Eleftherios Kyriakou Venizelos (full name Elefthérios Kyriákou Venizélos, Greek: Ελευθέριος Κυριάκου Βενιζέλος, pronounced [elefˈθerios cirˈʝaku veniˈzelos]; 23 August 1864[1] – 18 March 1936) was an eminent Greek leader of the Greek national liberation movement and a charismatic statesman of the early 20th century remembered for his promotion of liberal-democratic policies.[2][3][4] As leader of the Liberal Party, he was elected several times, in total eight, as Prime Minister of Greece, serving from 1910 to 1920 and from 1928 to 1933. Venizelos had such profound influence on the internal and external affairs of Greece
Greece that he is credited with being "the maker of modern Greece",[5] and is still widely known as the "Ethnarch". His first entry into the international scene was with his significant role in the autonomy of the Cretan State
Cretan State and later in the union of Crete
Crete with Greece. Soon, he was invited to Greece
Greece to resolve the political deadlock and became the country's Prime Minister. Not only did he initiate constitutional and economic reforms that set the basis for the modernization of Greek society, but also reorganized both army and navy in preparation of future conflicts. Before the Balkan Wars
Balkan Wars of 1912–1913, Venizelos' catalytic role helped gain Greece
Greece entrance to the Balkan League, an alliance of the Balkan states against Ottoman Turkey. Through his diplomatic acumen, Greece
Greece doubled its area and population with the liberation of Macedonia, Epirus, and most of the Aegean islands. In World War I
World War I (1914–1918), he brought Greece
Greece on the side of the Allies, further expanding the Greek borders. However, his pro-Allied foreign policy brought him into direct conflict with the monarchy, causing the National Schism. The Schism polarized the population between the royalists and Venizelists and the struggle for power between the two groups affected the political and social life of Greece
Greece for decades.[6] Following the Allied victory, Venizelos secured new territorial gains, especially in Anatolia, coming close to realizing the Megali Idea. Despite his achievements, he was defeated in the 1920 General Election, which contributed to the eventual Greek defeat in the Greco-Turkish War (1919–22). Venizelos, in self-imposed exile, represented Greece
Greece in the negotiations that led to the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne, and the agreement of a mutual exchange of populations between Greece
Greece and Turkey. In his subsequent periods in office Venizelos succeeded in restoring normal relations with Greece's neighbors and expanded his constitutional and economical reforms. In 1935 he resurfaced from retirement to support a military coup. Its failure severely weakened the Second Hellenic Republic, the republic that he had created.

Contents

1 Origins and early years

1.1 Ancestors 1.2 Family and education 1.3 Entry into politics

2 Political career in Crete

2.1 Cretan
Cretan uprising

2.1.1 Background 2.1.2 Events at Akrotiri 2.1.3 War in Thessaly 2.1.4 Conclusion

2.2 Autonomous Cretan
Cretan State 2.3 Revolution of Theriso

3 Political career in Greece

3.1 Goudi
Goudi military revolution of 1909 3.2 Reforms in 1910–1914 3.3 Balkan Wars

3.3.1 Background 3.3.2 Balkan League 3.3.3 First Balkan War
First Balkan War – The first conflict with Prince Constantine 3.3.4 Second Balkan War

3.4 World War I
World War I and Greece

3.4.1 Dispute over Greece's role in World War I 3.4.2 National Schism 3.4.3 "Noemvriana" – Greece
Greece enters World War I 3.4.4 Conclusion of World War I 3.4.5 Treaty of Sèvres
Treaty of Sèvres and assassination attempt

3.5 1920 electoral defeat, self-exile and the Great Disaster 3.6 Return to power (1928–32): Greco-Turkish alliance, assassination attempt and subsequent exile

4 Death 5 Legacy 6 Personal life and family

6.1 Venizelos/Mitsotakis family tree

7 See also 8 Gallery 9 Notes 10 Citations 11 References 12 External links

Origins and early years[edit] Ancestors[edit]

The house of Venizelos in Mournies.

In the 18th century, the ancestors of Venizelos, named Cravvatas, lived in Mystras, in southern Peloponnese. During the Ottoman raids in the peninsula in 1770, a member of the Cravvatas family, Venizelos Cravvatas, the youngest of several brothers, managed to escape to Crete
Crete where he established himself. His sons discarded their patronymic and called themselves Venizelos. The family was of Laconic, Maniot, and Cretan
Cretan origin.[7] Family and education[edit] See also: § Venizelos/Mitsotakis family tree

Portrait of Kyriakos Venizelos, father of Eleftherios.

Eleftherios was born in Mournies, near Chania
Chania (formerly known as Canea) in then-Ottoman Crete
Crete to Kyriakos Venizelos (la), a Cretan merchant and revolutionary, and Styliani Ploumidaki.[8] When the Cretan
Cretan revolution of 1866 broke out, Venizelos' family fled to the island of Syros, due to the participation of his father in the revolution.[7] They were not allowed to return to Crete, and stayed in Syros
Syros until 1872, when Abdülaziz
Abdülaziz granted an amnesty. He spent his final year of secondary education at a school in Ermoupolis
Ermoupolis in Syros
Syros from which he received his Certificate in 1880. In 1881 he enrolled at the University of Athens
University of Athens Law School and got his degree in Law with excellent grades. He returned to Crete
Crete in 1886 and worked as a lawyer in Chania. Throughout his life he maintained a passion for reading and was constantly improving his skills in English, Italian, German, and French.[7] Entry into politics[edit] The situation in Crete
Crete during Venizelos' early years was fluid. The Ottoman empire
Ottoman empire was undermining the reforms, which were made under international pressure, while the Cretans desired to see the Sultan, Abdul Hamid II, abandon "the ungrateful infidels".[9] Under these unstable conditions Venizelos entered into politics in the elections of 2 April 1889 as a member of the island's liberal party.[8] As a deputy he was distinguished for his eloquence and his radical opinions.[10] Political career in Crete[edit] See also: History of Crete Cretan
Cretan uprising[edit] Background[edit] The numerous revolutions in Crete, during and after the Greek War of Independence (1821, 1833, 1841, 1858, 1866, 1878, 1889, 1895, 1897)[11] were the result of the Cretans' desire for Enosis
Enosis — Union with Greece.[12] In the Cretan
Cretan revolution of 1866, the two sides, under the pressure of the Great Powers, came to an agreement, which was finalized in the Pact of Chalepa.[citation needed] Later the Pact was included in the provisions of the Treaty of Berlin, which was supplementing previous concessions granted to the Cretans — e.g. the Organic Law Constitution (1868) designed by William James Stillman. In summary the Pact was granting a large degree of self-government to Greeks
Greeks in Crete
Crete as a means of limiting their desire to rise up against their Ottoman overlords.[13] However the Muslims of Crete, who identified with Ottoman Turkey, were not satisfied with these reforms, as in their view the administration of the island was delivered to the hands of the Christian Greek population. In practice, the Ottoman Empire failed to enforce the provisions of the Pact, thus fueling the existing tensions between the two communities; instead, the Ottoman authorities attempted to maintain order by the dispatching of substantial military reinforcements during 1880–1896. Throughout that period, the Cretan
Cretan Question was a major issue of friction in the relations of independent Greece
Greece with the Ottoman Empire.[citation needed] In January 1897 violence and disorder were escalating on the island, thus polarizing the population. Massacres against the Christian population took place in Chania[14][15][16][17] and Rethimno.[17][18][19] The Greek government, pressured by public opinion, intransigent political elements, extreme nationalist groups such as Ethniki Etaireia,[20] and the reluctance of the Great Powers to intervene, decided to send warships and army personnel to defend the Cretan
Cretan Greeks.[21] The Great Powers
Great Powers had no option then but to proceed with the occupation of the island, but they were late. A Greek force of about 2,000 men had landed at Kolymbari
Kolymbari on 3 February 1897,[22] and its commanding officer, Colonel Timoleon Vassos
Timoleon Vassos declared that he was taking over the island "in the name of the King of the Hellenes" and that he was announcing the union of Crete
Crete with Greece.[23] This led to an uprising that spread immediately throughout the island. The Great Powers
Great Powers decided to blockade Crete
Crete with their fleets and land their troops, thus stopping the Greek army
Greek army from approaching Chania.[24] Events at Akrotiri[edit]

Venizelos at Akrotiri, 1897.

Venizelos, at that time, was in an electoral tour of the island. Once, he "saw Canea
Canea in flames",[25] he hurried to Malaxa, near Chania, where a group of about 2,000 rebels had assembled, and established himself as their header. He proposed an attack, along with other rebels, on the Turkish forces at Akrotiri in order to displace them from the plains (Malaxa is in a higher altitude). Venizelos' subsequent actions at Akrotiri form a central set-piece in his myth. People composed poems on Akrotiri and his role there; editorials and articles spoke about his bravery, his visions and his diplomatic genius as inevitable accompaniment of later greatness.[14] Venizelos spent the night in Akrotiri and a Greek flag was raised. The Ottoman forces requested help from the foreign admirals and attacked the rebels, with the ships of the Great Powers
Great Powers bombarding the rebel positions at Akrotiri. A shell threw down the flag, which was raised up again immediately. The mythologizing became more pronounced when we come to his actions in that February, as the following quotes display:

“ On 20th of February [he] was ordered by the admirals to lower the flag and disband his rebel force. He refused![26] ”

“ Venizelos turned towards to the port of Souda, where the warships were anchored and explained: "You have cannon-balls – fire away! But our flag will not come down"... [after the flag was hit] Venizelos ran forward; his friends stopped him; why expose a valuable life so uselessly?[27] ”

“ There was that famous day in February 1897 when... he rejected the orders of the Protecting Powers and in the picturesque phrase in the Greek newspapers "defied the navies of Europe"[28] ”

“ Under the smooth diplomat of today is the revolutionist who prodded the Turks out of Crete
Crete and the bold chieftain who camped with a little band of rebels on a hilltop above Canea
Canea and there he defied the consuls and the fleets of all the [Great] Powers![29] ”

In the same evening of the bombardment, Venizelos wrote a protest to the foreign admirals, which was signed by all the chieftains present at Akrotiri. He wrote that the rebels would keep their positions until everyone is killed from the shells of European warships, in order not to let the Turks remain in Crete.[30] The letter was deliberately leaked to international newspapers, evoking emotional reactions in Greece
Greece and in Europe, where the idea of Christians, who wanted their freedom, being bombarded by Christian vessels, caused popular indignation. Throughout western Europe much popular sympathy for the cause of the Christians in Crete
Crete was manifested, and much popular applause was bestowed on the Greeks.[24] War in Thessaly[edit] Further information: Greco-Turkish War (1897)

Ethnic composition of the Balkans
Balkans according to the Atlas Général Vidal-Lablache, Librairie Armand Colin, Paris, 1898.

Ethnic composition map of the Balkans
Balkans by the Greek diplomat Ioannis Gennadius,[31] published by the English cartographer E. Stanford in 1877.

