Eleftherios Venizelos
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{{For|the Athens airport|Athens International Airport}}
{{Infobox Prime Minister
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Elefthérios Venizélos <br />([[Greek language|Greek]]: Ελευθέριος Βενιζέλος)
| honorific-suffix =
| image = Ελευθέριος Βενιζέλος.jpg
| imagesize = 250px
| order = [[Minister of Justice]] of [[Cretan State]]
| term_start = 27 April 1899
| term_end = 6 March 1901
| monarch = Prince George
| deputy =
| order1 = [[Prime Minister]] of [[Cretan State]]
| term_start1 = April 1910
| term_end1 = 12 Sept 1910
| monarch1 = Alexandros Zaimis
| deputy1 =
| predecessor1 = [[Alexandros Zaimis]] (as High Commissioner)
| order2 = [[Prime Minister of Greece]]
| term_start2 = 18 October 1910
| term_end2 = 15 March 1915
| monarch2 =
| deputy2 =
| predecessor2 = [[Stephanos Dragoumis]]
| successor2 = [[Dimitrios Gounaris]]
| term_start3 = 23 August 1915
| term_end3 = 7 October 1915
| deputy3 =
| monarch3 =
| predecessor3 = [[Dimitrios Gounaris]]
| successor3 = [[Alexandros Zaimis]]
| term_start4 = 27 June 1917
| term_end4 = 18 November 1920
| primeminister4 =
| predecessor4 = [[Alexandros Zaimis]]
| successor4 = [[Dimitrios Rallis]]
| term_start5 = 24 January 1924
| term_end5 = 19 February 1924
| primeminister5 =
| predecessor5 = [[Stylianos Gonatas]]
| successor5 = [[Georgios Kafantaris]]
| term_start6 = 4 July 1928
| term_end6 = 26 May 1932
| primeminister6 =
| predecessor6 = [[Alexandros Zaimis]]
| successor6 = [[Alexandros Papanastasiou]]
| term_start7 = 5 June 1932
| term_end7 = 3 November 1932
| primeminister7 =
| predecessor7 = [[Alexandros Papanastasiou]]
| successor7 = [[Panagis Tsaldaris]]
| term_start8 = 16 January 1933
| term_end8 = 6 March 1933
| primeminister8 =
| predecessor8 = [[Panagis Tsaldaris]]
| successor8 = [[Alexandros Othonaios]]
| birth_date = {{birth date|1864|08|23|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Eleftherios Venizelos, Crete|Mournies]], [[Chania]], [[Crete]], [[Ottoman Empire]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|1936|03|18|1864|08|23|df=y}}
| death_place = 22 rue Beaujon, [[Paris]], [[France]]
| nationality = [[Greeks|Greek]]
| party = [[Liberal Party (Greece)|Liberal Party]]
| otherparty =
| spouse = Maria Katelouzou, Elena Skylitsi
| relations =
| children = Kyriakos Venizelos, [[Sophoklis Venizelos]]
| residence =
| alma_mater =
| occupation =
| profession = [[Lawyer]]
| religion = [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Christian Orthodox]]
| signature = Venizelos_signature.jpg
| website =
| footnotes =
}}
'''Eleftherios Venizelos''' (full name ''Elefthérios Kyriákou Venizélos'', [[Greek language|Greek]]: Ελευθέριος Κυριάκου Βενιζέλος) ([[Eleftherios Venizelos, Crete|Mournies]] [[Chania]], [[23 August]] [[1864]] - [[Paris]], [[18 March]] [[1936]]) was a [[Greeks|Greek]] revolutionist, a prominent statesman and a charismatic leader in the early 20th century.<ref name="BK1">Kitromilides, 2006, p. 178</ref><ref name="TA0">[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,717746-1,00.html 'Liberty Still Rules'], [[Time (magazine)|TIME]], Feb. 18, 1924</ref><ref name="BA0">{{cite encyclopedia | title = Venizélos, Eleuthérios | encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica Online | date = 2008 | url = http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9075030}}</ref> Elected to several times as [[Prime Minister]] of Greece and served from 1910 to 1920 and from 1928 to 1932. Venizelos had such profound influence on the internal and external affairs of Greece that he is credited with being ''"the maker of modern Greece"''.<ref>Duffield J. W., The New York Times, October 30, 1921, Sunday, [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9505E1DD103EEE3ABC4850DFB667838A639EDE link]</ref>
His first entry into the international scene was with his significant role in the autonomy of the [[Cretan State]] and later in the union of [[Crete]] with Greece. Soon, he was invited to Greece to resolve the political dead-lock and became the Prime Minister. He initiated not only constitutional and economic reforms to set the basis for the modernization of the Greek society, but also reorganized the army and navy for the subsequent conflicts. In the [[Balkan wars]] (1912–1913), Venizelos' catalytic role to [[Balkan League]]'s creation (an alliance of the Balkan states against Turkey) and with his leadership, Greece doubled in area and population with the liberation of [[Macedonia (Greece)| Macedonia]], [[Epirus (region)|Epirus]], and the rest of [[Aegean islands]]. In the [[World War I]] (1914–1918), he brought Greece on the side of the [[Allies of World War I|Allies]], further expanding the Greek boarders. However, with his foreign policies he came in direct conflict with the [[monarchy]], causing the [[National Schism]]. The Schism polarized the population between the [[Monarchism|royalists]] and [[Venizelism|Venizelists]] (supporters of Venizelos) and the struggle for power between the two groups afflicted the political and social life of Greece for decades. Despite his achievements Venizelos was defeated in the 1920 General Election, which later triggered the defeat in the [[Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922)|Greco-Turkish War]] (1919–1922). In the subsequent periods in office, Venizelos succeeded in restoring normal relations with Greece's neighbors and expanded his constitutional, economical reforms. In 1935 Venizelos came out of retirement to support a military coup and its failure severely weakened the [[Second Hellenic Republic]]; a republic he had created.
==Origins and early years==
===Ancestors===
In the eighteenth century the ancestors of Venizelos were surnamed Cravvatas and lived at [[Mistra]] ([[Sparta]]). During the [[Albanian]] invasion of the [[Peloponnesus]], in 1770, one member of the Cravvatas family, Venizelos Cravvatas, the youngest of several brothers, managed to escape to Crete, where he established himself. His sons discarded their patronymic and called themselves Venizelos.<ref name="Chester4">Chester, 1921, p. 4</ref>
===Family and education===
Eleftherios was born in [[Eleftherios Venizelos, Crete|Mournies]], near [[Chania]] (also known as [[Canea]]) in then–Ottoman [[Crete]] to [[Kyriakos Venizelos]], a Cretan revolutionary.<ref name="SI1">{{cite web | last = Mitsotaki | first = Zoi | coauthors = | title = Venizelos the Cretan. His roots and his family | publisher = National Foundation Research | date = 2008 | url = http://www.venizelos-foundation.gr/endocs/biofamily.jsp }}</ref> When the [[Cretan Revolt (1866–1869)|Cretan revolution of 1866]] broke out, Venizelos' family fled to the island of [[Syros]], due to the participation of his father in the revolution.<ref name="BK3"> Chester, 1921, p. 4 </ref> They were not allowed to return to Crete, and stayed in Syros until 1872, when [[Abdülaziz]] granted an amnesty.
