History of the Hellenic Republic facts for kids
The history of the Hellenic Republic is about the times when Greece was a republic, meaning it was governed by elected officials rather than a king. This happened three times in modern Greek history:
- From 1822 to 1832
- From 1924 to 1935
- From 1974 until today
Contents
Greece's First Republic (1822–1832)
The First Hellenic Republic is a name historians use for the early governments during the Greek War of Independence. When the war started, different areas of Greece set up their own local governments.
These local groups were later replaced by a central government. This happened at the First National Assembly of Epidaurus in 1822. Here, Greece also got its first Constitution. More National Assemblies followed. But Greece faced big challenges, including internal conflicts and strong attacks from Ibrahim Pasha.
In 1827, the Third National Assembly at Troezen chose Count Ioannis Kapodistrias to be the Governor of Greece for seven years. He had worked as a diplomat for Russia before. Kapodistrias arrived in Greece in January 1828. He set up the Hellenic State and ruled with very strong powers. Sadly, he was killed by political rivals in 1831. His brother, Augustinos Kapodistrias, took over for a short time. Then, in 1832, the major European powers decided that Greece should be a Kingdom. They chose Prince Otto from Bavaria to be its first king.
Greece's Second Republic (1924–1935)
The Second Hellenic Republic was declared on March 25, 1924. This happened after Greece's defeat by Turkey in 1922. After this loss, there was a revolution in September 1922. King Constantine I was sent away and later died.
The king and a powerful politician named Eleftherios Venizelos had argued for control of the country for many years. This caused a deep split in Greece. King Constantine's son, King George II, became king. But after a failed attempt by royalists to take power, the parliament asked King George II to leave Greece. This allowed the nation to decide what kind of government it wanted. In 1924, Greece officially became a Republic, and the people confirmed this in a vote.
The first President of the Hellenic Republic was Pavlos Kountouriotis. He was an Admiral and supported Venizelos. He resigned after a military takeover in 1925. General Theodoros Pangalos, who led the takeover, became president. But he was also removed by the military just five months later. This happened after he got Greece involved in a small border conflict. Kountouriotis became president again and was re-elected in 1929. However, he had to resign later that year due to health problems. Alexandros Zaimis took his place and served until the monarchy returned in 1935.
Greece had a period of calm and some economic growth from 1928 to 1932 under Venizelos's last government. But the effects of the Great Depression were strongly felt, and political problems returned. The opposition People's Party supported the king and was against Venizelos. Even though they promised to support the Republic, their likely rise to power after the March 1933 elections made people fear the king would return. A coup attempt by Venizelos's supporters was quickly stopped.
Another coup attempt, also inspired by Venizelos, happened in March 1935. General Georgios Kondylis stopped it. After this, many officers who supported Venizelos and the Republic were removed from the army. It became clear that the monarchy would return. On October 10, 1935, army leaders overthrew the government. Kondylis declared himself in charge. He ended the Republic and held a vote on November 11. This vote led to King George II returning to Greece.
Greece's Third Republic (1974–present)
The current Third Hellenic Republic was declared in 1974. This happened during a period called Metapolitefsi, which means "regime change" in Greek. It marked the end of the Regime of the Colonels. This was a military government that had controlled Greece since a coup on April 21, 1967.
The military government had already held a vote on July 29, 1973, to get rid of the monarchy. They also passed a new Constitution that created a system with a president. The military leader, Georgios Papadopoulos, became president. This short attempt to bring back democracy was stopped by hardliners in the military. Brigadier Dimitrios Ioannides overthrew Papadopoulos in November 1973, after the Athens Polytechnic uprising. The Republic stayed in name, but it was just a cover for the military rule. This lasted until August 1974, when the Turkish invasion of Cyprus caused the military government to collapse.
After the military regime fell and civilian rule returned in August 1974, the laws and actions of the military government were declared invalid. A new vote was held on December 8, 1974. This vote finally ended the monarchy. A new Constitution was officially announced on June 11, 1975. It declared Greece a presidential parliamentary democracy. The Greek word for democracy can mean both "democracy" and "republic." This Constitution has been updated several times (in 1985, 2001, 2008, and 2019) and is still used today.
See also