The Great Powers
Great Powers sent a verbal note on 2 March to the governments of Greece
Greece and the Ottoman Empire, presenting a possible solution to the " Cretan
Cretan Question", under which Crete
Crete to become an autonomous state under the suzerainty of the Sultan.[9] The Porte replied on 5 March, accepting the proposals in principle, but on 8 March the Greek government rejected the proposal as a non-satisfactory solution and instead insisted on the union of Crete
Crete with Greece
Greece as the only solution.[citation needed] Venizelos, as a representative of the Cretan
Cretan rebels, met the admirals of the Great Powers
Great Powers on a Russian warship on 7 March 1897. Even though no progress was made at the meeting, he persuaded the admirals to send him on a tour of the island, under their protection, in order to explore the people's opinions on the question of autonomy versus union.[32] At the time, the majority of the Cretan
Cretan population initially supported the union, but the subsequent events in Thessaly turned the public opinion towards autonomy as an intermediate step.[citation needed] In reaction to the rebellion of Crete
Crete and the assistance sent by Greece, the Ottomans had relocated a significant part of their army in the Balkans
Balkans to the north of Thessaly, close to the borders with Greece.[33] Greece
Greece in reply reinforced its borders in Thessaly. However, irregular Greek forces, who were members of the Ethniki Etairia (followers of the Megali Idea) acted without orders and raided Turkish outposts,[34] leading the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire to declare war on Greece
Greece on 17 April. The war was a disaster for Greece. The Turkish army was better prepared, in large part due to the recent reforms carried out by a German mission under Baron von der Goltz, and the Greek army
Greek army was in retreat within weeks. The Great Powers
Great Powers again intervened and an armistice was signed in May 1897.[35] Conclusion[edit] The defeat of Greece
Greece in the Greco-Turkish war, costing small territorial losses at the border line in northern Thessaly
Thessaly and an indemnity of £4,000,000,[35] turned into a diplomatic victory. The Great Powers
Great Powers (Britain, France, Russia, and Italy), following the massacre in Heraklion
Heraklion on 25 August,[17][36][37] imposed a final solution on the " Cretan
Cretan Question"; Crete
Crete was proclaimed an autonomous state under Ottoman suzerainty.[citation needed] Venizelos played an important role towards this solution, not only as the leader of the Cretan
Cretan rebels but also as a skilled diplomat with his frequent communication with the admirals of the Great Powers.[37] The four Great Powers
Great Powers assumed the administration of Crete; and Prince George of Greece, the second son of King George I of Greece, became High Commissioner, with Venizelos serving as his minister of Justice from 1899 to 1901.[38] Autonomous Cretan
Cretan State[edit] See also: Cretan
Cretan State

The council of Crete
Crete in which Venizelos participated. He is the second from the left.

Prince George was appointed High Commissioner of the Cretan State
Cretan State for a three-year term.[38] On 13 December 1898, he arrived at Chania, where he received an unprecedented reception. On 27 April 1899, the High Commissioner created an Executive Committee composed of the Cretan
Cretan leaders. Venizelos became minister of Justice and with the rest of the Committee, they began to organize the State. After Venizelos submitted the complete juridical legislation on 18 May 1900, disagreements between him and Prince George began to emerge.[citation needed] Prince George decided to travel to Europe and announced to the Cretan population that "When I am traveling in Europe I shall ask the Powers for annexation, and I hope to succeed on account of my family connections".[39] The statement reached the public without the knowledge or approval of the Committee. Venizelos said to the Prince that it would not be proper to give hope to the population for something that wasn't feasible at the given moment. As Venizelos had expected, during the Prince's journey, the Great Powers
Great Powers rejected his request.[38][39] The disagreements continued on other topics; the Prince wanted to build a palace, but Venizelos strongly opposed it as that would mean perpetuation of the current arrangement of Governorship; Cretans accepted it only as temporary, until a final solution was found.[38] Relations between the two men became increasingly soured, and Venizelos repeatedly submitted his resignation.[40] In a meeting of the Executive Committee, Venizelos expressed his opinion that the island was not in essence autonomous, since militarily forces of the Great Powers
Great Powers were still present, and that the Great Powers
Great Powers were governing through their representative, the Prince. Venizelos suggested that once the Prince's service expired, then the Great Powers
Great Powers should be invited to the Committee, which, according to article 39 of the constitution (which was suppressed in the conference of Rome) would elect a new sovereign, thereby removing the need for the presence of the Great Powers. Once the Great Powers' troops left the island along with their representatives, then the union with Greece
Greece would be easier to achieve. This proposal was exploited by Venizelos' opponents, who accused him that he wanted Crete
Crete as an autonomous hegemony. Venizelos replied to the accusations by submitting once again his resignation, with the reasoning that for him it would be impossible henceforth to collaborate with the Committee's members; he assured the Commissioner however that he did not intend to join the opposition.[38] On 6 March 1901, in a report, he exposed the reasons that compelled him to resign to the High Commissioner, which was however leaked to the press. On 20 March, Venizelos was dismissed, because "he, without any authorization, publicly supported opinions opposite of those of the Commissioner".[38][41] Henceforth, Venizelos assumed the leadership of the opposition to the Prince. For the next three years, he carried out a hard political conflict, until the administration was virtually paralyzed and tensions dominated the island. Inevitably, these events led in March 1905 to the Theriso
Theriso Revolution, whose leader he was.[citation needed] Revolution of Theriso[edit] Further information: Theriso
Theriso revolt

Venizelos at the beginning of the 20th century.

On 10 March 1905, the rebels gathered in Theriso
Theriso and declared "the political union of Crete
Crete with Greece
Greece as a single free constitutional state";[42] the resolution was given to the Great Powers, where it was argued that the illegitimate provisional arrangement was preventing the island's economic growth and that the only logical solution to the " Cretan
Cretan Question" was the unification with Greece. The High Commissioner, with the approval of the Great Powers, replied to the rebels that military force would be used against them.[38] However, more deputies joined with Venizelos in Theriso. The Great Powers' consuls met with Venizelos in Mournies
Mournies in an attempt to achieve an agreement, but without any results.[citation needed]

A speech by Venizelos on 25 March 1905.

The committee for the drafting of a new constitution for Crete
Crete in 1906–07.

The revolutionary government asked that Crete
Crete be granted a regime similar to that of Eastern Rumelia. On 18 July, the Great Powers declared martial law, but that did not discourage the rebels. On 15 August, the regular assembly in Chania
Chania voted in favor of most of the reforms that Venizelos proposed. The Great Powers' consuls met Venizelos again and accepted the reforms he had proposed. This led to the end of the Theriso
Theriso revolt and to the resignation of Prince George as the High Commissioner.[citation needed] The Great Powers
Great Powers assigned the authority for selecting the island's new High Commissioner to King George I of Greece, thereby de facto nullifying the Ottoman suzerainty. An ex-Prime Minister of Greece, Alexandros Zaimis, was chosen for the place of High Commissioner, and Greek officers and non-commissioned officers were allowed to undertake the organization of the Cretan
Cretan Gendarmerie. As soon as the Gendarmerie was organized, the foreign troops began to withdraw from the island. This was also a personal victory for Venizelos, who as a result achieved fame not only in Greece
Greece but also in Europe.[38] Following the Young Turk
Young Turk Revolution, Bulgaria
Bulgaria declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire on 5 October 1908, and one day later Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria
Emperor of Austria announced the annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Encouraged by these events, on the same day, the Cretans in turn rose up. Thousands of citizens in Chania
Chania and the surrounding regions on that day formed a rally, in which Venizelos declared the union of Crete
Crete with Greece. Having communicated with the government of Athens, Zaimis left for Athens
Athens before the rally.[citation needed] An assembly was convened and declared the independence of Crete. The civil servants were sworn in the name of King George I of Greece, while a five-member Executive Committee was established, with the authority to control the island on behalf of the King and according to the laws of the Greek state. Chairman of the committee was Antonios Michelidakis and Venizelos became Minister of Justice and Foreign Affairs. In April 1910 a new assembly was convened and Venizelos was elected chairman and then Prime Minister. All foreign troops departed from Crete
Crete and power was transferred entirely to Venizelos' government.[43][clarification needed] Political career in Greece[edit] Goudi
Goudi military revolution of 1909[edit] Further information: Goudi
Goudi coup

"After I finished my studies in Athens
Athens I returned home and hung out my bandolier. I had not tried many cases in the court of my home island before it became necessary for me to take up arms against the Turkish government. Although my father was born in Greece, I was considered an Ottoman subject -therefore a rebel- because my mother was born under the Turkish flag. At the end of the revolution, I returned again to my hometown and resumed my practice. I did not have time, however, to go far with it, for I had to take up arms again and go to the mountains. I soon reached the point where I had to decide whether I ought to be a lawyer by profession and a revolutionary at intervals or a revolutionary by profession and a lawyer at intervals... I naturally became a revolutionary by profession."

Venizelos speaking at a banquet given in his honour by the foreign press at the Peace Conference in 1919.[44][45]

In May 1909, a number of officers in the Greek army
Greek army emulating the Young Turk
Young Turk Committee of Union and Progress, sought to reform their country's national government and reorganize the army, thus creating the Military League. The League, in August 1909, camped in the Athenian suburb of Goudi
Goudi with their supporters forcing the government of Dimitrios Rallis
Dimitrios Rallis to resign and a new one was formed with Kiriakoulis Mavromichalis. An inaugurating period of direct military pressure upon the Chamber followed, but initial public support to the League quickly evaporated when it became apparent that the officers did not know how to implement their demands.[46] The political dead-end remained until the League invited Venizelos from Crete
Crete to undertake the leadership.[47]

Popular lithograph celebrating the coup's success. Greece
Greece steps triumphantly over the dead monster of the old-party system, cheered by the army and the people.

Venizelos went to Athens
Athens and after consulting with the Military League and with representatives of the political world, he proposed a new government and Parliament's reformation. His proposals were considered by the King and the Greek politicians dangerous for the political establishment. However, King George I, fearing an escalation of the crisis, convened a council with political leaders, and recommended them to accept Venizelos' proposals. After many postponements the King agreed to assign Stephanos Dragoumis
Stephanos Dragoumis (Venizelos' indication) to form a new government that would lead the country to elections once the League was disbanded.[48] In the elections of 8 August 1910, almost half the seats in the parliament were won by Independents, who were newcomers to the Greek political scene. Venizelos, despite doubts as to the validity of his Greek citizenship and without having campaigned in person, finished at the top at the electoral list in Attica. He was immediately recognized as the leader of the independents and thus he founded the political party, Komma Fileleftheron (Liberal Party). Soon after his election he decided to call for new elections in hope of winning an absolute majority. The old parties boycotted the new election in protest[46] and on 11 December 1910, Venizelos' party won 307 seats out of 362, with most of the elected citizens being new in the political scene. Venizelos formed a government and started to reorganize the economic, political, and national affairs of the country.[citation needed] Reforms in 1910–1914[edit] Venizelos tried to advance his reform program in the realms of political and social ideologies, of education, and literature, by adopting practically viable compromises between often conflicting tendencies. In education, for example, the dynamic current in favor of the use of the popular spoken language, dimotiki, provoked conservative reactions, which led to the constitutionally embedded decision (Article 107) in favor of a formal "purified" language, katharevousa, which looked back to classical precedents.[49] On 20 May 1911, a revision of the Constitution was completed, which focused on strengthening individual freedoms, introducing measures to facilitate the legislative work of the Parliament, establishing of obligatory elementary education, the legal right for compulsory expropriation, ensuring permanent appointment for civil servants, the right to invite foreign personnel to undertake the reorganization of the administration and the armed forces, the re-establishment of the State Council and the simplification of the procedures for the reform of the Constitution. The aim of the reform program was to consolidate public security and rule of law as well as to develop and increase the wealth-producing potential of the country. In this context, the long planned "eighth" Ministry, the Ministry of National Economy, assumed a leading role. This Ministry, from the time of its creation at the beginning of 1911, was headed by Emmanuel Benakis, a wealthy Greek merchant from Egypt
Egypt and friend of Venizelos.[49] Between 1911 and 1912 a number of laws aiming to initiate labor legislation in Greece
Greece were promulgated. Specific measures were enacted that prohibited child labor and night-shift work for women, that regulated the hours of the working week and the Sunday holiday, and allowed for labor organizations.[50] Venizelos also took measures for the improvement of management, justice and security and for the settlement of the landless peasants of Thessaly.[49] Balkan Wars[edit] Further information: Balkan Wars Background[edit]

The boundaries of the Balkan states before the Balkan Wars.