He spent his final year of secondary education at a school in [[Ermoupolis]] in Syros from which he received his Certificate in 1880. In 1881 he enrolled at the Law School of the [[University of Athens]] and got his degree in Law with excellent grades. He returned in Crete in 1886. There he worked as a lawyer in Chania. Throughout his life he had a passion for reading, and was constantly improving his skills in English, Italian, German and French.<ref name="Chester4"/>
===Entry into politics===
The situation in Crete during Venizelos' early years was fluid. The [[Turkish government]] was undermining the reforms, which were made under international pressure, while the Cretan desired to see the Sultan, [[Abdul Hamid II]], abandoning ''"the ungrateful infidels"''.<ref name="Ion277">Ion, 1910, p. 277</ref> Under these unstable conditions, Venizelos entered into politics in the elections of [[2 April]], [[1889]] as a member of the island's liberal party.<ref name="SI1"/> As a deputy, he was distinguished for his eloquence and his radical opinions.<ref>Kitromilides, 2006, p. 45, 47</ref>
==Political career in Crete==
===The Cretan uprising===
{{seealso|History of Crete}}
====Background====
The numerous revolutions in Crete, during and after the [[Greek War of Independence]], (1821, 1833, 1841, 1858, 1866, 1878, 1889, 1895, 1897)<ref>Kitromilides, 2006, p. 16</ref> were the result of the Cretans' desire for Enosis — Union with Greece.<ref>Clogg, 2002, p. 65</ref> In the [[Cretan Revolt (1866–1869)|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 Halepa|Pact of Chalepa]]. Later the Pact was included in the provisions of the [[Treaty of Berlin (1878)|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]] in Crete as a means of limiting their desire to rise up against their [[Ottoman empire|Ottoman overlords]].<ref name="BR1">{{cite encyclopedia | title = Pact of Halepa | encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica Online | date = 2008 | url = http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9038873 }}</ref> However, the [[Cretan Turks|Muslims of Crete]], who identified with Ottoman Turkey, were not satisfied by these reforms, as in their view the administration was delivered to the hands of the Christian Greek inhabitants of the island. In practice, the Ottoman Empire failed to enforce the provisions of the Pact, thus fueling the tensions between the two communities; instead, the Ottoman authorities attempted to maintain order by the dispatching of substantial military reinforcements in the 1880–1896 period. Throughout that period, the ''Cretan Question'' was a major issue of friction in the relations of [[Kingdom of Greece|independent Greece]] with the Ottoman Empire.
[[Image:Chania_1897.jpg|thumb|left|200px|A district of Chania after the fire in the events of 1897.]]
In January 1897, violence and disorder was escalating on the island, thus polarizing the population. Massacres against the Christian population took place in [[Chania]]<ref name="Kitromilides.p58">Kitromilides, 2006, p. 58</ref><ref name="NW1">Lowell Sun (newspaper), 6/2/1897, p. 1</ref><ref name="BK2">Holland, 2006, p. 87</ref><ref name="SI3"/> and [[Rethimno]].<ref name="SI3">{{cite web | last = Papadakis | first = Nikolaos E. | coauthors = | title = Eleftherios Venizelos His path between two revolutions 1889-1897 | publisher = National Foundation Research | date = 2008 | url = http://www.venizelos-foundation.gr/endocs/biomid.jsp }}</ref><ref>Holland, 2006, p. 91</ref><ref>Chester, 1921, p. 35</ref> The Greek government, pressured by public opinion, intransigent political elements, extreme nationalist groups, [[Ethniki Etairia]]<ref>Chester, 1921, p. 34</ref>, and the Great Powers reluctant to intervene, decided to send warships and personnel to assist the Cretan Greeks.<ref>Kitromilides, 2006, p. 30</ref> The 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]] on [[3 February]], [[1897]],<ref>Kitromilides, 2006, p. 62</ref> and its commanding officer, Colonel [[Timoleon Vassos]] declared that he was taking over the island "in the name of the [[George I of Greece|King of the Hellenes]]" and that he was announcing the union of Crete with Greece.<ref>Kerofilias, 1915, p. 14</ref> This led to an uprising that spread immediately throughout the island. The Great Powers decided with their fleets to blockade Crete and land their troops, thus stopping the Greek army force from approaching Chania.<ref name="Dunningp367">Dunning, Jun. 1987, p. 367</ref>
====The events at Akrotiri====
Venizelos, at that time, was in a electoral tour of the island. Once, he ''"saw Canea in flames"'',<ref>Chester, 1921, p. 35–36</ref> he hurried to [[Malaxa, Crete|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 (Crete)|Akrotiri]] in order to displace them from the plains (Malaxa is in a higher altitude). Venizelos' subsequence 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.<ref name="Kitromilides.p58"/> Venizelos spent the night in Akrotiri and a [[Greek flag]] was raised. The [[Military of the Ottoman Empire|Turkish forces]] requested help from the foreign admirals and attacked the rebels, thus the ships of the Great Powers bombarded 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:
{{cquote|On 20th of February [he] was ordered by the admirals to lower the flag and disband his rebel force. He refused!<ref>Gibbons, p. 24</ref> }}
{{cquote|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?<ref>Kerofilias, 1915, p. 13–14</ref>}}
{{cquote|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"<ref>Leeper, 1916, p. 183–184</ref> }}
{{cquote|Under the smooth diplomat of today is the revolutionist who prodded the Turks out of Crete and the bold chieftain who camped with a little band of rebels on a hilltop above [[Canea]] and there he defied the consuls and the fleets of all the [Great] Powers!<ref>Anne O'Hare, McCormark, ''Venizelos the new Ulysses of Hellas'', The New York Times Magazine, 2 September, p. 14</ref>}}
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.<ref>Kitromilides, 2006, p. 63–64</ref> The letter was deliberately leaked to the international press, evoking emotional reactions in Greece and in [[Europe]], where the sight of Christians, who wanted their freedom and bombarded by Christian vessels, caused popular indignation. Throughout western Europe much popular sympathy for the cause of the Christians in Crete was manifested, and much popular applause was bestowed on the Greeks.<ref name="Dunningp367"/>
====The war in Thessaly====
{{details|Greco-Turkish War (1897)}}
The Great Powers sent a verbal note on [[2 March]] to the governments of Greece and Ottoman Empire. The note was presenting a possible solution to the ''Cretan Question'', and that was Crete to become an autonomous state under the suzerainty of the Sultan.<ref name="Ion277"/> [[Porte]] replied on [[5 March]] and accepting in principle the proposals, but on [[8 March]] the Greek government rejected the proposal as not a satisfactory solution and instead asked the union of Crete with Greece as the only solution.
Venizelos as representative of the Cretan rebels, met the admirals of the Great Powers on a Russian [[warship]], on [[7 March]], [[1987]]. Even though at the meeting no progress was made, he persuaded the admirals to send him under their protection on a tour of the island in order to explore the people's opinions on the question autonomy versus union.<ref>Kitromilides, 2006, p. 65</ref> At the time, the majority of the Cretan population initially supported the union, but the subsequent events in Thessaly turned the public opinion to autonomy as an intermediate step.
