O G E R O S

Γεώργιος Παπανδρέου [little dark age edit] 1888-1968
Georgios Papandreou "O Γέρος της Δημοκρατίας"

Georgios Papandreou was born in Achaea in 1888 to Andreas Stavropoulos, a Greek Orthodox priest. His last name is a combination of his father's name and profession 'papa' + Andreou.

He studied law in Athens and studied political economy in Germany. He was staunchly republican and favoured social democracy, but was also known for his anti-communism.

In Greece, he became a supporter of Venizelos, who made him governor of Chios at the end of the Balkan Wars. He married his first wife Sofia, a polish citizen, and their son Andreas was born in Chios in 1919.

When Greece entered WW1, Papandreou supported Venizelos against King Constantine during the National Schism. In 1920 Papandreou failed to gain a seat as a Liberal in Lesbos. In 1921 he was imprisoned for calling on the King to abdicate, and was nearly assassinated.

From 1923 to 1933 he served as a minister in various governments. As education minister from 1930-32 he was known for his reforms to the education system and building many schools for refugees of the Asia Minor disaster. He was imprisoned during the Pangalos regime.

In 1935 the monarchy was re-established by the Kondylis coup, and he was placed into exile. In 1938 Ioannis Metaxas placed Papandreou into exile again, this time in the Greek islands.

After Greece was occupied by the Axis, he was imprisoned by the Italians but managed to flee to Egypt. Backed by the British, King George appointed him Prime Minister of the Government in Exile. He presided over the Lebanon Conference and the Caserta Agreement (1944) which tried to prevent the civil-crisis in Greece between the various partisan groups.

After liberation, he arrived in Athens in October 1944, followed by some Greek army units and British support. He became Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity and tried to de-escalate the conflict that was growing between EAM and non-EAM forces.

After the violent struggle of the Dekembriana, he resigned in 1945 but continued to serve as a minister of various portfolios. From 1952-1961 the Liberal support in the country was weakened by division, and Papandreou blamed Sofoklis Venizelos for this.

So, in 1961 Papandreou founded the Centre Union, creating a broad-church political party uniting old Venizelist liberals, social democrats and rogue conservatives. Although he lost the elections of 1961, he blamed a 'deep state' of establishment politics for his loss.

He won the 1963 and 1964 elections, the latter with a landslide. The Centre union promoted progressive policies, but friction arose when his son Andreas was given a larger share of power. Associated with considerably left-of-centre policies, the greater hold of power by his son created cracks in the Centre Union.

Papandreou had been a vocal critic of the Zurich and London Agreements which created the new independent Republic of Cyprus and was a promoter of Enosis of the island with Greece.

Under his government, the Greek army sent a division to the island which was to play an important role assisting Georgios Grivas in the defence of the fledgling republic from violent Turkish-backed insurrection of the minority on the island.

Facing increased opposition for his progressive policies, and after a series of conspiracies within the armed forces led Papandreou to assume the role of defence minister himself spurred on by his son Andreas, the King encouraged a split in the Centre Union, causing a political crisis known as the Apostasia or Iouliana in July 1965.

King Constantine forced Papandreou's resignation and dismissed the government, appointing various interim Prime Ministers who tried and failed to form Government. During this crisis, new elections were called for May 1967 and some believed the Centre Union would win but only in a coalition government with the democratic left (which many considered a front for the then-banned KKE).

Under the risk of communist political power, many conservatives and monarchists toyed with the idea of the King imposing martial law, while others reached out to Karamanlis to return to Greece. Rumour spread that Karamanlis had demanded the King impose martial law, and that diplomatic communication was opened with the US.

in actual fact, the political crisis was not to be pre-empted by either the established politicians or the King, but by middle-rank colonels. On the 21st of April, fearing Communist influence of media and society, three mid-rank colonels launched a coup and by the next day had secured the state apparatus and arrested Papandreou.

Papandreou's death on November 1 1968 stirred up anti-Junta pro-democracy protests among the populace. After attempts at re-politicisation, liberalisation and the Cypriot crisis, the Junta was to fall in early 1975. After conservative government, his son Andreas would shift policies further left with his own party PASOK, winning the 1981 elections.

[ΣτέλιοςΠαπανικολάου-πγ]

Δεν τον αντιπαθώ... πιστεύω ότι είχε εθνική Γεώργιος Παπανδρέου σαφώς καλύτερος από τον γιό του...όσο για τον εγγονό του ., άστα να πάνε..