Sophoklis Venizelos
Sophoklis Venizelos ( Greek Σοφοκλής Βενιζέλος Sofoklis Venizelos ; born November 3, 1894 in Chania ; † February 7, 1964 on the passage of the passenger ship "Greece" from Chania to Piraeus ) was a Greek politician and prime minister.
Family and military career
The second son of the seven-time Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos grew up with an aunt a few days after his mother's death. In 1911 he became a cadet of the military academy and was a soldier during the First World War . In the Greco-Turkish War he was promoted to captain of the artillery in 1919 . After the revolution of 1922 under Nikolaos Plastiras , he was military attaché at the embassy in Paris until 1930 and was eventually promoted to colonel .
Political career
MP and Minister in World War II
His political career began on November 1, 1920 after he left the army with his election to the National Assembly (Voulí ton Ellínon) . There he represented the interests of his father's Liberal Party for the constituency of Chania . After the death of his father in 1936 he became a member of the executive committee of the Liberal Party.
After the invasion of the troops of the German Wehrmacht in Greece in 1941, he was ambassador to the United States and represented there later in Cairo located exile government . On May 7, 1943, he became Minister of the Navy in the government of Emmanouil Tsouderos .
Three times Prime Minister
On April 13, 1944, after Tsouderos' resignation, he became Prime Minister of the government-in-exile in Cairo for the first time. However, he was replaced in this office on April 26, 1944 by Georgios Papandreou . In the Cabinet of National Unity , he was Deputy Prime Minister until January 3, 1945.
After the end of the war, he returned to Greece with the government-in-exile on October 18, 1944, and became deputy chairman of the Liberal Party, which was now headed by Themistoklis Sofoulis . On April 4, 1946, he became a minister without a portfolio in the cabinet of Panagiotis Poulitsas, which was only in office until April 18 . In November 1948 he finally became chairman of the Liberal Party.
From March 23 to April 15, 1950 and from August 21, 1950 to November 1, 1951 he was again Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. In the third cabinet of Plastiras he was Deputy Prime Minister from November 1951 to October 1952 and also remained Foreign Minister. After the beginning of the illness of Plastiras, he was acting Prime Minister from March 11, 1952. During this time he was head of the Greek delegation for the accession negotiations to NATO , which was ratified on February 18, 1952 by the National Assembly. This was followed by the participation of Greek troops in the Korean War . Furthermore, a law on active and passive women's suffrage was passed in 1952 .
Tensions with Papandreou and circumstances of death
After the lifelong friendship with Papandreou was broken in 1954, he founded the Liberal Democratic Union (FDE) . In the 1956 election to the National Assembly, the FDE immediately won 46 seats. Political tensions ended in 1958. In 1961 he was one of the co-founders of Enosis Kendrou (Center Union, EK) with Papandreou . On November 8, Venizelos became Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister in his cabinet, which was in office until December 30, 1963.
Ten days before the elections for the National Assembly on February 17, 1964, he died on the passenger ship "Greece" (Ελλάς) while crossing from his home in Chania to Piraeus. The circumstances of his unexpected death subsequently sparked speculation in the press. Sophoklis Venizelos was buried in the grave next to his father after his death on the island of Crete . The Cretan shipping company ANEK Lines named a passenger ferry built in 1990 after him.
literature
- Walter Puchner: Venizelos, Sofoklis . In: Biographical Lexicon on the History of Southeast Europe . Volume 4. Munich 1981, p. 409 f.
Web links
- Short biography
- Election results 1920–1936 ( Memento from February 4, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- List of ministers of governments 1924–1946 ( Memento of December 20, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- Election results 1946–1964
- Lists of government ministers 1946–1951 ( Memento from July 17, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
Individual evidence
- ^ Island of Crete: Tomb of Venizelos ( Memento from September 29, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Ferry S. Venizelos, description on the ANEK Lines website
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Emmanouil Tsouderos |
Prime Minister of Greece 1944 |
Georgios Papandreou |
| Ioannis Theotokis | Prime Minister of Greece 1950 |
Nikolaos Plastiras |
| Nikolaos Plastiras | Prime Minister of Greece 1950–1951 |
Nikolaos Plastiras |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Venizelos, Sophoclis |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Greek politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 3, 1894 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Chania |
| DATE OF DEATH | 7th February 1964 |
| Place of death | at sea, Mediterranean between Chania and Piraeus |