The Ottoman Empire, in reaction to the rebellion of Crete and the assistance sent by Greece, had relocated a significant part of its army in the Balkans to the north of [[Thessaly]], close to the borders with Greece.<ref>Rose, 1897, p. 2-3</ref> Greece in reply reinforced its borders in Thessaly. However, irregular Greek forces, who were members of [[Ethniki Etairia]] (followers of the [[Megali Idea]]) acted without orders and raided Turkish outposts,<ref>Dunning, June 1897, p. 368</ref> leading the Ottoman Empire to declare war on Greece on [[17 April]]; the war became known as [[Greco-Turkish War (1897)|Greco-Turkish War of 1897]]. The Turkish army was better prepared, due to the recent reforms carried out by a German mission under [[Colmar Freiherr von der Goltz|Baron von der Goltz]], and the [[Greek army]] was in retreat within weeks. The Great Powers again intervened and an armistice was signed in May 1897.<ref name="Dunningp744">Dunning Dec. 1897, p. 744</ref>
====Conclusion====
The humiliating defeat of Greece in the [[Greco-Turkish War (1897)|Greco-Turkish war]] costing small territorial losses at the border line in northern [[Thessaly]] and an indemnity of £4,000,000,<ref name="Dunningp744"/> turned into a diplomatic victory. The [[Great Powers]] ([[United Kingdom|Britain]], [[French Third Republic|France]], [[Russian Empire|Russia]], and [[Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)|Italy]]), following the massacre in [[Heraklion]] on [[25 August]],<ref name="SI3"/><ref>Ion, 1910, p. 278</ref><ref name="Kitromilidesp68">Kitromilides, 2006, p. 68</ref> imposed a final solution on the ''Cretan Question''; Crete was proclaimed an [[autonomy|autonomous]] [[Cretan State]] under Ottoman [[suzerainty]].
Venizelos played an important role towards this solution not only as the leader of the Cretan rebels but also as a skilled diplomat with his frequent communication with the admirals of the Great Powers.<ref name="Kitromilidesp68"/> The four Great Powers assumed the administration of Crete; and [[Prince George of Greece]] (second son of [[George I of Greece|King George I]]) became High Commissioner (''Armostis''), with Venizelos serving as his minister of Justice from 1899 to 1901.<ref name="SU2">{{cite web | last = Manousakis | first = George | coauthors = | title = Eleftherios Venizelos during the years of the High Commissionership of Prince George (1898-1906) | publisher = National Foundation Research | date = 2008 | url = http://www.venizelos-foundation.gr/endocs/bioarm.jsp }}</ref> The European powers helped Prince George to create a [[Cretan Gendarmerie]] for enforcing the law in the island.
=== Autonomous Cretan State ===
{{seealso|Cretan State}}
[[Image:Comité_exécutif_de_Crète.jpg|thumb|right|280px|The council of Crete in which Venizelos participated. He is the second from the left.]]
Prince George was appointed High Commissioner of the Cretan State for a three-year term.<ref name="SU2"/> 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 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.
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"''.<ref name="Kerofiliasp30-31">Kerofilias, 1915, p. 30–31</ref> 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 rejected his request.<ref name="SU2"/><ref name="Kerofiliasp30-31"/>
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.<ref name="SU2"/> Relations between the two men became increasingly soured, and Venizelos repeatedly submitted his resignation.<ref>Kerofilias, 1915, p. 33</ref>
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 were still present, and that the Great Powers were governing thought their representative, the Prince. Venizelos suggested that once the Prince's service expired, then the 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 the their representatives, then the union with Greece would be easier to achieve. This proposal was exploited by Venizelos' opponents, who accused him that he wanted 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.<ref name="SU2"/>
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"''.<ref name="SU2"/><ref>Chester, 1921, p. 82</ref> 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]] Revolution, whose leader he was.
===Revolution of Theriso===
On [[10 March]], [[1905]], the rebels gathered in Theriso and declared "the political union of Crete with Greece as a single free constitutional state";<ref>Chester, 1921, p. 95</ref> the resolution was given to the Great Powers, where it was arguing that the illegitimate transient arrangement was preventing the island's economic growth and the only natural solution to the ''Cretan Question'' was the union with Greece. The High Commissioner with the approval of the Great Powers replied to the rebels that they would use military force to impose their decisions.<ref name="SU2"/> However, more deputies joined with Venizelos, in Theriso. The Great Powers' consuls met with Venizelos in Mournies, in an attempt to achieve an agreement, but without any results.
[[Image:Comité_de_rédaction_de_la_constitution_crétoise_1906-1907.jpg|thumb|left|280px|Committee for the draft of a new constitution for Crete in 1906–07.]]
The revolutionary government asked that Crete to be granted a regime similar with that of [[Eastern Rumelia]]. On [[18 July]], the Great Powers declared military law, but it did not discourage the rebels. On [[15 August]], the regular assembly in Chania voted most from the reforms that Venizelos proposed. The Great Powers' consuls met Venizelos in a new meeting and they accepted the reforms Venizelos had proposed. This led to the end of the revolution of Theriso and to the resignation of Prince George as the High Commissioner. The Great Powers assigned to the king of Greece, George I, the election of a new Commissioner. An ex-Prime Minister of Greece, [[Alexandros Zaimis]], was chosen for the place of High Commissioner, and it was allowed for Greek officers and non-commissioned officers to undertake the organization of the Cretan Constabulary. As soon as the Constabulary was organized, the foreigner troops began to withdraw from the island. This was also a personal victory for Venizelos who as a result became known throughout Greece and even throughout Europe.<ref name="SU2"/>
Bulgaria gained its independence from the Ottoman Empire on [[5 October]], [[1908]], and one day later [[Franz Joseph]] [[Emperor of Austria]] announced the annexation of [[Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnia-Herzegovina]]. The Cretans, burst out a new revolution in the island. Thousands citizens in Chania and the surrounding regions on that day formed a rally, in which Venizelos declared the union of Crete with the Greece. Having communicated with the government of [[Athens]], Zaimis left to Athens before the rally.
An assembly was convened and it declared the independence of Crete, the civil servants were put under oath faith in the name of the king George I of Greece, while a fivefold Executive Committee was created with the command to control the island for the king George I of Greece and according to the laws of Greek state. Chairman of committee was the Michelidakis and Venizelos became minister of Justice and Foreign Affairs. In April 1910 new assembly was convened, and Venizelos was elected chairman and then became Prime Minister. All the foreigner troops left from Crete and the power transfered entirely to Venizelos' government.<ref>{{cite web | last = Archontaki | first = Stefania | coauthors = | title = 1906-1910, The Preparation and Emergence of Venizelos on the Greek Political Stage - Venizelos as Prime Minister | publisher = National Foundation Research | date = 2008 | url = http://www.venizelos-foundation.gr/endocs/bio06-10.jsp }}</ref>
==Political Career in Greece==
===Goudi military revolution of 1909===
{{details|Military League}}
In May 1909, a number of officers in the Greek army emulating the [[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]] with their supporters forcing the [[Dimitrios Rallis]]' government to resign and a new one was formed with [[Kiriakoulis Mavromichalis]]. An inaugurating period of direct military pressure upon the Chamber followed, but the initial public support to the League quickly evaporated when it became apparent that the officers did not know how to implement their demands.<ref name="Mazo886"/> The political dead-end remained till the League invited Venizelos from Crete to undertake the leadership.<ref name="BA1">{{cite encyclopedia | title = Military League | encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica Online | date = 2008 | url = http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9052680}}</ref>
Venizelos went to Athens and after consulting with the Military League and with representatives of the political world, proposed a new government and [[Hellenic Parliament|Parliament's]] reformation. His proposals were considered, by the King and Greek politicians as dangerous for the political regime. However, King George I, fearing the escalation of the crisis, convened a council with political leaders, and recommended them to accept Venizelos' proposals. The King, after a lot of postponements, he agreed to assign [[Stephanos Dragoumis]] (Venizelos' indication) for forming a new government, which would lead the country to elections once the League was disbanded.<ref>Chester, 1921, p. 129–133</ref> 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 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, and on [[28 November]] [[1910]], Venizelos' party won 300 seats out of 362, most of which were new in the political scene.<ref name="Mazo886">Mazower, 1992, p. 886</ref> Venizelos formed a government and started to reorganize the economic, political, and national affairs of the country.
