Venizelism

Venizelism (Greek: Βενιζελισμός) was one of the major political movements in Greece beginning from the 1910s. The movement first formed under Eleftherios Venizelos in the 1910s and saw a resurgence of support in the 1960s when Georgios Papandreou united a coalition of old Venizelists and progressive politicians.

The movement was characterized by liberal nationalism and ideas of Greek irredentism supporting the Megali Idea. It had a pro-Western stance from WWI under the Cold War. Venizelism represented the urban classes advocating for liberal democracy against the conservative monarchy, and pursued mixed economic policies from liberal to social democratic ones. The movement had its strongest support in Crete, Thrace, Epirus, the North Aegean islands, and Macedonia.

Main ideas[edit]

Named after Eleftherios Venizelos, the key characteristics of Venizelism were:

Greek irredentism: The support of the Megali Idea.
Greek nationalism (liberal nationalism)
Liberal democracy: Venizelists represented upcoming urban classes that were against the old conservative establishment, which also had close ties with the palace.
Pro-Western: Alliance with the Entente against the Central Powers during WWI, and with the Allies during WWII. Also pro-Western during the Cold War, but later diverged with direct confrontation between Greek nationalist forces in Cyprus against British colonial forces.
Republicanism: Despite Venizelos' moderation regarding the monarchy, most of his supporters were in favour of a Republic, on the French standards.
Mixed economic policies: from economically liberal to social democratic policies.^[1]
Anti-Bolshevism: Venizelos rejected the bolshevik system and was the main introducer of the Idionymon anticommunist law in 1929. In a speech he had delivered in the Greek parliament he had stated that socialism is democratic and Bolshevism authoritarian.

Support for a Balakan Union:Venizelos supported an EU like organazation in the balkans.

In the contemporary sense the ideology incorporates national liberalism, civic nationalism, economic liberalism, liberal democracy, pro-Europeanism, republicanism, secularism, centrism, radical centrism and generally moves from centre-right to social democracy.

History[edit]

Liberal Party[edit]

Venizelos' liberal party ruled Greece from 1910 until 1916. That year, determined to enter World War I on the entente side, Venizelos rebelled against the king and formed a Provisional Government of National Defence in Thessaloniki. Venizelos regained full control of the country in 1917 and ruled until losing the 1920 elections. The strongest support for Venizelism came in the "New Greece" gained after the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913 consisting of Crete, Thrace, Epirus, the North Aegean islands, and Macedonia.^[2] By contrast, people in "Old Greece" tended to be more much royalist. The fact that in 1916 King Constantine I had allowed the Bulgarians to occupy parts of Macedonia and had been willing to contemplate giving up all of recently gained "New Greece" in the north to the Bulgarians to weaken the Venizelist movement cemented the identification of people in northern Greece with Venizelism.^[3] Greek refugees from Turkey also tended to be strongly Venizelist,^[4] at least until the 1930s and the signing of the Greco-Turkish friendship agreement by Venizelos (1930).^[5]

Voters started to favour a balance between Venizelos and Constantine I. This crisis period for Venizelos occurred when Greece experienced a lagging economy, growing political corruption, profiteering by the few, and eight continuous years of mobilization.^[6]

After a crisis period (including two short-lived pro-Venizelist military governments after Nikolaos Plastiras 1922 revolution) the liberals returned to power from 1928 until 1932. Venizelists Sophoklis Venizelos and Georgios Papandreou formed the core of the Greek government in exile during the Axis Occupation of Greece (1941–1944), and held power a number of times in the 1950s.

Centre Union[edit]

Georgios Papandreou created the Centre Union party in 1961, as a coalition of old Venizelists and progressive politicians. In 1963 the party was elected and held power until 1965, when its right wing broke ranks in the events known as the Apostasia. The current Union of Centrists claims to be the ideological continuation of the old party Centre Union.

Centrist Democratic Union[edit]

After the 1967–1974 Junta, Venizelists formed the Centre Union – New Forces party, which then evolved into the Union of the Democratic Centre (Greek: ΕΔΗΚ). While the Venizelist legacy was still popular, election results were disappointing as the abolition of the monarchy, the dilution of support for Greek nationalism after the seven years of the junta and the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, and Karamanlis' move towards the political centre had blurred the differences between the liberals and their former conservative opponents, while the socialist PASOK party was gaining support at the left side of the spectrum.

Most members of the Centre Union – New Forces party with their leader Georgios Mavros were absorbed by PASOK.