At the time there were diplomatic contacts with the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire to initiate reforms in Macedonia and in Thrace, which at the time were under the control of the Ottoman Empire, for improving the living conditions of the Christian populations. Failure of such reforms would leave as a single option to remove Turkey from the Balkans, an idea that most Balkan countries shared. This scenario appeared realistic to Venizelos, because Turkey was under a constitutional transition and its administrative mechanism was disorganized and weakened.[51] There was also no fleet capable of transporting forces from Asia Minor
Asia Minor to Europe, while in contrast the Greek fleet was dominating the Aegean Sea. Venizelos did not want to initiate any immediate major movements in the Balkans, until the Greek army
Greek army and navy were reorganized (an effort that had begun from the last government of Georgios Theotokis) and the Greek economy was revitalized.[52] In light of this, Venizelos proposed to Turkey to recognize the Cretans the right to send deputies to the Greek Parliament, as a solution for closing the Cretan Question. However, the Young Turks
Young Turks (feeling confident after the Greco-Turkish war in 1897) threatened that they would make a military walk to Athens, if the Greeks
Greeks insisted on such claims.[citation needed] Balkan League[edit] Further information: Balkan League

With the Serbian Prime Minister Nikola Pasic
Nikola Pasic in 1913

Venizelos, seeing no improvements after his approach with the Turks on the Cretan
Cretan Question and at the same time not wanting to see Greece remain inactive as in the Russo-Turkish War in 1877 (where Greece's neutrality left the country out of the peace talks), he decided that the only way to settle the disputes with Turkey, was to join the other Balkan countries, Serbia, Bulgaria
Bulgaria and Montenegro, in an alliance known as the Balkan League. Crown Prince Constantine was sent to represent Greece
Greece to a royal feast in Sofia, and in 1911 Bulgarian students were invited to Athens.[53] These events had a positive impact and on 30 May 1912 Greece
Greece and the Kingdom of Bulgaria
Bulgaria signed a treaty that ensured mutual support in case of a Turkish attack on either country. Negotiations with Serbia, which Venizelos had initiated to achieve a similar agreement, were concluded in early 1913,[54] before that there were only oral agreements.[55] Montenegro
Montenegro opened hostilities by declaring war on Turkey on 8 October 1912. On 17 October 1912, Greece
Greece along with her Balkan allies declared war on Turkey, thus joining the First Balkan War.[54] On 1 October, in a regular session of the Parliament Venizelos announced the declaration of war to Turkey and accepting the Cretan
Cretan deputies, thus closing the Cretan
Cretan Question, with the declaration of the union of Crete
Crete with Greece. The Greek population received these developments very enthusiastically.[citation needed] First Balkan War
First Balkan War – The first conflict with Prince Constantine[edit] Further information: First Balkan War

Venizelos with Constantine

The outbreak of the First Balkan war caused Venizelos a great deal of trouble in his relations with Crown Prince Constantine. Part of the problems can be attributed to the complexity of the official relations between the two men. Although Constantine was a Prince and the future King, he also held the title of army commander, thus remaining under the direct order of the Ministry of Military Affairs, and subsequently under Venizelos. But his father, King George, in accordance to the constitutional conditions of the time had been the undisputed leader of the country. Thus in practical terms Venizelos' authority over his commander of the army was diminished due to the obvious relation between the Crown Prince and the King.[citation needed] In these conditions the army started a victorious march to Macedonia under the commands of Constantine. Soon the first disagreement between Venizelos and Constantine emerged, and it concerned the aims of the army's operations. The Crown Prince insisted on the clear military aims of the war: to defeat the opposed Ottoman army as a necessary condition for any occupation, wherever the opponent army was or was going; and the main part of the Ottoman army soon started retreating to the north towards Monastir. Venizelos was more realistic and insisted on the political aims of the war: to liberate as many geographical areas and cities as fast as possible, particularly Macedonia and Thessaloniki; thus heading east. The debate became evident after the victory of the Greek army
Greek army at Sarantaporo, when the future direction of the armys' march was to be decided. Venizelos intervened and insisted that Thessaloniki, as a major city and strategic port in the surrounding area, should be taken at all costs and thus a turn to the east was necessary.[citation needed] In accordance to his views, Venizelos sent the following telegraph to the General Staff:

“ Salonique à tout prix![56] ”

Territorial changes as a result of the First Balkan war, as of April 1913.

and tried to keep frequent communication with the key figure, the King, in order to prevent the Prince from marching north.[56] Subsequently, although the Greek army
Greek army won the Giannitsa battle situated 40 km west of Salonika, the Constantine's hesitation in capturing the city after a week had passed, led into an open confrontation with Venizelos. Venizelos, having accurate information from the Greek embassy in Sofia
Sofia about the movement of the Bulgarian army towards the city, sent a telegram to Constantine in a strict tone, holding him responsible for the possible loss of Thessaloniki. The tone in Venizelos' telegram and that in the answer from Constantine that followed to announce the final agreement with the Turks, is widely considered as the start of the conflict between the two men that would lead Greece
Greece into the National Schism
National Schism during World War I. Finally on 26 October 1912, the Greek army
Greek army entered Thessaloniki, shortly ahead of the Bulgarians.[57] But soon a new reason of friction emerged due to Venizelos' concern about Constantine's acceptance of the Bulgarian request to enter the city. A small Bulgarian unit, which soon became a full division moved into the city and immediately started an attempt to establish a condominium in spite of initial assurances to the contrary, showing no intentions to leave. After Venizelos' protest Constantine asked him to take the responsibility (as a prime minister) by ordering him to force them out, but that was hardly an option since that would certainly lead to confrontation with the Bulgarians. To Venizelos' view, since Constantine allowed the Bulgarians
Bulgarians to enter the city, he now passed the responsibility of a possible conflict with them to him, in an attempt to deny his initial fault. To Constantine, it was an attempt by Venizelos to get involved in clearly military issues. Most historians agree that Constantine failed to see the political dimensions of his decisions. As a consequence both incidents increased mutual misunderstanding, shortly before Constantine's accession to the throne.[citation needed] Once the campaign in Macedonia was completed, a large part of the Greek army
Greek army under the Crown Prince was redeployed to Epirus, and in the Battle of Bizani
Battle of Bizani the Ottoman positions were overcome and Ioannina taken on 22 February 1913. Meanwhile, the Greek navy rapidly occupied the Aegean islands
Aegean islands still under Ottoman rule. After two victories, the Greek fleet established naval supremacy over the Aegean preventing the Turks from bringing reinforcements to the Balkans.[58][59] On 20 November, Serbia, Montenegro
Montenegro and Bulgaria
Bulgaria signed a truce treaty with Turkey. It followed a conference in London, in which Greece
Greece took part, although the Greek army
Greek army still continued its operations in the Epirus
Epirus front. The conference led to the Treaty of London between the Balkan countries and Turkey. Τhese two conferences gave the first indications of Venizelos' diplomatic efficiency and realism. During the negotiations and facing the dangers of Bulgarian maximalism, Venizelos succeeded in establishing close relations with the Serbs. A Serbian-Greek military protocol was signed on the 1 June 1913 ensuring mutual protection in case of a Bulgarian attack.[citation needed] Second Balkan War[edit] Further information: Second Balkan War

Demonstration in Greece
Greece during the Balkan Wars
Balkan Wars with the words "Long Live Venizelos".

Venizelos with other participants in Bucharest
Bucharest peace treaty negotiations

Despite all this, the Bulgarians
Bulgarians still wanted to become a hegemonic power in the Balkans
Balkans and made excessive claims to this end, while Serbia
Serbia asked for more territory than what was initially agreed with the Bulgarians. Serbia
Serbia was asking for a revision of the original treaty, since it had already lost north Albania
Albania due to the Great Powers' decision to establish the state of Albania, in an area that had been recognized as a Serbian territory of expansion under the prewar Serbo-Bulgarian treaty. Bulgarians
Bulgarians also laid claims on Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki and most of Macedonia. In the conference of London, Venizelos rebuffed these claims, citing the fact that it had been occupied by the Greek army,[60] and that Bulgaria
Bulgaria had denied any definite settlement of territorial claims during the pre-war discussions, as it had done with Serbia.[citation needed] The rupture between the allies, due to the Bulgarian claims, was inevitable, and Bulgaria
Bulgaria found herself standing against Greece
Greece and Serbia. On 19 May 1913, a pact of alliance was signed in Thessaloniki between Greece
Greece and Serbia. On 19 June, the Second Balkan War
Second Balkan War began with a surprise Bulgarian assault against Serbian and Greek positions.[61] Constantine, now King after his father's assassination in March, neutralized the Bulgarian forces in Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki and pushed the Bulgarian army further back with a series of hard-fought victories. Bulgaria
Bulgaria was overwhelmed by the Greek and Serbian armies, while in the north the Romanian army
Romanian army was marching towards Sofia; the Bulgarians
Bulgarians asked for truce. Venizelos went to Hadji-Beylik, where the Greek headquarters were, to confer with Constantine on the Greek territorial claims in the peace conference. Then he went to Bucharest, where a peace conference was assembled. On 28 June 1913 a peace treaty was signed with Greece, Montenegro, Serbia
Serbia and Romania on one side and Bulgaria
Bulgaria on the other. Thus, after two successful wars, Greece
Greece had doubled its territory by gaining most of Macedonia, Epirus, Crete
Crete and the rest of the Aegean Islands,[62] although the status of the latter remained as yet undetermined and a cause of tension with the Ottomans.[citation needed] World War I
World War I and Greece[edit] See also: World War I, Balkans
Balkans Campaign (World War I), Gallipoli Campaign, and Macedonian front (World War I) Dispute over Greece's role in World War I[edit]

Bust of Eleftherios Venizelos
Eleftherios Venizelos in Belgrade, Serbia.

