Konstantinos Karamanlis

Konstantinos G. Karamanlis, born on March eighth, nineteen oh seven, emerged as a pivotal figure in Greek politics, serving as Prime Minister four times and as President of the Third Hellenic Republic for two terms. His political journey, which spanned nearly seven decades, began with his election to the Hellenic Parliament in nineteen thirty-six as a member of the conservative People's Party. After World War II, he quickly rose through the political ranks, becoming Minister of Labour in nineteen forty-seven and later Minister for Public Works in the early nineteen fifties.

In nineteen fifty-five, following the death of Prime Minister Alexandros Papagos, Karamanlis was appointed Prime Minister by King Paul of Greece. His first term was marked by a robust program of industrialization and significant investments in infrastructure, which contributed to the post-war Greek economic miracle. He also championed women's voting rights, which had been stagnant since nineteen fifty-two, and shifted Greece's foreign policy towards European integration, moving away from the goal of enosis in favor of supporting Cypriot independence.

However, his tenure was not without challenges. In nineteen sixty-three, amidst escalating political turmoil, he resigned after a disagreement with King Paul. This led to an eleven-year self-imposed exile in Paris, during which Greece fell under military dictatorship following the nineteen sixty-seven coup. Upon the junta's collapse in nineteen seventy-four, Karamanlis returned to Athens, taking on the role of interim Prime Minister during a critical transition to democracy known as the Metapolitefsi.

Karamanlis founded the New Democracy party, which won a decisive victory in the November nineteen seventy-four elections, leading to the abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of the Third Hellenic Republic. He served as Prime Minister until nineteen eighty, when he was elected President of the Republic. His presidency saw Greece's formal entry into the European Economic Community in nineteen eighty-one. After resigning in nineteen eighty-five, he returned to the presidency in nineteen ninety, serving until his retirement in nineteen ninety-five. Konstantinos Karamanlis passed away on April twenty-third, nineteen ninety-eight, at the age of ninety-one.