The most complete information guide about Athens, Greece
HISTORY
OF ATHENS
The
Mid-War Period
The period of instability
1932-1935
The call for elections on 25 September 1932 under a system of
proportional representation, opened a new cycle of interaction
and government alternations. Initially power went to the Democratic
Party of Alexandros Papanastasiou, next to the Liberals and finally
to the coalition of the People's Party under Panayis Tsaldaris.
The
new elections of March 1933 revived the resentments of the National
Schism again. In this process anti-Venizelist parties prevailed.
Apart from the main parties, Liberal and People's Party, plenty
of other groups and parties were active. The split of groups,
inspired by Venizelism, led to the formation of the Republic Union
under Alexandros Papanastasiou, who occupied the left wing, of
Progressive Liberals under Georgios Kaphantaris and the Conservative
Democrats under Andreas Michalakopoulos. In the People's Party,
Panayis Tsaldaris was elected leader. Close to it, other anti-Venizelist
formations were moving such as the "Freethinkers" of
Ioannis Metaxas and the National Radical Party of Georgios Kondylis.
As
party policies did not contribute to the maintenance of social
coherence, the "exceptional" capacities of its leader
were among the basic criteria of choice that voters had. There
was a strong anti-royalism of a considerable part of Venizelism
(during the 1920s) and the Communist party with its total opposition
to the "bourgeois" parliamentary system.
In
the following years, the political system of the country was led
to decline. The coups of hard-core Venizelists, in March 1933
and 1935 (with General Nikolaos Plastiras as leader), the assassination
attempt against Venizelos and purges in the army are instances
of deviation from the parliamentary system.
Amidst
political chaos (social tension, violent labor demonstrations)
that marked the period 1933-35, the monarchy was restored as a
result of the rigged plebiscite of 3 November (by the government
of the coup of Georgios Kondylis) which legalized the return of
King George II.
The
elections of 26 January 1936, the last in the Greek inter-war
period, terminated the circle of domination of two political blocs
(Venizelists-Royalists) that had held a leading role for almost
one third of the century. None of the two large blocs possessed
absolute majority in the parliament. Their leaders could not reach
an agreement for the formation of a government of coalition.
A
regulatory factor was the vote of the Communists, whose participation
in authority was categorically rejected by the Palace and the
military leadership. Nevertheless, there has been an effort, known
as the "Sophoulis-Sklavainas" agreement, between the
Liberals and the Communists to reach an understanding. The result
was the election of Sophoulis as president of the parliament and
the expression of strong concerns and threats on the part of the
right for the continuation of the coalition.
K.
Demertzis was appointed prime minister. With the full consent
of the Liberals and of Venizelos who was in Paris, the King assigned
the ministry of Army to Ioannis Metaxas. A few days later Demertzis
died (the death of Venizelos preceded). Disliking the Communists
and fearing a coup and without consulting the political leaders,
King George II appointed Metaxas, leader of the small party of
"Freethikers" that held only 7 seats in the parliament,
to be interim prime minister. The appointment was confirmed by
the Greek parliament after a vote of confidence in the parliament.
On
the pretext of imminent riots, instigated by the Communist Party,
Metaxas suspended the parliament indefinitely. He also suspended
various articles of the constitution and, practically with the
tolerance of the bourgeois political world, proclaimed a dictatorship
on 4 August 1936.