===The reforms in 1910-1914===
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.<ref name="NF1910">{{cite web | last = Gardika-Katsiadaki | first = Eleni | coauthors = | title = Period 1910 - 1914 | publisher = National Foundation Research | date = 2008 | url = http://www.venizelos-foundation.gr/endocs/bio10-14.jsp }}</ref>
On [[20 May]], [[1911]], a revision of the Constitution was completed, which focussed on the strengthening of individual freedoms, the introduction of measures to facilitate the legislative work of the Parliament, the establishment of obligatory [[elementary education]], the legal right for compulsory [[expropriation]], the safeguarding of the permanence of 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 the consolidation of public security and the rule of law as well as the development of 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]] and friend of Venizelos.<ref name="NF1910"/> Between 1911 and 1912 a number of laws aiming to initiate [[labor legislation]] in Greece were promulgated. Particular measures against child labor and night-shift work for women, and regulated the hours of the working week and Sunday closing, and provided for labor organizations.<ref>Kyriakou, 2002, p. 491–492</ref> Venizelos also took measures for the improvement of management, of justice and security and for the settlement of the landless peasants of Thessaly.<ref name="NF1910"/>
===The Balkan Wars===
{{details|Balkan Wars}}
====Background====
[[Image:Balkan_states_1899.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The boundaries of the Balkan states in 1899.]]
At the time there were diplomatic contacts with [[Ottoman Empire|Turks]] to initiate reforms in Macedonia and in [[Thrace]], which at the time were under the control of Ottoman Empire, for improving the living conditions of the Christian populations. Failure of the reforms would leave the only option of removing Turkey from the [[Balkans]], an option that most Balkan countries shared. This last option appeared feasible to Venizelos, because Turkey was under a [[Young Turks|constitutional transition]] and its administrative mechanism was disorganized and weakened.<ref>Hall, 2000, p. 1–9</ref> Also, there was no fleet capable to transport forces from [[Asia Minor]] to Europe, while the Greek fleet was dominating the [[Aegean Sea]]. Venizelos did not want to make any immediate major movements in the Balkans, until the Greek army and navy were reorganized (an effort that had begun from the last government of [[Georgios Theotokis]]) and the Greek economy is recovered.<ref>Kitromilides, 2006, p. 141</ref> Hence, Venizelos proposed to Turkey to recognize the Cretans the right to send deputies to the Greek Parliament, for closing the ''Cretan Question''. However, the [[Young Turks]] (feeling confident after the [[Greco-Turkish War (1897)|Greco-Turkish war in 1897]]) threated that they will make a military walk to Athens, if the Greeks insisted to such claims.
====Balkan League====
{{details|Balkan League}}
[[Image:Balkans-ethnique.JPG|thumb|left|200px|Ethnic map of the Balkans prior to the [[First Balkan War]].]]
Venizelos, seeing no improvements coming after his approach with the Turks concerning the ''Cretan Question'' and at the same time not wanting to see Greece remaining inactive as it happened in the [[Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878)|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 with the other Balkan counties, [[Serbia]], [[Bulgaria]] and [[Montenegro]], in an alliance known as [[Balkan League]]. [[Constantine I of Greece|Crown Prince Constantine]] was sent to represent Greece in a royal feast in [[Sofia]], and Bulgarian students were invited in Athens, in 1911.<ref>Chester, 1921, p. 150</ref> These events had a positive impact and on [[30 May]], [[1912]] Greece and Bulgaria signed a treaty. It provided mutual support in case of attack on either country by Turkey. The negotiations with Serbia, which Venizelos initiated for a similar agreement, were concluded in early 1913,<ref name="Kitromilidesp145">Kitromilides, 2006, p. 145</ref> before that there were only oral agreements.<ref>Hall, 2000, p. 13</ref>
Montenegro opened hostilities by declaring war on Turkey on [[8 October]], [[1912]]. On [[18 September]], [[1912]], Greece along with her Balkan allies, declared the war on Turkey, thus joining into the First Balkan war.<ref name="Kitromilidesp145"/> On [[1 October]], in a regular session of the Parliament Venizelos announced the declaration of war to Turkey and accepting the Cretan deputies, thus closing the ''Cretan Question'', with the declaration of the union of Crete with Greece. The Greek population received these developments with a big enthusiasm.
====First Balkan War====
{{details|First Balkan War}}
[[Image:Balkan belligerants 1914.jpg|thumb|right|280px|Territorial changes as a result of the First Balkan war, as of April 1913]]
The army, with the Constantine in command, marched to Macedonia, achieving many victories. This period was marked by Venizelos' well-known disagreement with Constantine, concerning the course of the army should follow and which cities should be liberated first. After the victory of the Greek army at [[Battle of Sarantaporo|Sarantaporo]], Venizelos intervened and insisted that [[Thessaloniki]], which was a major and strategic port in the surrounding area, must be taken at all costs. Venizelos not only sent the following telegraph to General Staff saying:
{{cquote|Salonique à tout prix!<ref name="Chesterp159-160">Chester, 1921, p. 159–160</ref>}}
but also he kept frequent communication with the King for preventing the Prince marching north, towards [[Bitola|Monastir]].<ref name="Chesterp159-160"/> Venizelos' opinion prevailed and on [[26 October]], [[1912]], the Greek army entered [[Thessaloniki]], shortly ahead of the [[Bulgarians]].<ref>Hall, 2000, p. 61–62</ref> The Cretan Gendarmerie was ordered to be transfered to Thessaloniki and maintain order in the city. Indeed, in the city of Thessaloniki the largest single element in the city's population comprised [[Sephardic Jews]], the descendants of the [[Jews]] expelled from [[Spain]] in 1492, who continued to speak Spanish. Elsewhere in ''New Greece'', as the recently acquired territories came to be known, there were substantial [[Slavic]], [[Muslim]] (mainly Turkish), [[Vlach]], and [[Gypsy]] populations.<ref>Pentzopoulos, 2002, p. 28, 132</ref><ref name="BA2"/> Like the Jews, many of these populations did not look upon the Greeks as liberators.<ref name="BA2">{{cite encyclopedia | title = History of Greece | encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica Online | date = 2008 | url = http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-26429}}</ref>
Once the campaign in Macedonia was complete, however, a large part of the Greek army under the Crown Prince was redeployed to [[Epirus (region)|Epirus]], and in the [[Battle of Bizani]] the Ottoman positions were overcome and [[Ioannina]] taken on [[22 February]], [[1913]].<ref name="BA2"/> Meanwhile the Greek navy rapidly occupied the Aegean islands still under Ottoman rule, while it prevented the Turks bringing reinforcements to Balkans.<ref>Chester, 1921, p. 161–164</ref><ref>Hall, 2000, p. 17</ref>
On [[20 November]], Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria signed truce with Turkey. It followed a conference in London, where Greece took part, even though the Greek army continued its enterprises in the area. The conference led to the [[Treaty of London (1913)|Treaty of London]] between the allies and Turkey.
====Second Balkan War====
{{details|Second Balkan War}}
[[Image:Map_Greece_expansion_1832-1947-en.svg|thumb|right|200px|The territorial expansion of Greece 1832–1947.]]