With the outbreak of World War I
World War I and the Austro-Hungarian invasion in Serbia, a major issue started regarding the participation or not of Greece
Greece and Bulgaria
Bulgaria in the war. Greece
Greece had an active treaty with Serbia
Serbia which was the treaty activated in the 1913 Bulgarian attack that caused the Second Balkan War. That treaty was envisaged in a purely Balkan context, and was thus invalid against Austria-Hungary, something on which both Venizelos and Constantine agreed.[citation needed] The situation changed when the Allies, in an attempt to help Serbia, offered Bulgaria
Bulgaria the Monastir– Ochrid
Ochrid area of Serbia
Serbia and the Greek Eastern Macedonia (the Serres–Kavalla–Drama areas) if she joined the Entente. Venizelos, having received assurances over Asia Minor
Asia Minor if the Greeks
Greeks participated in the alliance, agreed to cede the area to Bulgaria.[63] But Constantine's anti-Bulgarism made such a transaction impossible. Constantine refused to go to war under such conditions and the men parted. As a consequence Bulgaria
Bulgaria joined the Central Powers
Central Powers and invaded Serbia, an event leading to Serbia's final collapse. Greece remained neutral. Venizelos supported an alliance with the Entente, not only believing that Britain and France would win, but also that it was the only choice for Greece, because the combination of the strong Anglo-French naval control over the Mediterranean and the geographical distribution of the Greek population, could have ill effects in the case of a naval blockade, as he characteristically remarked:

“ One cannot kick against geography![64] ”

On the other hand, Constantine favored the Central Powers
Central Powers and wanted Greece
Greece to remain neutral.[65] He was influenced both by his belief in the military superiority of Germany and also by his German wife, Queen Sophia, and his pro-German court. He therefore strove to secure a neutrality, which would be favorable to Germany and Austria.[66] In 1915, Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill (then First Lord of the Admiralty) suggested to Greece
Greece to take action in Dardanelles
Dardanelles on behalf of the allies.[67] Venizelos saw this as an opportunity to bring the country on the side of the Entente in the conflict. However the King disagreed and Venizelos submitted his resignation on 21 February 1915.[66] Venizelos' party won the elections and formed a new government.[citation needed] National Schism[edit] Main articles: National Defence coup d'état, National Schism, and Provisional Government of National Defence See also: Venizelism

The "Triumvirate of National Defence" in Thessaloniki. L-R: Admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis, Venizelos, and General Panagiotis Danglis.

Even though Venizelos promised to remain neutral, after the elections of 1915, he said that Bulgaria's attack on Serbia, with which Greece had a treaty of alliance, obliged him to abandon that policy. The dispute between Venizelos and the King reached its height shortly after that and the King invoked a Greek constitutional provision that gave the monarch the right to dismiss a government unilaterally. Meanwhile, using the excuse of saving Serbia, in October 1915, the Entente disembarked an army in Thessaloniki.[68] The dispute continued between the two men, and in December 1915 Constantine forced Venizelos to resign for a second time and dissolved the Liberal-dominated parliament, calling for new elections. Venizelos left Athens
Athens and moved back to Crete. Venizelos did not take part in the elections, as he considered the dissolution of Parliament unconstitutional.[69][70]

The 1st Battalion of the National Defence army marches before the White Tower on its way to the front.

On 26 May 1916 the Fort Rupel (a significant military fort in Macedonia) was unconditionally surrendered by the royalist government to Germano-Bulgarian forces.[71] This produced a deplorable impression. The Allies feared a possible secret alliance between the royalist government and Central Powers
Central Powers placing in grave danger of their armies in Macedonia. On the other hand, the surrender of Fort Rupel for Venizelos and his supporters meant the beginning of the destruction of Greek Macedonia. Despite German assurances that the integrity of the Kingdom of Greece
Greece would be respected they were unable to restrain the Bulgarian forces, which had started dislocating the Greek population, and by 4 September Kavala
Kavala was occupied.[72] On 16 August 1916, during a rally in Athens, and with the support of the allied army that had landed in Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki under the command of General Maurice Sarrail, Venizelos announced publicly his total disagreement with the Crown's policies. The effect of this was to further polarize the population between the royalists (also known as anti-Venezelists), who supported the crown, and Venizelists, who supported Venizelos. On 30 August 1916, Venizelist
Venizelist army officers organized a military coup in Thessaloniki, and proclaimed the "Provisional Government of National Defence". Venizelos along with Admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis
Pavlos Kountouriotis and General Panagiotis Danglis
Panagiotis Danglis agreed to form a provisional government and on 9 October they moved to Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki and assumed command of the National Defence to oversee the Greek participation in the allied war effort. The triumvirate, as the three men became known, had formed this government in direct conflict with the Athens
Athens political establishment.[73] There they founded a separate "provisional state" including Northern Greece, Crete
Crete and the Aegean Islands, with the support of the Entente.[74] Primarily, these areas comprised the "New Lands" won during the Balkan Wars, in which Venizelos enjoyed a broad support, while "Old Greece" was mostly pro-royalist. The National Defence government started assembling an army for the Macedonian front and soon participated in operations against the Central Powers
Central Powers forces.[citation needed] "Noemvriana" – Greece
Greece enters World War I[edit] Further information: Noemvriana

French troops in Athens, with the Acropolis in the background, after the Noemvriana.

In the following months after the creation of provisional government in Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki in late August, negotiations between the Allies and king intensified. The Allies wanted further demobilisation of the Greek army
Greek army as a counterbalance of the unconditional surrender of Fort Rupel by the royalist government and military evacuation of Thessaly to insure the safety of their troops in Macedonia. On the other hand, the king wanted assurances that the Allies would not officially recognise Venizelos' provisional government or further support it, guarantees that Greece's integrity and neutrality would be respected, and a promise that any war material surrendered to the Allies would be returned after the war.[75] The Franco-British use of Greece's territory in co-operation with the Venizelos government i[›] throughout 1916 was opposed in royalist circles and therefore increased the Constantine's popularity, and caused much excitement and several anti-Allied demonstrations took place in Athens.[73] Moreover, a growing movement had been developed in the army among lower officers, led by military officers Ioannis Metaxas and Sofoklis Dousmanis, determined to oppose disarmament and the surrender of any war materials to the Allies.[76]

Venizelos reviews a section of the Greek army
Greek army on the Macedonian front during the First World War, 1918. He is accompanied by Admiral Pavlos Koundouriotis (left) and General Maurice Sarrail
Maurice Sarrail (right).

The Allies' pressure on the government of Athens
Athens continued. On the next day, 24 November, du Fournet presented a new ultimatum ending on 1 December to the government of Athens
Athens demanding the immediate surrender of at least ten mountain batteries.[77] The admiral made a last effort to persuade the king to accept France's demands. He advised the king that according to his orders he would land an Allied contingent, with aim to occupy certain positions in Athens
Athens until his demands were satisfied.[77] In reply, the King claimed that he was pressed by the army and the people not to submit to disarmament, and refused to make any commitment. However, he promised that the Greek forces would receive orders not to fire against the Allied contingent.[78] Despite the gravity of the situation both the royalist government and the Allies let the events take their own course. The royalist government decided to reject the admiral's demands on 29 November and armed resistance was organised. By 30 November military units and royalist militia (the epistratoi, "reservists") from surrounding areas have been recalled and gathered in and around Athens (in total over 20,000 men[79][80][81]) and occupied strategic positions, with orders not to fire unless fired upon.[78] On the other hand, the Allied authorities failed in their assessment of the prevailing temper. A diplomat characteristically insisted that the Greeks
Greeks were bluffing, and in the face of force they would "bring the cannons on a plater"; a viewpoint that Du Fournet also shared.[78]

Greek lithograph depicting Venizelos along with the principal Allied leaders of World War I, David Lloyd George, Georges Clemenceau, Ferdinand Foch and Woodrow Wilson.

The Allies landed a small contingent in Athens
Athens on 1 December [O.S. 18 November] 1916. However, it met organized resistance and an armed confrontation took place for a day till a compromise was reached. After the evacuation of the Allied contingent from Athens
Athens the following day, a royalist mob raged though the city for three days targeting supporters of Venizelos. The incident became known as the Noemvriana
Noemvriana in Greece, which was using the Old Style calendar at the time, and drove a deep wedge between the Venizelists and their political opponents, deepening what would become known as the National Schism.[citation needed] After the armed confrontation in Athens, on 2 December [O.S. 19 November] 1916, Britain and France officially recognised the government under Venizelos as the lawful government, effectively splitting Greece
Greece into two separate entities.[82] On 7 December [O.S. 24 November] 1916, Venizelos' provisional government officially declared war on the Central Powers.[83][84] In reply, a royal warrant for the arrest of Venizelos was issued and the Archbishop of Athens, under pressure by the royal house,[85] anathematised him.[86] The Allies unwilling to risk a new fiasco, but determined to solve the problem, established a naval blockade around southern Greece, which was still loyal to the king, and that caused extreme hardship to people in those areas.[87] In June France and Great Britain decided to invoke their obligation as "protecting powers", who had promised to guarantee a constitutional form for Greece
Greece at the time the Kingdom was created, to demand the king's resignation.[88] Constantine accepted and on the 15 June 1917 went to exile, leaving his son Alexander on the throne as demanded (whom the Allies considered as pro-Entente), instead of his elder son and crown prince, George.[89][90] His departure was followed by the deportation of many prominent royalists, especially army officers such as Ioannis Metaxas, to exile in France and Italy. The course of events paved the way for Venizelos to return in Athens on 29 May 1917 and Greece, now unified, officially entered the war on the side of the Allies. Subsequently, the entire Greek army
Greek army was mobilized (though tensions remained inside the army between supporters of the monarchy and supporters of Venizelos) and began to participate in military operations against the Central Powers
Central Powers army on the Macedonian front.[citation needed] Conclusion of World War I[edit] See also: Battle of Skra-di-Legen, Armistice of Thessalonica, Armistice of Mudros, and Occupation of Constantinople

Painting depicting Greek military units in the World War I
World War I Victory Parade in Arc de Triomphe, Paris. July 1919.

By the fall of 1918, the Greek army
Greek army numbering 300,000 soldiers, was the largest single national component of the Allied army in the Macedonian front.[91] The presence of the entire Greek army
Greek army gave the critical mass that altered the balance between the opponents in the Macedonian front. Under the command of French General Franchet d'Espèrey, a combined Greek, Serbian, French and British force launched a major offensive against the Bulgarian and German army, starting on 14 September 1918. After the first heavy fighting (see Battle of Skra) the Bulgarians
Bulgarians gave up their defensive positions and began retreating back towards their country. On 24 September the Bulgarian government asked for an armistice, which was signed five days later.[92] The Allied army then pushed north and defeated the remaining German and Austrian forces that tried to halt the Allied offensive. By October 1918 the Allied armies had recaptured all of Serbia
Serbia and were preparing to invade Hungary. The offensive was halted because the Hungarian leadership offered to surrender in November 1918 marking the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian empire. The breaking of the Macedonian front was one of the important breakthroughs of the military stalemate and helped to bring an end to the War. Greece
Greece was granted a seat at the Paris Peace Conference under Venizelos.[93] Treaty of Sèvres
Treaty of Sèvres and assassination attempt[edit] See also: Paris Peace Conference (1919), Greek landing at Smyrna, and Treaty of Sèvres

Photo of the members of the commission of the League of Nations created by the Plenary Session of the Preliminary Peace Conference, Paris, France 1919. Venizelos is on the right.

Following the conclusion of World War I, Venizelos took part in the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 as Greece's chief representative. During his absence from Greece
Greece for almost two years, he acquired a reputation as an international statesman of considerable stature.[3][4] President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson was said to have placed Venizelos first in point of personal ability among all delegates gathered in Paris to settle the terms of Peace.[94]

Map of Greater Greece
Greece after the Treaty of Sèvres, when the Megali Idea seemed close to fulfillment, featuring Eleftherios Venizelos.

In July 1919, Venizelos reached an agreement with the Italians on the cession of the Dodecanese, and secured an extension of the Greek area in the periphery of Smyrna. The Treaty of Neuilly
Treaty of Neuilly with Bulgaria
Bulgaria on 27 November 1919, and the Treaty of Sèvres
Treaty of Sèvres with the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire on 10 August 1920, were triumphs both for Venizelos and for Greece.[3][95][96] As the result of these treaties, Greece
Greece acquired Western Thrace, Eastern Thrace, Smyrna, the Aegean islands
Aegean islands Imvros, Tenedos
Tenedos and the Dodecanese
Dodecanese except Rhodes.[95]ii[›]

The assassination attempt by Greek royalists at the Gare de Lyon.

