Thirteen elections that changed a country
The Greek elections of November 1, 1920 brought in a new government and changed the political map of Greece. They engendered a diplomatic dilemma that led to a military defeat and finally an international treaty with new alignments among allies, redistribution of territory, enormous population movements and a new regime in a troubled part of the world. The most crucial Greek elections have affected the country’s international position rather than domestic politics. Those elections, which replaced Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos after a series of wars that had doubled the size of Greece as the country spearheaded Western interests alongside the British and the French, were not the only ones to play a decisive role in Greek history. Since 1910 there have been four distinct stages. 1910-1935: Consolidation but also turmoil for the nation and state. 1936-1945: A decade without elections. The years of fascism, war and occupation. 1946-1974: The years of bloody Western integration of Greece, of modernization and development, but also of unstable, failed democracy. Since 1974: Political stability, robust democracy and European integration.