Nevertheless, the Bulgarians wanted to become the hegemonic force in the Balkans and made excessive claims, while Serbia asked for more territories than it had initially agreed to with the Bulgarians, due to the additional help it had provided for Bulgaria in Thrace. Bulgarians also laid claims on Thessaloniki, since they wanted access to [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean waters]]. In the conference of London, Venizelos clarified to the Bulgarians, that Thessaloniki belonged to Greece, mainly by citing the fact that it was captured first by the Greek army.<ref>Chester, 1921, p. 169</ref>
The rupture between the allies due to the Bulgarian claims was inevitable, and Bulgaria found itself standing against Greece and Serbia. On [[19 May]], [[1913]], a pact of alliance was signed in Thessaloniki between Greece and Serbia. On [[19 June]] the Second Balkan War started with a surprise Bulgarian assault to the Serbian and Greek positions.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | title = Bulgaria, The Balkan Wars | encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica Online | date = 2008 | url = http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-42742 }}</ref> Constantine, now being King after his father's assassination in March 1913,<ref>The Times (London) 19 March 1913 p.6</ref> turned the Bulgarian forces away from Thessaloniki and pushed them further away with repeated victories. Bulgaria was overwhelmed by the Greek and Serbian armies, while in the north the [[Romanian army]] was marching towards Sofia; the Bulgarians asked for truce. Venizelos went to [[Vyroneia]], where the Greek headquarters were, to determine with Constantine what the territorial claims of Greece in the peace conference would be. Thus he went to [[Bucharest]], where a peace conference was assembled. On [[28 June]], [[1913]] a peace treaty was signed with Greece, Montenegro, Serbia and Romania on one side and Bulgaria on the other. All Greek claims were accepted, thus gaining Macedonia, [[Epirus (periphery)|Epirus]], Crete and the rest of the [[Aegean islands]].<ref>Tucker, 1999, p. 107</ref>
===World War I and Greece===
{{seealso|World War I||Balkans Campaign (World War I)}}
====Dispute over Greece's role in World War I====
The [[World War I]] started in the autumn of 1914, soon after the end of the [[Balkan Wars]], and up to 1915, Greece remained neutral. Venizelos supported an alliance with the [[Triple Entente|Entente]], not only believing that [[United Kingdom|Britain]] and [[France]] would win, but also it was the only choice for Greece, due to combination of the strong Anglo-French naval control of 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:
{{cquote| One cannot kick against geography!<ref>Seligman, 1920, p. 31</ref>}}
On the other hand, Constantine favored the [[Central Powers]] and wanted Greece to remain neutral.<ref name="BA3">{{cite encyclopedia | title = World War I - Greek Affairs | encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica Online | date = 2008 | url = http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-53151}}</ref> He was influenced both by his belief in the military superiority of [[German Empire|Germany]] and also by his German wife, [[Sophia of Prussia|Queen Sophia]], and his pro-German court. He therefore strove to secure a neutrality which would be favorable to Germany and [[Austria-Hungary|Austria]].<ref name="NF3">{{cite web | last = Theodorakis | first = Emanouil | coauthors = Manousakis George | title = First World War 1914–1918 | publisher = National Foundation Research | date = 2008 | url = http://www.venizelos-foundation.gr/endocs/bio14-18.jsp }}</ref>
In 1915, [[Winston Churchill]] (then First Lord of the Admiralty) suggested to Greece to take action in [[Dardanelles]] on behalf of the allies.<ref name="W01">[http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/minorpowers_greece.htm Firstworldwar.com] ''The Minor Powers During World War One - Greece''</ref> 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]].<ref name="NF3"/> Venizelos' party won the elections and formed a new government.
====The National Schism====
{{main|National Schism}}
{{seealso|Venizelism}}
[[Image:VenizelosConstantine.jpg|thumb|left|200px|King Constantine and Prime Minister, Venizelos, during the Balkan Wars, before the National Schism.]]
Even though Venizelos promised to remain neutral, after the elections of 1915, Bulgaria's attack on Serbia, with which Greece had a treaty of alliance, obliged him to abandon that policy. The dispute between the Venizelos and the King reached its height shortly after and the King invoked the [[Greek Constitution of 1911|Greek constitutional provision]] that gave the monarch the right to dismiss a government unilaterally. Meanwhile, using the excuse of saving Serbia, in October 1915, Entente disembarked an army in Thessaloniki.<ref name="BA5">{{cite encyclopedia | title = Constantine I | encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica Online | date = 2008 | url = http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9025982}}</ref>
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 [[Greek legislative election, December 1915|new elections]]. Venizelos left Athens and moved back to Crete. Venizelos did not take part in the elections, as he considered the dissolution of Parliament unconstitutional.<ref>Chester, 1921, p. 271</ref><ref>Kitromilides, 2006, p. 122</ref>
On [[16 August]], [[1916]] there was a rally in Athens, ([[Movement of National Defence]]), where with the support of the allied army, which had landed in Thessaloniki under the command of General [[Maurice Sarrail]], Venizelos announced to the public his complete disagreement with Crown's policies. This had the effect to polarize the population between the [[Monarchism|royalists]] (also known as ''anti-Venezelists''), who supported the crown, and [[Venizelist]]s, who supported Venizelos. On [[30 August]], [[1916]], Venizelist army officers organized a military coup in Thessaloniki, and proclaimed the "Temporary Government of [[Movement of National Defence|National Defence]]". There, they founded a new "state" including Northern Greece, Crete and the Aegean Islands, with the support of the Entente.<ref>Clogg, 2002, p. 87</ref>
Towards the end of 1916 France and Britain, after failing to persuade the royalist government of Alexandros Zaimis to enter the war, officially recognized the ''National Defence'' government as the lawful government of Greece, and moreover decided to remove King Constantine, and place his second son [[Alexander of Greece (king)|Alexander]] in the throne of Greece. After, a naval blockade to major coastal Greek cities and threats of bombardment of Athens, by Entente's ships, King Constantine self-exiled to [[Switzerland]] on [[11 June]], [[1917]].<ref>Chester, 1921, p. 295–304</ref><ref name="TA1">[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,764941-2,00.html Land of Invasion], [[Time (magazine)| TIME]], 4 Nov 1940 </ref>
====Greece joins World War I====
{{main|Macedonian front (World War I)}}
[[Image:Venizelos_WWI_1918.jpg|thumb|right|280px|Venizelos reviews a section of the Greek army on the [[Macedonian front]] during the [[First World War]], 1918. He is accompanied by Admiral [[Pavlos Koundouriotis]] (left) and General [[Maurice Sarrail]] (right).]]
On [[29 May]], [[1917]], after the exile of Constantine to Switzerland and the succession of Alexander, Venizelos returned to Athens; he allied with the Entente and declared war on the Central Powers. Greek military forces (though divided between supporters of the [[House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg|monarchy]] and supporters of Venizelos) began to take part in military operations against the [[Bulgarian army]] on the border. By the fall of 1918, the Greek army, with nine divisions, was the largest part of the Allied army in Greece.
Under the command of French General [[Franchet d'Esperey]], a combined French, Serbian, Greek and [[British army]] launched a major offensive against the Bulgarian and [[German Army (German Empire)|German army]], starting on [[14 September]], [[1918]]. The Bulgarians quickly gave up their defensive positions and began retreating back towards their country. On [[30 September]], the Bulgarian government asked for an armistice. The army then attacked north and defeated the German and [[Austro-Hungarian Army|Austrian forces]] that tried to halt his offensive and by October 1918 the Allied army had recaptured all of Serbia and was preparing to invade Hungary proper. The offensive halted only because the Hungarian leadership offered to surrender in November 1918.