In spite of all this, fanaticism continued to create a deep rift between the opposing political parties and to impel them towards unacceptable actions. On his journey home on 12 August 1920, Venizelos survived an assassination attack by two royalist soldiers at the Gare de Lyon railway station in Paris.[97] This event provoked unrest in Greece, with Venizelist
Venizelist supporters engaging in acts of violence against known anti-Venizelists, and provided further fuel for the national division. The persecution of Venizelos' opponents reached a climax with the assassination of the idiosyncratic anti- Venizelist
Venizelist Ion Dragoumis[66] by paramilitary Venizelists on 13 August.[98] After his recovery Venizelos returned to Greece, where he was welcomed as a hero, because he had liberated areas with Greek populations and had created a state stretching over "five seas and two continents".[66] 1920 electoral defeat, self-exile and the Great Disaster[edit] See also: Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922), Great Fire of Smyrna, 1922 Revolution, and Treaty of Lausanne

Venizelos on the journey back to Greece, injured from the Paris assassination attempt

King Alexander died of blood poisoning caused by a monkey bite, two months after the signing of the treaty, on 25 October 1920. His death revived the constitutional question of whether Greece
Greece should be a monarchy or a republic and transformed the November elections into a contest between Venizelos and the return of the exiled king Constantine, Alexander's father. In the elections anti-Venizelists, most of them supporters of Constantine, secured 246 out of 370 seats.[99] The defeat came as a surprise to most people and Venizelos failed even to get elected as an MP.[66] Venizelos himself attributed this to the war-weariness of the Greek people that had been under arms with almost no intermission since 1912. Venizelists believed that the promise of demobilization and withdrawal from Asia Minor
Asia Minor was the most potent weapon of opposition. Abuse of power by Venizelists in the period of 1917–1920 and prosecution of their adversaries were also a further cause for people to vote in favor of the opposition.[100] Thus, on 6 December 1920, King Constantine was recalled by a plebiscite.[66] This caused great dissatisfaction not only to the newly liberated populations in Asia Minor
Asia Minor but also to the Great Powers who opposed the return of Constantine.[99] As a result of his defeat Venizelos left for Paris and withdrew from politics.[101]

Caricature related to the 1920 parliamentary election, depicting Venizelos and his main political opponent Dimitrios Gounaris.

Once the anti-Venizelists came to power it became apparent that they intended to continue the campaign in Asia Minor. However, dismissal of the war experienced pro- Venizelist
Venizelist military officers for petty political reasons[99] and underestimating the capabilities of the Turkish army,[101] influenced the subsequent course of the war. Italy and France also found a useful pretext in the royal restoration for making peace with Mustafa Kemal (leader of the Turks). By April 1921 all Great Powers
Great Powers had declared their neutrality; Greece
Greece was alone in continuing the war.[102] Kemal launched a massive attack on 26 August 1922 and the Greek forces were routed to Smyrna, which soon fell to the Turks on 8 September 1922 (see Great Fire of Smyrna).[102]

Eleftherios Venizelos
Eleftherios Venizelos on the cover of Time magazine, 18 February 1924.

Following the defeat of the Greek army
Greek army by the Turks in 1922 and the subsequent armed insurrection led by Colonels Nikolaos Plastiras
Nikolaos Plastiras and Stylianos Gonatas, King Constantine was dethroned (and succeeded by his eldest son, George), and six royalist leaders were executed.[4] Venizelos assumed the leadership of the Greek delegation that negotiated peace terms with the Turks. He signed the Treaty of Lausanne with Turkey on 24 July 1923. The effect of this was that more than a million Greeks
Greeks (Christians) were expelled from Turkey, in exchange for the more than 500,000 Turks (Muslims) expelled from Greece, and Greece
Greece was forced to give up claims to eastern Thrace, Imbros
Imbros and Tenedos
Tenedos to Turkey. This catastrophe marked the end of the Megali Idea. After a failed pro-royalist insurrection led by General Ioannis Metaxas
Ioannis Metaxas forced King George II into exile, Venizelos returned to Greece
Greece and became prime minister once again. However, he left again in 1924 after quarreling with anti-monarchists.[citation needed] During these absences from power, he translated Thucydides
Thucydides into modern Greek, although the translation and incomplete commentary were only published in 1940, after his death.[citation needed] Return to power (1928–32): Greco-Turkish alliance, assassination attempt and subsequent exile[edit] See also: 1935 Greek coup d'état attempt In the elections held on 5 July 1928, Venizelos' party regained power and forced the government to hold new elections on 19 August of the same year; this time his party won 228 out of 250 places in Parliament. During this period Venizelos attempted to end Greece's diplomatic isolation by restoring normal relations with the country's neighbors. His efforts proved to be successful in the cases of the newly founded Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Kingdom of Yugoslavia and Italy. Firstly Venizelos signed an agreement on 23 September 1928 with Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini in Rome, and then he started negotiations with Yugoslavia which resulted in a Treaty of Friendship signed on 27 March 1929. An additional protocol settled the status of the Yugoslav free trade zone of Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki in a way favorable to Greek interests.[103] Nevertheless, despite the co-ordinated British efforts under Arthur Henderson
Arthur Henderson in 1930–1931, full reconciliation with Bulgaria
Bulgaria was never achieved during his premiership.[104] Venizelos was also cautious towards Albania, and although bilateral relations remained at a good level, no initiative was taken by either side aiming at the final settlement of the unresolved issues (mainly related with the status of the Greek minority of South Albania).[105]

Venizelos with Kemal Atatürk
Kemal Atatürk in Ankara; October 27, 1930.

Venizelos, wearing his typical side cap, sitting at his desk (1930).

Venizelos' greatest achievement in foreign policy during this period was the reconciliation with Turkey. Venizelos had expressed his will to improve the bilateral Greek–Turkish relations even before his electoral victory, in a speech in Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (July 23, 1928). Eleven days after the formation of his government, he sent letters to both the prime minister and the minister of foreign affairs of Turkey ( İsmet İnönü
İsmet İnönü and Tevfik Rüştü respectively), declaring that Greece
Greece had no territorial aspirations to the detriment of their country. İnönü's response was positive and Italy was eager to help the two countries reach an agreement. Negotiations however stalled because of the complicated issue of the properties of the exchanged populations. Finally, the two sides reached an agreement on April 30, 1930; on October 25, Venizelos visited Turkey and signed a treaty of friendship. Venizelos even forwarded Atatürk's name for the 1934 Nobel Peace Prize,[106] highlighting the mutual respect between the two leaders.[107] The German Chancellor
Chancellor Hermann Müller described the Greek-Turkish rapprochement as the "greatest achievement seen in Europe since the end of the Great War". Nevertheless, Venizelos' initiative was criticized domestically not only by the opposition but also by members of his own party that represented the Greek refugees from Turkey. Venizelos was accused of making too many concessions on the issues of naval armaments and of the properties of the Greeks
Greeks who were expelled from Turkey according to the Treaty of Lausanne.[108] In 1929, the Venizelos government, in an effort to avoid reactions from the lower-classes whose conditions had worsened due to wave of immigration, introduced the so-called Idionymon (#4229), a law that restricted civil liberties and initiated the repression against unionism, left-wing supporters and communists.[citation needed] His domestic position was weakened, however, by the effects of the Great Depression
Great Depression in the early 1930s;[109] and in the elections of 1932 he was defeated by the People's Party under Panagis Tsaldaris. The political climate became more tense and in 1933 Venizelos was the target of a second assassination attempt.[110] The pro-royalist tendencies of the new government led to two Venizelist
Venizelist coup attempts by General Nikolaos Plastiras: one in 1933 and the other in 1935. The failure of the latter proved decisive for the future of the Second Hellenic Republic. After the coup's failure Venizelos left Greece
Greece once more, while in Greece
Greece trials and executions of prominent Venizelists were carried out and he himself was sentenced to death in absentia. The severely weakened Republic
Republic was abolished in another coup in October 1935 by General Georgios Kondylis
Georgios Kondylis and George II returned to the throne following a rigged referendum in November.[111] Death[edit] Venizelos left for Paris and on 12 March 1936 wrote his last letter to Alexandros Zannas. He suffered a stroke on the morning of the 13th and died five days later in his flat at 22 rue Beaujon.[112] A crowd of supporters from the local Greek community in Paris accompanied his body to the railway station prior to its departure for Greece.[citation needed] His body was taken by the destroyer Pavlos Kountouriotis
Pavlos Kountouriotis to Chania, avoiding Athens
Athens in order not to cause unrest. A great ceremony with wide public attendance accompanied his burial at Akrotiri, Crete.[citation needed] Legacy[edit]

Venizelos' gravestone in Akrotiri, near Chania, Crete.

A statue in Theriso, Crete.

One of the main contributions of Venizelos to Greek political life was the creation, in 1910, of the Liberal Party, which contrasted with the Greek parties of that period. Until the early twentieth century, the Greek parties were inspired by the protecting powers (French or English Party for example) or clustered around a political personality, such as Charilaos Trikoupis. The Liberal Party was based around the ideas of Venizelos (and the military coup of Goudi), but it survived its creator. In addition, the birth of a leading party would coincide with the birth of an opposing party. The opposing party was reflected around the personality of the king, but that survived the various abolitions of the monarchy.[113] Venizelism, from its inception, is essentially a liberal Republican movement, which opposes anti-venizelist monarchist and conservative ideologies. These two competed for power throughout the inter-war period.[114] Its main ideas, adapted from its creator, were: opposition to the monarchy; the defence of the Megali Idea; formation of alliances with western democratic countries, in particular the United Kingdom and France against Germany during the First and Second World Wars, and later with the United States against the Soviet Union during the Cold War; and finally a protectionist economic policy.[115] Themistoklis Sofoulis
Themistoklis Sofoulis was, from the 1920s, the successor of Venizelos as leader of the Liberal Party, which survived policy failures, exile and ultimately death of the historical founder. In 1950, the son of Venizelos, Sophoklis Venizelos, succeeded as head of the Liberal Party at a time when an agreement was formed with the populists (name of the royalist party) against the communists during the civil war. The Center Union ( Enosis
Enosis Kendrou), founded in 1961 by Georgios Papandreou, became the ideological descendant of the Liberal Party. The Center Union eventually fade in the late 1970s and was replaced by a party further to the left, Panhellenic Socialist Movement
Panhellenic Socialist Movement of Andreas Papandreou.[116] Personal life and family[edit] In December 1891 Venizelos married Maria Katelouzou, daughter of Eleftherios Katelouzos. The newlyweds lived in the upper floor of the Chalepa house, while Venizelos' mother and his brother and sisters lived on the ground floor. There, they enjoyed the happy moments of their marriage and also had the birth of their two children, Kyriakos (el) in 1892 and Sofoklis in 1894. Their married life was short and marked by misfortune. Maria died of post-puerperal fever in November 1894 after the birth of their second child. Her death deeply affected Venizelos and as sign of mourning he grew his characteristic beard and mustache, which he retained for the rest of his life.[8] After his defeat in the November elections of 1920 he left for Nice and Paris in self-imposed exile. In September 1921, twenty-seven years after the death of his first wife Maria, he married Helena Schilizzi (sometimes referred to as Elena Skylitsi or Stephanovich) in London. Advised by police to be wary of assassination attempts, they held the religious ceremony in private at Witanhurst, the mansion of family friend and socialite, Lady Domini Crosfield. The Crosfields were well connected and Venizelos met Arthur Balfour, David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George and the arms dealer Basil Zaharoff
Basil Zaharoff in subsequent visits to the house.[citation needed] The married couple settled down in Paris in a flat at 22 rue Beaujon.[clarification needed] He lived there until 1927 when he returned to Chania.[8] Venizelos/Mitsotakis family tree[edit]

Main members of the Venizelos/Mitsotakis family.[117] Prime Ministers of Greece
Greece are highlighted in light blue.