Legacy[edit]

Although the image of Venizelos is still very popular in Greece today, Venizelism is no longer a major force in Greek politics. Venizelos' prestige however and his ideology's connotations of republicanism, and progressive reforms means that most mainstream political forces claim his political heritage. There are few explicitly "Venizelist" movements today in Greece. In the 2004 elections for the European Parliament, the leading Venizelist party was the Union of Centrists, gaining only 0.54% of the Greek popular vote. An attempted revival of the original Liberal Party, under the same name, was founded in the 1980s by Venizelos' grandson, Nikitas Venizelos.

Anti-Venizelism[edit]

There were also various politicians of different political orientation during the 1910s (monarchists, conservatives, part of the clergy, but also socialists/communists of the newly founded SEKE) who were against Venizelos' policies. Some points of disagreement included the Venizelos' extreme pro-Entente stance during the World War I and the National Schism (which led to the division of the country between a Venizelist and a royalist government), his policy about the Megali idea and its results (regarding the relations with Turkey and the Greeks who were still under Ottoman sovereignty) and later the Treaty of Lausanne and the population exchange.

With antivenizelism sided also the religious minorities in Greece (Muslim, Jewish, etc.), being in general of conservative political orientation.^[7] Another common point of the anti-Venizelists was a criticism about the country's social and economical transformation/modernization, such as critics for political/economical mismanagement.

References[edit]

^ Eleftherios Venizelos: The Trials of Statesmanship, Paschalis M. Kitromilides, Eleftherios Venizelos: The Trials of Statesmanship, Edinburgh University Press 2008, pp. 285–306
^ Kostis, Kostas History's Spoiled Children, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018 pp. 277–278
^ Kostis, Kostas History's Spoiled Children, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018 p. 278
^ Kostis, Kostas History's Spoiled Children, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018 p. 260.
^ "Ankara, Treaty of (1930) | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
^ Finefrock, Michael M. (1980). "Ataturk, Lloyd George and the Megali Idea: Cause and Consequence of the Greek Plan to Seize Constantinople from the Allies, June–August 1922". The Journal of Modern History. 52 (1): D1053. doi:10.1086/242238. ISSN 0022-2801. JSTOR 1881129. S2CID 144330013.
^ Isabelle Dépret, "Ioannis Metaxas and Religion (1938–41): Historical Experience and Current Debates in Greece", Cahiers balkaniques, 42, 2014 In french

v t e Eleftherios Venizelos
Family	Kyriakos Venizelos Sofoklis Venizelos Helena Schilizzi Nikitas Venizelos Konstantinos Mitsotakis
Politics	Venizelism (Liberal Party) Democratic education Radicalism Modernization Greek Constitution of 1911 Balkan League Civic nationalism Megali Idea Secularism Anti-communism (Idionymon)
Events	Cretan State Theriso revolt Goudi coup French military mission to Greece (1911–1914) British naval mission to Greece (1911–1912) Balkan Wars London Conference of 1912–13 Gallipoli campaign Macedonian front National Defence coup d'état Provisional Government of National Defence National Schism Noemvriana French occupation of Thessaly Greece in WWI Occupation of Constantinople Allied intervention in Ukraine Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920) League of Nations establishment Greek landing at Smyrna Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) 11 September 1922 Revolution Greek retreat from Eastern Thrace Conference of Lausanne Population exchange between Greece and Turkey 1928 Greek legislative election 1935 Greek coup d'état attempt
Support	Cretan Gendarmerie Military League Triple Entente National Defence Army Corps Nikolaos Plastiras Theodoros Pangalos Pavlos Kountouriotis Panagiotis Danglis Emmanouil Zymvrakakis Leonidas Paraskevopoulos Georgios Papandreou
Treaties	Greek–Serbian Alliance of 1913 Treaty of London (1913) Treaty of Bucharest (1913) Treaty of Athens Armistice of Salonica Armistice of Mudros Venizelos–Tittoni agreement Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine Treaty of Sèvres Armistice of Mudanya Treaty of Lausanne Greco-Turkish Friendship Agreement
Establishments	Hellenic Air Force Hellenic Air Force Academy Hellenic Coast Guard Hellenic State Railways
Remembrance	Eleftherios Venizelos Museum of Chalepa Eleftherios Venizelos Foundation Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos (film) Statue of Eleftherios Venizelos