Even though the Greek army ended up playing a small role in one of the final campaigns of World War I, Greece earned a seat at the [[Paris Peace Conference, 1919|Paris Peace Conference]].
====Conclusion of World War I & Treaty of Sèvres====
{{seealso|Paris Peace Conference (1919)}}
[[Image:Treaty_of_Serves_Greece.jpg|thumb|right|280px| Map of Great Greece – after the [[Treaty of Sèvres]] and featuring Eleftherios Venizelos, a proponent of [[Megali Idea]].]]
Following the conclusion of World War I, Venizelos took part in the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, as Greece's representative. During his absence from Greece for almost two years, he acquired a reputation as an international statesman of considerable stature.<ref name="TA0"/><ref name="BA0"/> President [[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.<ref>Chester, 1921, p. 6</ref>
In July 1919 Venizelos reached agreement with the Italians on the cession of the [[Dodecanese]], and secured an extension of the Greek area of occupation in the periphery of [[İzmir|Smyrna]]. The [[Treaty of Neuilly]] with Bulgaria on [[27 November]] [[1919]], and the [[Treaty of Sèvres]] with Turkey on [[10 August]] [[1920]], were triumphs both for Venizelos and for Greece.<ref name="TA0"/><ref name="Kitromilidesp165">Kitromilides, 2006, p. 165</ref><ref name="Chesterp320">Chester, 1921, p. 320</ref> As the result of these treaties, Greece acquired [[Western Thrace]], [[Eastern Thrace]], Smyrna, the Aegean islands [[Imvros]], [[Tenedos]] and Dodecanese except [[Rhodes]].<ref name="Kitromilidesp165"/>
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, Venizelos faced an assassination attack by two royalists soldiers at the [[Gare de Lyon]] railway station in Paris, on [[12 August]].<ref name="NY1"> {{Citation| last = | first = | title = Venizelos shot, twice wounded by Greeks in Paris | newspaper = New York Times | pages = 1 | year = 1920 | date = 13 August 1920 | url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9F06E7DA1E31E433A25750C1A96E9C946195D6CF}}</ref> This event provoked unrest in Greece and provided further fuel for the national division. The persecution of Venizelos' opponents reached a climax with the assassination of the idiosyncratic anti-Venizelist [[Ion Dragoumis]]<ref name="NF3"/> by [[paramilitary]] Venizelists on [[13 August]].<ref>Kitromilides, 2006, p. 129</ref> After his recovery, Venizelos returned to Greece, where he was welcomed as a hero, because he had liberated areas with Greek populations and the creation of a state ''"of five seas and two continents"''.<ref name="NF3"/>
===1920 electoral defeat and the Great Disaster===
{{seealso|Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922)|Great Fire of Smyrna}}
[[Image:TIME cover Eleftherios Venizelos.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Eleftherios Venizelos on the cover of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine, 18 February 1924.]]
King Alexander died of blood poisoning caused by a bite from a monkey, two months after the sign of the treaty, on [[2 October]] [[1920]]. His death, revived the constitutional question whether Greece should be a [[monarchy]] or a [[republic]] and it transformed the elections due in November 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.<ref name="Clogg95">Clogg, 2002, p. 95</ref> The defeat came as a surprise to most people, and Venizelos failed even to be elected as an MP.<ref name="NF3"/> Venizelos himself attributed it to the war-weariness of the Greek people, that had been under arms with almost no intermission since 1912. While, Venizelists believed that the promise of demobilization and withdrawal from Asia Minor was the most potent weapon of opposition. Abuse of power by Venizelists in the period 1917–1920 and the prosecution of their adversaries were also a further cause for the people to vote the opposition.<ref>Kitromilides, 2006, p. 131</ref> Thus, on [[6 December]] [[1920]], King Constantine was recalled by a [[Greek plebiscite, 1920|plebiscite]].<ref name="NF3"/> This caused great dissatisfaction not only to the newly liberated populations in Asia Minor, but also to the Great Powers who opposed the return of Constantine.<ref name="Clogg95"/> As a result of his defeat, Venizelos left for Paris, withdrawing from politics.<ref name="NF4">{{cite web | last = Theodorakis | first = Emanouil | coauthors = Manousakis George | title = Period 1920 – 1922 | publisher = National Foundation Research | date = 2008 | url = http://www.venizelos-foundation.gr/endocs/bio20-23.jsp }}</ref>
Once the anti-Venizelists came to power it became apparent that they intended to continue the campaign in Asia Minor. However, the following actions influenced the subsequent course of the war. The dismissal of the pro-Venizelos military officers with war experience for political reasons,<ref name="Clogg95"/> and underestimating the capabilities of the Turkish army,<ref name="NF4"/> while Italy and France found the royal restoration useful pretext for making their peace with [[Mustafa Kemal]] (leader of the Turks). In April 1921, all Great Powers have declared their neutrality; Greece was the only continuing the war.<ref name="Clogg96">Clogg, 2002, p. 96</ref> Kemal launched a massive attack on [[26 August]] and the Greeks forces were routed to Smyrna, which later fell to the Turks in [[8 September]], [[1922]] (see [[Great Fire of Smyrna]]).<ref name="Clogg96"/>
Following the [[Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922)|defeat of the Greek army by the Turks in 1922]], and the subsequent armed insurrection, led by Colonels [[Nikolaos Plastiras]] and [[Stylianos Gonatas]], King Constantine was dethroned (and succeeded by his eldest son, [[George II of Greece|George]]), and [[Trial of the Six|six royalist leaders were executed]].<ref name="BA0"/> 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]]. This had as an effect more than a million Greeks were expelled from Turkey (in exchange for 500,000 Muslims), and Greece was forced to yield eastern Thrace, Imbros and Tenedos to Turkey. This catastrophe marked the end of the [[Megali Idea]]. After an insurrection led by General [[Ioannis Metaxas]] forced King George II into exile, Venizelos returned to Greece and became prime minister once again. However, he left again in 1924 after quarreling with anti-monarchists.
During these absences from power, he translated [[Thucydides]] into [[modern Greek]], although the translation and incomplete commentary were only published in 1940, after his death.