Kyriakos Venizelos (la) (1816–1883)

Styliani Ploumidaki (1830–1897)

Eleftherios Venizelos (1864–1936)

Katigo Venizelou (1858–1934)

Constantine "Costis" Mitsotakis (el) (1845–1898)

Kyriakos Venizelos (1894–1964)

Sofoklis Venizelos (1894–1964)

Kyriakos Mitsotakis (el) (1892–1942)

Stavroula Ploumidaki[118] (1896–1983)

Nikitas Venizelos (b. 1930)

Konstantinos Mitsotakis (1918–2017)

Marika Giannoukou (1930–2012)

Pavlos Bakoyannis (1935–1989)

Dora Bakoyannis née Mitsotaki (b. 1954)

Kyriakos Mitsotakis (b. 1968)

Kostas Bakoyannis (b. 1978)

See also[edit]

Greece
Greece portal Biography portal

History of Modern Greece

Gallery[edit]

Venizelos father's shop in Chania.

Venizelos in 1935

Building 22 rue Beaujon in Paris where Venizelos died.

A statue in Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (sculpt. Giannis Pappas).

Notes[edit]

^ i: The most pronounced violation was when the Allies occupied the island of Corfu
Corfu and used it as a base to gather the remains of the Serbian army. The Allies informed Athens
Athens of their intention a few hours before the first ships reaching the island.[119] ^ ii:  Rhodes
Rhodes became a part of Greece
Greece in 1949.

Citations[edit]

^ Note: Greece
Greece officially adopted the Gregorian calendar
Gregorian calendar on 16 February 1923 (which became 1 March). All dates prior to that, unless specifically denoted, are Old Style. ^ Kitromilides, 2006, p. 178 ^ a b c 'Liberty Still Rules', Time, Feb. 18, 1924 ^ a b c "Venizélos, Eleuthérios". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 2008.  ^ Duffield J. W., The New York Times, October 30, 1921, Sunday link ^ "Intrigue in Greece". The Argus. Melbourne. 4 July 1916. p. 7. Retrieved 29 November 2012 – via National Library of Australia.  ^ a b c Chester, 1921, p. 4 ^ a b c d Mitsotaki, Zoi (2008). "Venizelos the Cretan. His roots and his family". National Foundation Research. Archived from the original on 2007-05-18.  ^ a b Ion, 1910, p. 277 ^ Kitromilides, 2006, pp. 45, 47 ^ Kitromilides, 2006, p. 16 ^ Clogg, 2002, p. 65 ^ "Pact of Halepa". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 2008.  ^ a b Kitromilides, 2006, p. 58 ^ Lowell Sun (newspaper), 6/2/1897, p. 1 ^ Holland, 2006, p. 87 ^ a b c Papadakis, Nikolaos E. (2008). " Eleftherios Venizelos
Eleftherios Venizelos His path between two revolutions 1889–1897". National Foundation Research. Archived from the original on 2007-05-18.  ^ Holland, 2006, p. 91 ^ Chester, 1921, p. 35 ^ Chester, 1921, p. 34 ^ Kitromilides, 2006, p. 30 ^ Kitromilides, 2006, p. 62 ^ Kerofilias, 1915, p. 14 ^ a b Dunning, Jun. 1987, p. 367 ^ Chester, 1921, pp. 35–36 ^ Gibbons, p. 24 ^ Kerofilias, 1915, pp. 13–14 ^ Leeper, 1916, pp. 183–184 ^ Anne O'Hare, McCormark, Venizelos the new Ulysses of Hellas, The New York Times Magazine, 2 September, p. 14 ^ Kitromilides, 2006, pp. 63–64 ^ Understanding life in the borderlands: boundaries in depth and in motion, I. William Zartman, 2010, p.169 ^ Kitromilides, 2006, p. 65 ^ Rose, 1897, pp. 2–3 ^ Dunning, June 1897, p. 368 ^ a b Dunning Dec. 1897, p. 744 ^ Ion, 1910, p. 278 ^ a b Kitromilides, 2006, p. 68 ^ a b c d e f g h Manousakis, George (2008). "Eleftherios Venizelos during the years of the High Commissionership of Prince George (1898–1906)". National Foundation Research. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27.  ^ a b Kerofilias, 1915, pp. 30–31 ^ Kerofilias, 1915, p. 33 ^ Chester, 1921, p. 82 ^ Chester, 1921, p. 95 ^ Archontaki, Stefania (2008). "1906–1910, The Preparation and Emergence of Venizelos on the Greek Political Stage – Venizelos as Prime Minister". National Foundation Research. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27.  ^ Gibbons pp. 35–7 ^ Alastos p. 38 ^ a b Mazower, 1992, p. 886 ^ "Military League". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 2008.  ^ Chester, 1921, pp. 129–133 ^ a b c Gardika-Katsiadaki, Eleni (2008). "Period 1910 – 1914". National Foundation Research. Archived from the original on 2007-05-18.  ^ Kyriakou, 2002, pp. 491–492 ^ Hall, 2000, pp. 1–9 ^ Kitromilides, 2006, p. 141 ^ Chester, 1921, p. 150 ^ a b Kitromilides, 2006, p. 145 ^ Hall, 2000, p. 13 ^ a b Chester, 1921, pp. 159–160 ^ Hall, 2000, pp. 61–62 ^ Chester, 1921, pp. 161–164 ^ Hall, 2000, p. 17 ^ Chester, 1921, p. 169 ^ "Bulgaria, The Balkan Wars". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 2008.  ^ Tucker, 1999, p. 107 ^ Kitromilides, 2006, p. 154 ^ Seligman, 1920, p. 31 ^ " World War I
World War I – Greek Affairs". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 2008.  ^ a b c d e f Theodorakis, Emanouil; Manousakis George (2008). "First World War 1914–1918". National Foundation Research. Archived from the original on 2007-05-18.  ^ Firstworldwar.com The Minor Powers During World War One – Greece ^ "Constantine I". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 2008.  ^ Chester, 1921, p. 271 ^ Kitromilides, 2006, p. 122 ^ Leon, 1974, pp. 356–7 ^ Leon, 1974, p. 381 ^ a b Kitromilides, 2008, p. 124 ^ Clogg, 2002, p. 87 ^ Leon, 1974, p. 422 ^ Leon, 1974, p. 428 ^ a b Leon, 1974, p. 434 ^ a b c Leon, 1974, p. 435 ^ Chester, 1921, p. 293 ^ Seligman, 1920, p. 139 ^ Ion, 1918, pp. 796–812 ^ Burg, 1998, pp. 145–6 ^ Vatikotes, 1998 p. 98 ^ Burg, 1998, p.145 ^ Kitromilides, 2006, p. 367 ^ Hickey, 2004, p. 87 ^ Clogg, 2002, p. 89 ^ Gibbons, 1920, p. 299 ^ Chester, 1921, pp. 295–304 ^ Land of Invasion, TIME, 4 Nov 1940 ^ Chester, 1921, p. 311 ^ The Encyclopædia Britannica, 1922, p. 308 ^ Chester, 1921, pp. 312–3 ^ Chester, 1921, p. 6 ^ a b Kitromilides, 2006, p. 165 ^ Chester, 1921, p. 320 ^ "Venizelos shot, twice wounded by Greeks
Greeks in Paris". New York Times. 13 August 1920. p. 1.  ^ Kitromilides, 2006, p. 129 ^ a b c Clogg, 2002, p. 95 ^ Kitromilides, 2006, p. 131 ^ a b Theodorakis, Emanouil; Manousakis George (2008). "Period 1920–1922". National Foundation Research. Archived from the original on 2007-05-18.  ^ a b Clogg, 2002, p. 96 ^ Karamanlis, 1995, p. 55, 70 ^ Karamanlis, 1995, pp. 144–146 ^ Karamanlis, 1995, pp. 158–160 ^ Nobel Foundation. The Nomination Database for the Nobel Prize in Peace, 1901–1955.nobelprize.org ^ Clogg, 2002, p. 107 ^ Karamanlis, 1995, pp. 95–97 ^ Black, 1948, p. 94 ^ Clogg, 2002, p. 103 ^ Black, 1948, pp. 93–96 ^ Manolikakis, 1985, pp. 18–22; Hélène Veniselos, A l'ombre de Veniselos (Paris, 1955) ^ Koliopoulos, 2002, p. 53-54 ^ Legg, p. 188-189 ^ Contogeorgis, 1996, p. 379-404 ^ Koliopoulos, 2002, p. 104 ^ Constantine Mitsotakis
Constantine Mitsotakis institute. "Biography – Roots". Retrieved 2015-12-23.  ^ Stavroula Ploumidaki is also a first cousin, once removed, of Eleftherios Venizelos ^ Leon, 1974, pp. 315–6

References[edit]

Books

Abbott, G. F. (2008). Greece
Greece and the Allies 1914–1922. London: Methuen & co. ltd. ISBN 978-0-554-39462-6.  Alastos, D. (1942). Venizelos, Patriot, Statesman, Revolutionary. London: P. Lund, Humphries & co.  Bagger, E. S. (1922). Eminent Europeans; studies in continental reality (PDF). G.P. Putnam's Sons.  Burg, D. F. (1998). Almanac of World War I. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0-8131-2072-1.  Chester, S. M. (1921). Life of Venizelos, with a letter from His Excellency M. Venizelos (PDF). London: Constable.  Clogg, R. (2002). A Concise History of Greece. London: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-00479-9.  Contogeorgis, G. (1996). Histoire de la Grèce. Nations d'Europe. ISBN 2-218-03841-2.  Dutton, D. (1998). The Politics of Diplomacy: Britain and France in the Balkans
Balkans in the First World War. I.B. Tauris. ISBN 978-1-86064-079-7.  Fotakis, Z. (2005). Greek naval strategy and policy, 1910–1919. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-35014-3.  Gibbons, H. A. (1920). Venizelos. Houghton Mifflin Company.  Hall, Richard C. (2000). The Balkan Wars, 1912–1913: Prelude to the First World War. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-22946-4.  Hickey, M. (2007). First World War: Volume 4 The Mediterranean Front 1914–1923. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 1-84176-373-X.  Holland, R. F.; Makrides D. (2006). The British and the Hellenes: Struggles for mastery in the Eastern Mediterranean 1850–1960. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-924996-2.  Karamanlis, Kostas Al. (1995). Eleftherios Venizelos
Eleftherios Venizelos and the External Relations of Greece
Greece 1928–1930 (in Greek). Athens: Papazisis' Editions.  Karolidis, P. (1974). The History of the Greek Nation (Volume XVI) (in Greek). Athens: Ekdotike Athenon. ISBN 960-213-101-2.  Kerofilias, C. (1915). Eleftherios Venizelos, his life and work (PDF). John Murray.  Kitromilides, P. (2006). Eleftherios Venizelos: The Trials of Statesmanship. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 0-7486-2478-3.  Koliopoulos, G.; Veremis, T. (2002). Greece : the modern sequel : from 1831 to the present. New York: NYU Press. ISBN 0-8147-4767-1.  Legg, K. R. (1969). Politics in modern Greece. Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-0705-7.  Leon, G. B. (1974). Greece
Greece and the Great Powers
Great Powers 1914–17. Thessaloniki: Institute of Balkan Studies.  Manolikakis, Giannis (1985). Eleftherios Venizelos: his unknown life. Athens.  Markezinis, S. (1968). Political History of modern Greece, Volume 4 (in Greek). Athens: Papyros.  Michalopoulos,Dimitris (2012)Eleutherios Venizelos. An outline of his life and time, Saarbrücken: Lambert Academic Publishing. ISBN 978-3-659-26782-6 Paxton, Hibben (1920). Constantine I and the Greek People. New York: The Century Co. ISBN 978-1-110-76032-9.  Pentzopoulos, D.; Smith M. L. (2002). The Balkan exchange of minorities and its impact on Greece. C. Hurst & Co Publishers. ISBN 1-85065-674-6.  Price, Crawfurd (1917). Venizelos and the war, a sketch of personalities and politics (PDF). London: Simpkin.  Rose, W. K. (2003, with 1st ed. 1987). With the Greeks
Greeks in Thessaly. Adamant Media Corporation. ISBN 1-4021-0628-9.  Check date values in: date= (help) Seligman, V. J. (1920). Victory of Venizelos (PDF).  Tsichlis, Vasileios S. E. (2007). The Goudi
Goudi movement and Eleutherios Venizelos (in Greek). Polytropon. ISBN 960-8354-69-2.  Tucker, Spencer C.; Wood, L. M.; Murphy, J. D. (1999). The European Powers in the First World War: An Encyclopedia. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 0-8153-3351-X.  Vatikotes, P. (1998). Popular autocracy in Greece, 1936–41: a political biography of general Ioannis Metaxas. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-7146-4869-9.  Venizelos, E.; Anthony S.; Xanthaky, Sakellarios N. G. (1916). Greece in Her True Light: Her Position in the World-wide War as Expounded by E. Venizelos (PDF). New York. 

