Konstantinos Karamanlis (1907-1998) was a prominent Greek politician who served as Prime Minister of Greece for three terms and also as President of Greece. He was a significant figure in Greek politics from the 1950s until his retirement in the early 1990s.
Karamanlis was born on March 8, 1907, in the town of Proti, in northern Greece. He studied law at the University of Athens and then went on to study at the Sorbonne in Paris. He started his political career in the 1930s and became a member of parliament in 1946. He went on to serve as Minister of Public Works, Minister of Defense, and Minister of Foreign Affairs before becoming Prime Minister for the first time in 1955.
During his three terms as Prime Minister (1955-1963, 1974-1980, and 1980-1981), Karamanlis implemented several significant reforms, including economic modernization, the establishment of a modern welfare state, and Greece's entry into the European Union. He was also instrumental in restoring democracy in Greece after the military junta that ruled the country from 1967 to 1974.
In 1980, Karamanlis resigned from his post as Prime Minister to become the President of Greece, a largely ceremonial role. He served in this position until 1995 when he retired from politics. Throughout his career, Karamanlis was widely respected for his integrity and his commitment to democratic values.
Karamanlis passed away on April 23, 1998, in Athens, Greece. He is remembered as one of the most important political figures in modern Greek history.
Early Life and Political Career
Konstantinos Karamanlis was born on March 8, 1907, in the town of Proti in northern Greece. His father was a schoolteacher, and his mother was from a wealthy family. Karamanlis was educated in Greece and France, studying law at the University of Athens and then pursuing graduate studies at the Sorbonne in Paris.
In 1935, Karamanlis was elected to the Greek parliament as a member of the Liberal Party. However, he was forced to resign from politics in 1936 when General Ioannis Metaxas established a dictatorship in Greece.
During World War II, Karamanlis served in the Greek government-in-exile in London and also worked as a liaison officer with the British army in the Middle East. He returned to Greece after the war and was elected to parliament again in 1946.
Karamanlis served in several ministerial positions during the 1950s, including Minister of Public Works, Minister of Defense, and Minister of Foreign Affairs. In 1955, he became the Prime Minister of Greece, serving in this position until 1963.
During his first term as Prime Minister, Karamanlis focused on modernizing Greece's economy and infrastructure, improving education and healthcare, and strengthening the country's international alliances. He also played a key role in the establishment of the European Economic Community (EEC), which later became the European Union (EU).
In 1963, Karamanlis resigned as Prime Minister and left Greece for political reasons. He spent the next decade in exile, living in Paris, London, and New York City.
In 1974, following the collapse of the military dictatorship that had ruled Greece since 1967, Karamanlis returned to Greece and formed the New Democracy party. He was re-elected as Prime Minister in 1974 and served in this position until 1980. He then resigned as Prime Minister to become President of Greece, a largely ceremonial role that he held until 1995.
The exact cause of his death has not been publicly disclosed, but it was reported at the time that he had been in poor health for several years prior to his death. Karamanlis was widely mourned in Greece and is remembered as one of the most important political figures in the country's history.