===Return to power in 1928 and subsequent exile===
In the elections held on [[5 July]], [[1928]], Venizelos' party regained power and forced the government to hold [[Greek legislative election, 1928|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 restore normal relations with Greece's neighbors. His efforts proved to be successful in the cases of the newly founded [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia]], and Italy. First, Venizelos concluded an agreement on [[23 September]], [[1928]] with [[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 [[free trade zone]] of Thessaloniki in a way favorable to Greek interests.<ref>Karamanlis, 1995, p. 55, 70</ref> Nevertheless, despite the co-ordinated British efforts under [[Arthur Henderson]] in 1930–1931, full reconciliation with Bulgaria was never achieved during his premiership.<ref>Karamanlis, 1995, p. 144-146</ref> Venizelos was also cautious towards [[Albania]], and although the 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).<ref>Karamanlis, 1995, p. 158-160</ref>
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 of him in 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 ([[Ismet Inonu]] and [[Tewfik Rushdi]] respectively), declaring that Greece has no territorial aspirations to the detriment of their country. Inonu's response was positive, and Italy was eager to help the two countries to reach an agreement. Negotiations, however, stalled because of the difficult issue of the properties of the [[Population exchange between Greece and Turkey|exchanged populations]]. Finally, the two sides concluded an agreement on [[April 30]], [[1930]]; on [[October 25]], Venizelos visited Turkey, and signed a treaty of friendship.<ref>Clogg, 2002, p. 107</ref> The German [[Chancellor]] [[Hermann Müller (politician)|Hermann Müller]] described the Greek-Turkish rapprochement as the greatest achievements "seen in Europe since the end of the Great War". Nevertheless, Venizelos' initiative was criticized not only by the opposition but also by members of his own party, representing the Greek refugees from Turkey. Venizelos was accused of making many concessions on the issues of the naval armaments, and of the properties of the Greeks who were expelled from Turkey according to the [[Treaty of Lausanne]].<ref>Karamanlis, 1995, p. 95-97</ref>
His domestic position was weakened, however, by the effects of the [[Great Depression]] in the early 1930s;<ref>Black, 1948, p. 94</ref> and in the [[Greek legislative election, 1932|elections of 1932]] he was defeated, by the [[People's Party (Greece)|People's Party]] under [[Panagis Tsaldaris]]. The political climate became more tense, and in 1933 Venizelos was the target of a second assassination attempt.<ref>Clogg, 2002, p. 103</ref> The pro-royalist tendencies of the government led to an attempted [[Greek coup attempt of 1935|military coup]] in March 1935, under the leadership of Venizelos and General Nikolaos Plastiras. After the coup's failure, Venizelos left Greece once more. After his departure, trials and executions of prominent Venizelists were carried out, and he himself sentenced to death ''in absentia''. The severely weakened [[Second Hellenic Republic]] was abolished in October 1935 and George II returned to the throne, following a rigged [[Greek plebiscite, 1935|referendum]].<ref>Black, 1948, p. 93–96</ref>
==Exile and death==
[[Image:EleftheriosVenizelosGraveCloseup.jpg|thumb|right|150px|E. Venizelos gravestone in Akrotiri, near [[Chania]], [[Crete]].]]
Venizelos left for Paris, and on [[12 March]] [[1936]] wrote his last letter, to Alexandros Zannas. He had a stroke on the morning of the 13th and five days later died at his flat at 22 rue Beaujon.<ref>Manolikakis, 1985, p. 18-22; Hélène Veniselos, ''A l'ombre de Veniselos'' (Paris, 1955).</ref> A crowd of supporters from the local [[Greeks in France|Greek community in Paris]] accompanied his body to the railway station prior to its departure for Greece.
His body was taken by the [[destroyer]] [[Greek destroyer Kountouriotis (D 99)|''Pavlos Kountouriotis'']] to Chania, avoiding Athens so as not to cause unrest. He was subsequently buried in Akrotiri, Crete with much ceremony.
==Personal life and family==
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 there, also, their two children were born, Kyriakos in 1892 and [[Sophoklis Venizelos|Sophoklis]] in 1894. Their married life, however, was short and marked by misfortune. Maria died of post-puerperal fever in November 1894 after the birth of their second child, Sophoklis. Her death deeply affected Venizelos and as sign of his mourning, he grew his characteristic beard and mustache, which he retained for the rest of his life.<ref name="SI1"/>
In 1920, after his defeat in the November elections, he left for [[Paris]] in a self-imposed exile. In September 1921, twenty seven years after the death of his first wife Maria, he married in [[Highgate]] in [[London]] an exceedingly wealthy woman called Helena Schilizzi (or Skylitsi) and settled down in Paris in a flat at 22 rue Beaujon. He lived there until 1927, when he returned to Chania.<ref name="SI1"/>
==Footnotes==
{{reflist|4}}
==References==
<div class="references-small" >
{{Col-begin}}
{{Col-2}}
; Prints
*{{cite book
| last = Alastos
| first = D.
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| title = Venizelos, Patriot, Statesman, Revolutionary
| publisher = P. Lund, Humphries & co.
| date = 1942
| location =
| pages =
| url =
| doi =
| id =
| isbn = }}
*{{cite book
| last = Bagger
| first = E. S.
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| title = Eminent Europeans; studies in continental reality
| publisher = G.P. Putnam's Sons
| date = 1922
| location =
| pages =
| url = http://www.archive.org/download/eminenteuropeans00bagg/eminenteuropeans00bagg.pdf
| doi =
| id =
| isbn = }}
*{{cite book
| last = Chester
| first = S. M.
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| title = Life of Venizelos, with a letter from His Excellency M. Venizelos
| publisher = Constable
| date = 1921
| location = London
| pages =
| url = http://www.archive.org/download/lifeofvenizelosw00chesuoft/lifeofvenizelosw00chesuoft.pdf
| doi =
| id =
| isbn = }}
*{{cite book
| last = Clogg
| first = Richard
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| title = A Concise History of Greece
| publisher = Cambridge University Press
| date = 2002
| isbn = 0521004799}}
*{{cite book
| last = Gibbons
| first = H. A.
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| title = Venizelos
| publisher = Houghton Mifflin Company
| date = 1920
| location =
| pages =
| url =
| doi =
| id =
| isbn = }}
*{{cite book
| last = Hall
| first = Richard C.
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| title = The Balkan Wars, 1912-1913: Prelude to the First World War
| publisher = Routledge
| date = 2000
| location =
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| isbn = 0415229464 }}
*{{cite book
| last = Holland
| first = R. F.
| authorlink =
| coauthors = Makrides D.
| title = The British and the Hellenes: Struggles for mastery in the Eastern Mediterranean 1850–1960
| publisher = Oxford University Press
| date = 2006
| location =
| pages =
| url =
| doi =
| id =
| isbn = 0199249962}}
*{{cite book
| last = Karamanlis
| first = Kostas Al.
| authorlink = Kostas Karamanlis
| language = Greek
| coauthors =
| title = Eleftherios Venizelos and the External Relations of Greece 1928–1930
| publisher = Papazisis' Editions
| date = 1995
| location =Athens}}
*{{cite book
| last = Kerofilias
| first = C.
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| title = Eleftherios Venizelos, his life and work
| publisher = John Murray
| date = 1915
| location =
| pages =
| url = http://www.archive.org/download/eleftheriosveniz00kairrich/eleftheriosveniz00kairrich.pdf
| doi =
| id =
| isbn = }}
*{{cite book
| last = Kitromilides
| first = P.
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| title = Eleftherios Venizelos: The Trials of Statesmanship
| publisher = Edinburgh University Press
| date = 2006
| location =
| pages =
| url =
| doi =
| id =
| isbn = 0748624783}}
*{{cite book
| last = Manolikakis
| first = Giannis
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| title = Eleftherios Venizelos: his unknown life
| publisher =
| date = 1985
| location = Athens
| pages =
| url =
| doi =
| id =
| isbn = }}
*{{cite book
| last = Pentzopoulos
| first = D.
| authorlink =
| coauthors = Smith M. L.
| title = The Balkan exchange of minorities and its impact on Greece
| publisher = C. Hurst & Co Publishers
| date = 2002
| location =
| pages =
| url =
| doi =
| id =
| isbn = 1850656746}}
*{{cite book
| last = Price
| first = Crawfurd
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| title = Venizelos and the war, a sketch of personalities and politics
| publisher = Simpkin
| date = 1917
| location = London
| pages =
| url = http://www.archive.org/download/venizeloswarsket00pricuoft/venizeloswarsket00pricuoft.pdf
| doi =
| id =
| isbn = }}
*{{cite book
| last = Rose
| first = W. K.
