate Greek politics for a considerable number of years until its decline following the Second World War. Among its most well-known members, apart from Venizelos, were Alexandros Papanastasiou,

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 ...

, Georgios Papandreou and Konstantinos Mitsotakis. Since its founding, the party's emblem had been the anchor, Venizelos had brought with him from Crete.

History

Founded as the ''Xipoliton'' ("barefoot") party in Crete (then an autonomous region of the Ottoman Empire), its early leaders were Kostis Mitsotakis (grandfather of Konstantinos Mitsotakis) and

. After the annexation of Crete by Greece, Venizelos moved to Athens and turned the party into a national one, under the ''Fileleftheron'' (liberal) name in 1910. For the following 25 years, the fate of the party would be tied to that of Venizelos. The party was legally disbanded after the failed coup attempt led by

of 1935, although the organization remained active. Eleftherios Venizelos sketch (Anninos)

During World War II, a Greek government in exile was formed in Cairo, Egypt, with the assistance of the British. The government was formed almost entirely of prominent Liberals, including Georgios Papandreou and

Sophoklis Venizelos Sofoklis Venizelos (, also transliterated as Sophocles Venizelos) (3 November 1894 – 7 February 1964) was a Greeks, Greek politician, who three times served as Prime Minister of Greece – in 1944 (in exile), 1950 and 1950–1951. Life and ca ...

, even as

King George King George may refer to: People Monarchs ;Bohemia *George of Bohemia (1420-1471, r. 1458-1471), king of Bohemia ;Duala people of Cameroon *George (Duala king) (late 18th century), king of the Duala people ;Georgia * George I of Georgia (998 or ...

remained the official head of state. The party was reformed after the war. By the 1950s, the Liberal Party had lost much of its support and it was eventually merged into the

Centre Union The Centre Union ( el, Ἕνωσις Κέντρου ''Énōsis Kéntrou'', abbreviated ΕΚ) was a major centrist political party in Greece, created in 1961 by Georgios Papandreou.Clogg, 1987, pp. 39–40 History The Centre Union was a politica ...

, which went on to win the

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...

and

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

elections. Throughout its existence, the Liberal Party sought to hinder the rise of the

Communist Party of Greece 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 ...

which was the only real opposition to the Liberals on their most important electoral basis (the refugees of the New Lands, i.e., lands acquired by Greece following 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 defe ...

and World War I), sometimes with the use of

anti-communist Anti-communism is Political movement, political and Ideology, 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, w ...

legislation. The Liberal Party merged into Center Union (''Enosi Kentrou'') in 1961, under the leadership of Georgios Papandreou. In 1980, Eleftherios Venizelos' grandson Nikitas founded a new party under the same name that claims to be the continuation of the original party, see

Liberal Party (Greece, modern) The Liberal Party ( el, Κόμμα Φιλελευθέρων) was a Greek liberal political party, founded in 1981, which claimed to be the continuation of the historical Liberal Party, one of Greece's leading parties for most of the early 20th cent ...

Ideology

Representing the centrist elements of Greek society, and supported by the middle class and the populations of the New Lands, its main competitor was the People's Party. Increasingly the Liberal Party became associated with anti-monarchism and during the 1920s the Liberals established a

republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

which they led for most of its short-lived existence. The party carried the ideological legacy of Venizelism.

Electoral results

Prominent members

(Name, highest office as a party member, year) *

, leader, Prime Minister (1910) *

Georgios Kafantaris Georgios Kafantaris (alternative spellings: ''Kafandaris''; 13 October 1873 – 28 August 1946) was a Greek politician, born in Anatoliki Fragkista, Evrytania. Biography On 9 January 1919, Kafantaris joined the Cabinet of Greece under Prime Min ...

, Prime Minister (1924) * Andreas Michalakopoulos, Prime Minister (1924) *

, Prime Minister (1944) * Georgios Papandreou, Prime Minister (1946) * Konstantinos Mitsotakis, MP (1946)

Leaders

, 1910–1936 * Themistoklis Sophoulis, 1936–1948 *

, 1948–1961

References