Journals

Black, Cyril E. (January 1948). "The Greek Crisis: Its Constitutional Background". The Review of Politics. 10 (1): 84–99. doi:10.1017/S0034670500044521. JSTOR 1404369.  Dunning, Wm. A. (June 1897). "Record of Political Events". Political Science Quarterly. The Academy of Political Science. 12 (3): 352–380. doi:10.2307/2140141. JSTOR 2140141.  Dunning, Wm. A. (December 1897). "Record of Political Events". Political Science Quarterly. The Academy of Political Science. 12 (4): 734–756. doi:10.2307/2139703. JSTOR 2139703.  Ion, Theodore P. (April 1910). "The Cretan
Cretan Question". The American Journal of International Law. American Society of International Law. 4 (2): 276–284. doi:10.2307/2186614. JSTOR 2186614.  Kyriakidou, Maria (2002). "Legislation in Inter-war Greece
Greece Labour Law and Women Workers: A Case Study of Protective" (PDF). European History Quarterly. 32 (4): 489. doi:10.1177/0269142002032004147.  Leeper, A. W. A. (1916). "Allied Portraits: Eleftherios Venizelos". The New Europe I.  Mazower, M. (December 1992). "The Messiah and the Bourgeoisie: Venizelos and Politics in Greece, 1909–1912". The Historical Journal. 35 (4): 885–904. doi:10.1017/S0018246X00026200. JSTOR 2639443. 

Political offices

Preceded by Stephanos Dragoumis Prime Minister of Greece 18 October 1910 – 10 March 1915 Succeeded by Dimitrios Gounaris

Preceded by Dimitrios Gounaris Prime Minister of Greece 23 August 1915 – 7 October 1915 Succeeded by Alexandros Zaimis

Preceded by Dimitrios Gounaris Minister of Foreign Affairs 23 August 1915 – 7 October 1915 Succeeded by Alexandros Zaimis

Preceded by Alexandros Zaimis Prime Minister of Greece 27 June 1917 – 18 November 1920 Succeeded by Dimitrios Rallis

Preceded by Anastasios Charalambis Minister for Military Affairs 27 June 1917 – 18 November 1920 Succeeded by Dimitrios Gounaris

Preceded by Stylianos Gonatas Prime Minister of Greece 24 January 1924 – 19 February 1924 Succeeded by Georgios Kaphantaris

Preceded by Alexandros Zaimis Prime Minister of Greece 4 July 1928 – 26 May 1932 Succeeded by Alexandros Papanastasiou

Preceded by Alexandros Papanastasiou Prime Minister of Greece 5 June 1932 – 3 November 1932 Succeeded by Panagis Tsaldaris

Preceded by Panagis Tsaldaris Prime Minister of Greece 16 January 1933 – 6 March 1933 Succeeded by Alexandros Othonaios

Party political offices

New title Chairman of the Liberal Party 1910–1936 Succeeded by Themistoklis Sophoulis

Awards and achievements

Preceded by John Hessin Clarke Cover of Time Magazine 18 February 1924 Succeeded by Bernard M. Baruch

External links[edit]

Media related to Eleftherios Venizelos
Eleftherios Venizelos at Wikimedia Commons Quotations related to Eleftherios Venizelos
Eleftherios Venizelos at Wikiquote

v t e

Eleftherios Venizelos

Family

Kyriakos Venizelos Sofoklis Venizelos Helena Schilizzi Nikitas Venizelos Konstantinos Mitsotakis

Politics

Venizelism
Venizelism (Liberal Party) Democratic education Greek Constitution of 1911 Balkan League Greek nationalism Megali Idea Anti-communism
Anti-communism (Idionymon)

Events

Cretan
Cretan State Theriso
Theriso revolt Goudi
Goudi coup French military mission to Greece
Greece (1911–14) Balkan Wars London Conference of 1912-13 Macedonian Front National Defence coup d'état Provisional Government of National Defence National Schism Noemvriana Greece
Greece in WWI Occupation of Constantinople Allied intervention in Ukraine Paris Peace Conference, 1919 Greek landing at Smyrna Greco-Turkish War (1919–22) Population exchange between Greece
Greece and Turkey 1935 Greek coup d'état attempt

Military support

Cretan
Cretan Gendarmerie Military League National Defence Army Corps Nikolaos Plastiras Theodoros Pangalos Pavlos Kountouriotis Panagiotis Danglis Emmanouil Zymvrakakis Leonidas Paraskevopoulos

Treaties

Greek-Serbian Alliance of 1913 Treaty of London (1913) Treaty of Bucharest
Bucharest (1913) Treaty of Athens Venizelos–Tittoni agreement Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine Treaty of Sèvres Treaty of Lausanne Greco-Turkish Friendship Agreement

Establishments

Hellenic Air Force Hellenic Coast Guard

Remembrance

Eleftherios Venizelos
Eleftherios Venizelos Historical Museum Eleftherios Venizelos
Eleftherios Venizelos Museum of Chalepa Eleftherios Venizelos
Eleftherios Venizelos Foundation Eleftherios Venizelos
Eleftherios Venizelos (film) Athens International Airport
Athens International Airport "Eleftherios Venizelos" Eleftherios Venizelos
Eleftherios Venizelos (sculpture)

v t e

Heads of government of Greece

First Hellenic Republic (1822–1832)

Mavrokordatos P. Mavromichalis Kountouriotis And. Zaimis I. Kapodistrias A. Kapodistrias

Kingdom of Greece
Greece (Wittelsbach) (1833–1862)

Sp. Trikoupis Mavrokordatos Kolettis von Armansperg von Rudhart King Otto Mavrokordatos King Otto A. Metaxas Kanaris Mavrokordatos Kolettis Tzavelas Kountouriotis Kanaris Kriezis Mavrokordatos D. Voulgaris Miaoulis Kolokotronis

Kingdom of Greece
Greece (Glücksburg) (1863–1924)

D. Voulgaris Moraitinis Z. Valvis Kyriakos Roufos D. Voulgaris Kanaris Z. Valvis Kanaris Koumoundouros Deligeorgis Roufos D. Voulgaris Koumoundouros Deligeorgis Roufos D. Voulgaris Koumoundouros Moraitinis D. Voulgaris Thr. Zaimis Deligeorgis Koumoundouros Thr. Zaimis D. Voulgaris Deligeorgis D. Voulgaris Ch. Trikoupis Koumoundouros Deligeorgis Koumoundouros Deligeorgis Koumoundouros Kanaris Koumoundouros Ch. Trikoupis Koumoundouros Ch. Trikoupis Koumoundouros Ch. Trikoupis Diligiannis D. Valvis Ch. Trikoupis Diligiannis Konstantopoulos Ch. Trikoupis Sotiropoulos Ch. Trikoupis Deligiannis Diligiannis D. Rallis Al. Zaimis G. Theotokis Al. Zaimis Diligiannis G. Theotokis D. Rallis G. Theotokis Diligiannis D. Rallis G. Theotokis D. Rallis K. Mavromichalis Dragoumis El. Venizelos Gounaris El. Venizelos Al. Zaimis Skouloudis Al. Zaimis Kalogeropoulos El. Venizelos2 Lambros Al. Zaimis El. Venizelos D. Rallis Kalogeropoulos Gounaris Stratos Protopapadakis Triantafyllakos Charalambis Krokidas Gonatas El. Venizelos Kafantaris

Second Hellenic Republic (1924–1935)

Papanastasiou Sofoulis Michalakopoulos Pangalos1 Eftaxias1 Kondylis3 Al. Zaimis El. Venizelos Papanastasiou El. Venizelos P. Tsaldaris El. Venizelos Othonaios3 P. Tsaldaris

Kingdom of Greece
Greece (Glücksburg) (1935–1973)

Kondylis1 Demertzis I. Metaxas1 Koryzis Tsouderos2 Tsolakoglou4 Logothetopoulos4 I. Rallis4 Bakirtzis2 S. Venizelos2 Svolos2 G. Papandreou (Sr.) Plastiras P. Voulgaris Archbishop Damaskinos Kanellopoulos Sofoulis Poulitsas3 K. Tsaldaris Maximos K. Tsaldaris Sofoulis Vafeiadis2 Zachariadis2 Partsalidis2 Diomidis I. Theotokis3 S. Venizelos Plastiras S. Venizelos Plastiras Kiousopoulos3 Papagos K. Karamanlis (Sr.) Georgakopoulos3 K. Karamanlis (Sr.) Dovas3 K. Karamanlis (Sr.) Pipinelis Sty. Mavromichalis3 G. Papandreou (Sr.) Paraskevopoulos3 G. Papandreou (Sr.) Novas Tsirimokos Stefanopoulos Paraskevopoulos3 Kanellopoulos3

Military Junta (1967–1974)

Kollias1 Papadopoulos1 Markezinis1 Androutsopoulos1

Third Hellenic Republic (since 1974)

K. Karamanlis (Sr.) G. Rallis A. Papandreou Tzannetakis Grivas3 Zolotas Mitsotakis A. Papandreou Simitis K. Karamanlis (Jr.) G. Papandreou (Jr.) Papademos3 Pikrammenos3 Samaras Tsipras Thanou3 Tsipras

1Head of military/dictatorial government. 2Head of rival government not controlling Athens. 3Head of emergency or caretaker government. 4Head of collaborationist government during the Axis occupation (1941–44).

v t e

Foreign Ministers of Greece

First Hellenic Republic (1822–1832)

Negris§ Al. Mavrokordatos§ Glarakis§ Sp. Trikoupis§†

Kingdom of Greece
Greece (Wittelsbach) (1833–1862)