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| title = With the Greeks in Thessaly
| publisher = Adamant Media Corporation
| date = 2003, with 1st ed. 1987
| location =
| pages =
| url = http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=LkXo1qTmsgwC
| doi =
| id =
| isbn = 1402106289}}
*{{cite book
| last = Seligman
| first = V. J.
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| title = Victory of Venizelos
| publisher =
| date = 1920
| location =
| pages =
| url = http://www.archive.org/download/victoryofvenizel005638mbp/victoryofvenizel005638mbp.pdf
| doi =
| id =
| isbn = }}
*{{cite book
| last = Tucker
| first = Spencer C.
| authorlink =
| coauthors = Wood L. M., Murphy J. D.
| title = The European Powers in the First World War: An Encyclopedia
| publisher = Taylor & Francis
| date = 1999
| location =
| pages =
| url =
| doi =
| id =
| isbn = 081533351X}}
*{{cite book
| last = Venizelos
| first = E.
| authorlink =
| coauthors = Anthony S., Xanthaky, Sakellarios N. G.
| title = Greece in Her True Light: Her Position in the World-wide War as Expounded by E. Venizelos
| publisher = New York
| date = 1916
| location =
| pages =
| url = http://www.archive.org/download/greeceinhertruel00veniuoft/greeceinhertruel00veniuoft.pdf
| doi =
| id =
| isbn = }}
{{Col-2}}
; Journals
*{{cite journal
| last = Black
| first = Cyril E.
| authorlink =
| title = The Greek Crisis: Its Constitutional Background
| journal = The Review of Politics
| volume = 10
| issue = 1
| pages = 84–99
| date = January 1948
| url = http://www.jstor.org/stable/1404369?seq=1}}
*{{cite journal
| last = Dunning
| first = Wm. A.
| authorlink =
| title = Record of Political Events
| journal = Political Science Quarterly
| volume = 12
| issue = 3
| pages = 352–380
| date = June 1897
| url =http://www.jstor.org/stable/view/2140141?seq=1
| doi = 10.2307/2140141}}
*{{cite journal
| last = Dunning
| first = Wm. A.
| authorlink =
| title = Record of Political Events
| journal = Political Science Quarterly
| volume = 12
| issue = 4
| pages = 734–756
| date = December 1897
| url =http://www.jstor.org/stable/view/2139703?seq=1
| doi = 10.2307/2139703}}
*{{cite journal
| last = Ion
| first = Theodore P.
| authorlink =
| title = The Cretan Question
| journal = The American Journal of International Law
| volume = 4
| issue = 2
| pages = 276–284
| date = April 1910
| url = http://www.jstor.org/stable/2186614?seq=1
| doi = 10.2307/2186614}}
*{{cite journal
| last = Kyriakidou
| first = Maria
| authorlink =
| title = Legislation in Inter-war Greece Labour Law and Women Workers: A Case Study of Protective
| journal = European History Quarterly
| volume = 32
| issue = 4
| pages = 489
| date = 2002
| url = http://ehq.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/32/4/489.pdf}}
*{{cite journal
| last = Leeper
| first = A. W. A.
| authorlink =
| title = Allied Portraits: Eleftherios Venizelos
| journal = The New Europe I
| volume =
| issue =
| pages =
| date = 1916}}
*{{cite journal
| last = Mazower
| first = M.
| authorlink =
| title = The Messiah and the Bourgeoisie: Venizelos and Politics in Greece, 1909–1912
| journal = The Historical Journal
| volume = 35
| issue = 4
| pages = 885–904
| date = December 1992
| url = http://www.jstor.org/stable/2639443?seq=1}}
{{col-end}}
</div>
<!-- Templates books & journals
*{{cite book
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*{{cite journal
| last = | first = | authorlink = | title = | journal =
| volume = | issue = | pages = | date = | url = }}
*{{cite encyclopedia
| title = | encyclopedia = | volume =
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*{{cite web
| last = | first = | authorlink =
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-->
== See also ==
{{commons}}
{{wikiquote}}
* [[History of Modern Greece]]
* [[Megali Idea]]
* [[Venizelism]]
* [[George I of Greece]]
* [[Constantine I of Greece]]
* [[Ioannis Metaxas]]
* [[Greek plebiscite, 1974]]
{{start box}}
{{s-off}}
{{succession box|title=[[Prime Minister of Greece]]|before=[[Stephanos Dragoumis]]|after=[[Dimitrios Gounaris]]|years=18 October 1910 - 10 March 1915}}
{{succession box|title=[[Prime Minister of Greece]]|before=[[Dimitrios Gounaris]]|after=[[Alexandros Zaimis]]|years=23 August 1915 - 7 October 1915}}
{{succession box|title=[[Prime Minister of Greece]]|before=[[Alexandros Zaimis]]|after=[[Dimitrios Rallis]]|years=27 June, 1917 - 18 November 1920}}
{{succession box|title=[[Prime Minister of Greece]]|before=[[Stylianos Gonatas]]|after=[[Georgios Kaphantaris]]|years=24 January 1924 - 19 February 1924}}
{{succession box|title=[[Prime Minister of Greece]]|before=[[Alexandros Zaimis]]|after=[[Alexandros Papanastasiou]]|years=4 July 1928 - 26 May 1932}}
{{succession box|title=[[Prime Minister of Greece]]|before=[[Alexandros Papanastasiou]]|after=[[Panagis Tsaldaris]]|years= 5 June, 1932 - 3 November 1932}}
{{succession box|title=[[Prime Minister of Greece]]|before=[[Panagis Tsaldaris]]|after=[[Alexandros Othonaios]]|years=16 January 1933 - 6 March 1933}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{succession box
|title=[[Komma Fileleftheron|Komma Fileleftheron (Liberal Party)]]
|before=founded
|years=1910–1936
|after=[[Themistoklis Sophoulis]]
}}
{{end box}}
{{GreekPMs}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Venizelos, Eleftherios}}
[[Category:1864 births]]
[[Category:1936 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Crete]]
[[Category:University of Athens alumni]]
[[Category:Revolutionaries]]
[[Category:Greek politicians]]
[[Category:Greek Liberal Party politicians]]
[[Category:Prime Ministers of Greece]]
[[Category:People sentenced to death in absentia]]
[[Category:Liberals]]
[[Category:Greek liberals]]
[[Category:Greek people of World War I]]
[[Category:Greek exiles]]
[[bg:Елевтериос Венизелос]]
[[ca:Elefthèrios Venizelos]]
[[de:Eleftherios Venizelos]]
[[el:Ελευθέριος Βενιζέλος]]
[[es:Eleutherios Venizelos]]
[[eo:Eleftherios Venizelos]]
[[fr:Eleftherios Venizelos]]
[[it:Eleftherios Venizelos]]
[[he:אלפתריוס וניזלוס]]
[[la:Eleutherius Benizelus]]
[[mk:Елефтериос Венизелос]]
[[nl:Eleftherios Venizelos]]
[[ja:エレフテリオス・ヴェニゼロス]]
[[pl:Eleftherios Venizelos]]
[[pt:Elefthérios Venizélos]]
[[ru:Венизелос, Элефтериос]]
[[sr:Елефтериос Венизелос]]
[[sv:Eleutherios Venizelos]]
[[tr:Elefterios Venizelos]]
[[zh:埃莱夫塞里奥斯·韦尼泽洛斯]]