v t e Greek nationalism
Ideology	Modern Greek Enlightenment Megali Idea Hellenization Grecoman Venizelism Metaxism Enosis
Organizations	Filiki Eteria Ethniki Etaireia Macedonian Committee Military League National Youth Organisation EDES Northern Epirus Liberation Front EOKA EOKA B
Political parties	Napist Party Nationalist Party New Party (1873) New Party (1947) Liberal Party Freethinkers' Party Politically Independent Alignment Greek Rally National Party of Greece 4th of August Party National Democratic Union National Alignment United Nationalist Movement Party of Hellenism National Political Union Hellenic Front Front Line Patriotic Alliance Political Spring National Front (Greece) Popular Orthodox Rally Golden Dawn Spartans ELAM (Cyprus) National Unity Association Greek Solution LEPEN Greeks for the Fatherland
People	Adamantios Korais Rigas Feraios Alexander Ypsilantis Ioannis Kapodistrias Athanasios Diakos Theodoros Kolokotronis Dionysios Solomos Constantine Paparrigopoulos Aristotelis Valaoritis Alexandros Koumoundouros Theodoros Diligiannis Kostis Palamas Pavlos Melas Ion Dragoumis Eleftherios Venizelos Nikolaos Plastiras Ioannis Metaxas Angelos Sikelianos Alexandros Papagos Napoleon Zervas Georgios Grivas Georgios Papadopoulos Dimitrios Ioannidis Antonis Samaras
Historical events	Greco-Persian Wars Byzantine Empire under the Palaiologos dynasty Greek War of Independence Epirus Revolt of 1854 1854 Macedonian rebellion 1867 Macedonian rebellion Cretan revolt (1866–1869) Cretan revolt (1878) Epirus Revolt of 1878 1878 Macedonian rebellion 1896–1897 Macedonian rebellion Greco-Turkish War (1897) Macedonian Struggle Maratha, Santalaris and Aloda massacre Theriso revolt Greece in the Balkan Wars Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus Greece during World War I Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) 1931 Cyprus revolt 4th of August Regime Greek resistance Cyprus Emergency (1955–59) Cyprus crisis of 1963–64 Bloody Christmas (1963) Greek junta (1967–74) 1974 Cypriot coup d'état 1990 Komotini events
Policies	Aromanian question Geographical name changes Greek language question

v t e Liberalism in Greece
Ideology	Centrism Modern Greek Enlightenment Republicanism Liberal nationalism Liberal democracy Venizelism Anti-nepotism Megali Idea Human rights Secularism Press freedom Land reform
Political Parties	Constitutional Party Modernist Party Liberal Party National Unionist Party Liberal Democratic Union National Progressive Center Union National Political Union Centre Union Centre Union – New Forces Democratic Centre Union (Greece) Union of the Democratic Centre Liberal Party (modern) Liberal Alliance (Greece) Union of Centrists The River
People	Adamantios Korais Theophilos Kairis Dionysios Solomos Alexandros Mavrokordatos Epameinondas Deligeorgis Charilaos Trikoupis Emmanuel Rhoides Ioannis Psycharis Konstantinos Raktivan Eleftherios Venizelos Pavlos Kountouriotis Nikolaos Plastiras Themistoklis Sofoulis Georgios Kafantaris Nikolaos Politis Georgios Kartalis Dimitrios Psarros Georgios Papandreou Sofoklis Venizelos Ioannis Zigdis Georgios Mavros
Historical events	Greek War of Independence First National Assembly at Epidaurus 3 September 1843 Revolution 23 October 1862 Revolution Theriso revolt Goudi coup Movement of National Defence National Schism 11 September 1922 Revolution 1935 Greek coup d'état attempt Greek Resistance Anti-Junta movement
Policies	Democratic education Free public education Modernization Progressivism

v t e Provisional Government of National Defence
Ideas & Policies	Venizelism Megali Idea Pro-Entente Anti-German sentiment Greece in WWI
People	Triumvirate: Eleftherios Venizelos Panagiotis Danglis Pavlos Kountouriotis Officers: Georgios Kondylis Nikolaos Plastiras Theodoros Pangalos Leonidas Paraskevopoulos Emmanouil Zymvrakakis Alexandros Mazarakis-Ainian Dimitrios Psarros Evripidis Bakirtzis Nikolaos Christodoulou Dimitrios Ioannou Konstantinos Manetas Theodoros Manetas Aristeidis Moraitinis Neokosmos Grigoriadis Napoleon Zervas Ptolemaios Sarigiannis Politicians: Themistoklis Sophoulis Nikolaos Politis Georgios Papandreou Leonidas Embirikos Andreas Michalakopoulos Konstantinos Angelakis Alexandros Zannas
Military support	Army of National Defence Serres Division Archipelago Division Crete Division Cretan Gendarmerie Allied Army of the Orient Armée d'Orient (1915–1919) Maurice Sarrail British Salonika Army Macedonian Mule Corps Democratic Battalions
Events	National Defence coup d'état National Schism Noemvriana Anathema to Venizelos French occupation of Thessaly Accession of Alexander of Greece