Sp. Trikoupis Al. Mavrokordatos Rizos-Neroulos von Rudhart Zografos Paikos Christidis Rizos-Neroulos P. Deligiannis A. Metaxas Mansolas Sp. Trikoupis Kolettis Tzavelas Kolettis Tzavelas Mansolas Kolokotronis Londos Glarakis Londos P. Deligiannis Paikos Argyropoulos Al. Mavrokordatos Sp. Trikoupis Rangavis Palamidis Thr. Zaimis Krestenitis Papalexopoulos Christopoulos Theocharis

Kingdom of Greece
Greece (Glücksburg) (1863–1924)

Diamantopoulos Kalligas D. Mavrokordatos Diligiannis Kalligas P. Deligiannis Diligiannis Kalligas Diligiannis Boudouris Vrailas-Armenis Deligeorgis Christopoulos Koumoundouros Deligeorgis Valasopoulos Valaoritis Deligeorgis Ch. Trikoupis P. Deligiannis Diligiannis Valaoritis Deligeorgis Christopoulos Thr. Zaimis D. Voulgaris Spiliotakis I. Deligiannis Ch. Trikoupis Kontostavlos Deligeorgis Kontostavlos Deligeorgis Koumoundouros Ch. Trikoupis Diligiannis Ch. Trikoupis Diligiannis Ch. Trikoupis Koumoundouros Rikakis Ch. Trikoupis Koumoundouros Diligiannis Louriotis S. Dragoumis L. Deligiorgis Meletopoulos S. Dragoumis Kontostavlos N. Deligiannis Skouzes Skouloudis Al. Zaimis Romanos Al. Zaimis Skouzes G. Theotokis D. Rallis Romanos Skouzes Baltatzis Christakis-Zografos Mavromichalis Kallergis Gryparis Koromilas Panas Streit El. Venizelos Christakis-Zografos Gounaris El. Venizelos Al. Zaimis Skouloudis Al. Zaimis Karapanos Zalokostas Al. Zaimis Politis D. Rallis Kalogeropoulos Baltatzis Stratos Baltatzis Kalogeropoulos Papanastasiou

Second Hellenic Republic (1924–1935)

Roussos Rendis Roussos Michalakopoulos Hatzikyriakos Rendis Hatzikyriakos Kanakaris-Roufos Argyropoulos Michalakopoulos Karapanos Argyropoulos Michalakopoulos Papanastasiou Michalakopoulos I. Rallis Michalakopoulos Mavroudis Maximos P. Tsaldaris Maximos P. Tsaldaris Maximos I. Theotokis

Kingdom of Greece
Greece (Glücksburg) (1935–1973/4)

Demertzis I. Metaxas Koryzis Tsouderos G. Papandreou (Sr.) Sofianopoulos P. Voulgaris Politis Kanellopoulos Sofianopoulos Rendis K. Tsaldaris Pipinelis S. Venizelos Plastiras S. Venizelos Politis S. Venizelos F. Dragoumis Stefanopoulos S. Theotokis Averoff Pesmazoglou Averoff Pesmazoglou Averoff Pipinelis Oikonomou-Gouras S. Venizelos Xanthopoulos-Palamas Kostopoulos Melas Tsirimokos Stefanopoulos Toumbas Oikonomou-Gouras

Military Junta (1967–1974)

Oikonomou-Gouras Kollias Pipinelis Papadopoulos Xanthopoulos-Palamas Tetenes

Third Hellenic Republic (since 1974)

Kypraios Mavros Bitsios Papaligouras G. Rallis Mitsotakis Charalambopoulos K. Papoulias G. Papoulias Samaras Mitsotakis Papakonstantinou K. Papoulias Pangalos G. Papandreou (Jr.) Giannitsis Molyviatis Bakoyannis G. Papandreou (Jr.) Droutsas Lambrinidis Dimas Molyviatis Avramopoulos Ev. Venizelos Kotzias Molyviatis Kotzias

§ variously as Chief Secretary/General Secretary of State † officially considered the first foreign minister of independent Greece

v t e

Liberalism
Liberalism in Greece

Ideology

Centrism Liberalism Modern Greek
Modern Greek Enlightenment Liberal nationalism Liberal democracy Free trade Venizelism Megali Idea

Organizations

Liberal Club National and Social Liberation National Organization of Crete

Political Parties

Modernist Party Liberal Party National Unionist Party Liberal Democratic Union National Progressive Center Union Progressive Party Centre Union Centre Union – New Forces Union of the Democratic Centre Party of New Liberals Liberal Party (modern) Democratic Renewal Union of Centrists The Liberals Liberal Alliance Democratic Alliance Recreate Greece Drasi The River

People

Theophilos Kairis Adamantios Korais Dionysios Solomos Alexandros Mavrokordatos Charilaos Trikoupis Ioannis Psycharis Konstantinos Raktivan Eleftherios Venizelos Pavlos Kountouriotis Themistoklis Sofoulis Georgios Kafantaris Georgios Papandreou Sofoklis Venizelos Panagiotis Kanellopoulos Georgios Mavros Konstantinos Stephanopoulos Konstantinos Mitsotakis Stefanos Manos

Historical events

Greek War of Independence First National Assembly at Epidaurus 3 September 1843 Revolution 23 October 1862 Revolution Theriso
Theriso revolt Goudi
Goudi coup Movement of National Defence National Schism 11 September 1922 Revolution 1935 Greek coup d'état attempt Greek resistance

Policies

Democratic education Modernization

v t e

Megali Idea

Background

Fall of Constantinople Ottoman Greece Greek War of Independence

Annexations

Ionian Islands
Ionian Islands (1864) Thessaly
Thessaly (1881) Crete
Crete (1912) Epirus
Epirus (1912) Macedonia (1912) North Aegean islands
Aegean islands (1912) Western Thrace
Thrace (1919) Dodecanese
Dodecanese (1947)

Temporary acquisitions

Eastern Thrace
Thrace (1920–23) Imbros
Imbros and Tenedos
Tenedos (1912–13, 1920–23) Northern Epirus
Epirus (1912–16, 1940–41) Smyrna Zone
Smyrna Zone (1919–22 as dependency)

Other areas

Western Asia Minor
Asia Minor ( Sanjak of Balıkesir
Balıkesir and part of Sanjak of Bursa from Hüdavendigâr Vilayet, Aidin Vilayet
Aidin Vilayet excluding Denizli
Denizli Sanjak, also Troad
Troad region from Vilayet of the Archipelago, Asian parts of Constantinople Vilayet
Constantinople Vilayet and Mediterranean coast from Kastellorizo
Kastellorizo to Antalya) Constantinople Cyprus Eastern Rumelia Pelagonia
Pelagonia (Monastiri region) Gevgeli Sazan Island Pontus Cappadocia/Karaman

Ideas

Greek nationalism Hellenization Enosis

People/Organizations

Ioannis Kolettis Aristotelis Valaoritis Ethniki Etaireia Macedonian Committee Dimitrios Kalapothakis Pavlos Melas Kostis Palamas Penelope Delta Ion Dragoumis Eleftherios Venizelos Themistoklis Sofoulis Georgios Christakis-Zografos Theodoros Pangalos Northern Epirus
Epirus Liberation Front EOKA Georgios Grivas

Events

Epirus
Epirus Revolt of 1854 Cretan
Cretan Revolt (1866–1869) Cretan
Cretan Revolt (1878) Epirus
Epirus Revolt of 1878 1878 Greek Macedonian rebellion Macedonian Struggle Greco-Turkish War (1897) Theriso
Theriso revolt Balkan Wars Himara revolt of 1912 Autonomous Republic
Republic of Northern Epirus Provisional Government of National Defence National Defence Army Corps Greece
Greece in WWI Occupation of Constantinople Greek landing at Smyrna Republic
Republic of Pontus Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) 1931 Cyprus
Cyprus Revolt Greece
Greece in WWII Greco-Italian War Cyprus
Cyprus Emergency 1974 Cypriot coup d'état

Treaties

Treaty of London (1864) Treaty of Berlin (1878) Convention of Constantinople (1881) Treaty of Constantinople (1897) Greek-Serbian Alliance of 1913 Treaty of London (1913) Treaty of Bucharest
Bucharest (1913) Treaty of Athens
Athens (1913) Protocol of Corfu
Corfu (1914) Venizelos–Tittoni agreement (1919) Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine
Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine (1919) Treaty of Sèvres
Treaty of Sèvres (1920) Treaty of Lausanne
Treaty of Lausanne (1923) Treaty of Paris (1947)

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Greece
Greece during World War I

Background

Balkan Wars Treaty of London (1913) Treaty of Bucharest
Bucharest (1913) Protocol of Corfu

Events

1914: Serbian Campaign 1915: Gallipoli Campaign Greek legislative election, May 1915 Macedonian Front Greek legislative election, December 1915 1916: Roupel surrender National Defence coup d'état

National Schism

National Defence

People: Eleftherios Venizelos Panagiotis Danglis Pavlos Kountouriotis Georgios Kondylis Themistoklis Sofoulis Nikolaos Plastiras Theodoros Pangalos Leonidas Paraskevopoulos Georgios Papandreou Support: Cretan
Cretan Gendarmerie National Defence Army Corps

Cretan
Cretan Division Archipelago Division Serres
Serres Division

Allies of World War I British Salonika Army Maurice Sarrail Louis Franchet d'Espèrey Ideas: Pro-Entente Megali Idea Venizelism

Royal government

People: Constantine I of Greece Ioannis Metaxas Dimitrios Gounaris Viktor Dousmanis Stefanos Skouloudis Ion Dragoumis Konstantinos Nider Support: Hellenic Army Epistratoi Church of Greece Ideas: Neutrality Monarchism Antivenizelism Germanophilia

Events

1916: Greece
Greece in WWI Noemvriana 1917: Accession of Alexander of Greece 1918: Battle of Skra-di-Legen Armistice of Salonica Armistice of Mudros Occupation of Constantinople

Aftermath

1919: Paris Peace Conference, 1919 Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War Greek landing at Smyrna
Greek landing at Smyrna and Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) Venizelos–Tittoni agreement 1920: Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine Treaty of Sèvres Greek legislative election, 1920 Greek referendum, 1920

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Provisional Government of National Defence

Ideas & Policies

Venizelism Megali Idea Pro-Entente Anti-German sentiment Greece
Greece in WWI

People

Eleftherios Venizelos Panagiotis Danglis Pavlos Kountouriotis Georgios Kondylis Nikolaos Plastiras Theodoros Pangalos Leonidas Paraskevopoulos Emmanouil Zymvrakakis Themistoklis Sophoulis Nikolaos Politis Georgios Papandreou Andreas Michalakopoulos Alexandros Mazarakis-Ainian Konstantinos Angelakis Alexandros Zannas Dimitrios Psarros Evripidis Bakirtzis Nikolaos Christodoulou Dimitrios Ioannou Neokosmos Grigoriadis

Military support

National Defence Army Corps Cretan
Cretan Gendarmerie Cretan
Cretan Division Archipelago Division Serres
Serres Division Allies of World War I British Salonika Army Maurice Sarrail Louis Franchet d'Espèrey

Events

Macedonian Front Roupel surrender National Defence coup d'état National Schism Noemvriana Anathema
Anathema to Venizelos Accession of Alexander of Greece

Authority control

WorldCat Identities VIAF: 30333252 LCCN: n79011262 ISNI: 0000 0001 2277 9340 GND: 118804146 SUDOC: 027548694 BNF: cb119565539 (data) NLA: 35173611 NKC: jx20070502004 BNE: XX1709