Greek legislative election, 1920
Encyclopedia
The legislative elections of 1920 were probably the most crucial elections in the modern history of Greece
, influencing not only the few years afterwards, including Greece's defeat by Kemal Atatürk's reformed Turkish army in 1922, but setting the stage for Greece's political landscape for most of the rest of the 20th century. It had been nearly 6 years since the last General Election, a period during which all democratic procedures were suspended due to the National Schism, when Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos
announced that the legislative elections would take place on October 25, 1920. However, after the unexpected death of King Alexander, who had assumed the throne after the exile of his father, King Constantine I
, the elections were postponed until November 1.
Eleftherios Venizelos regarded his Liberal Party's
victory as all but certain, because of his diplomatic and military successes against the Ottoman Empire
. Nevertheless, the final electoral results represented nothing short of a disaster for Venizelos. Not only did the so-called United Opposition achieve an absolute majority of seats in Parliament, but Venizelos himself was not elected. Humiliated and disappointed by the outcome of the election, Venizelos left the country for France, also leaving his Liberal Party without a logical successor or any strong leadership.
The reasons of the unexpected defeat of the Liberals included:
History of modern Greece
The history of modern Greece covers the history of Greece from the recognition of independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1832 after the Greek War of Independence to the present day.- Background :In 1821, the Greeks rose up against the Ottoman Empire...
, influencing not only the few years afterwards, including Greece's defeat by Kemal Atatürk's reformed Turkish army in 1922, but setting the stage for Greece's political landscape for most of the rest of the 20th century. It had been nearly 6 years since the last General Election, a period during which all democratic procedures were suspended due to the National Schism, when Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos
Eleftherios Venizelos
Eleftherios Venizelos was an eminent Greek revolutionary, a prominent and illustrious statesman as well as a charismatic leader in the early 20th century. Elected several times as Prime Minister of Greece and served from 1910 to 1920 and from 1928 to 1932...
announced that the legislative elections would take place on October 25, 1920. However, after the unexpected death of King Alexander, who had assumed the throne after the exile of his father, King Constantine I
Constantine I of Greece
Constantine I was King of Greece from 1913 to 1917 and from 1920 to 1922. He was commander-in-chief of the Hellenic Army during the unsuccessful Greco-Turkish War of 1897 and led the Greek forces during the successful Balkan Wars of 1912–1913, in which Greece won Thessaloniki and doubled in...
, the elections were postponed until November 1.
Eleftherios Venizelos regarded his Liberal Party's
Liberal Party (Greece)
The Liberal Party was one of the major Greek political parties of the early 20th century.- History :Founded as the Xipoliton party in Crete , its early leaders were Kostis Mitsotakis and Eleftherios Venizelos...
victory as all but certain, because of his diplomatic and military successes against the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. Nevertheless, the final electoral results represented nothing short of a disaster for Venizelos. Not only did the so-called United Opposition achieve an absolute majority of seats in Parliament, but Venizelos himself was not elected. Humiliated and disappointed by the outcome of the election, Venizelos left the country for France, also leaving his Liberal Party without a logical successor or any strong leadership.
The reasons of the unexpected defeat of the Liberals included:
- The electoral system: The Liberal PartyLiberal Party (Greece)The Liberal Party was one of the major Greek political parties of the early 20th century.- History :Founded as the Xipoliton party in Crete , its early leaders were Kostis Mitsotakis and Eleftherios Venizelos...
took almost 7,000 more votes (50, 23%, 375.803 votes) than the Opposition, but it received just 118 seats, while the Opposition received 251 seats - The conservative and right-wing opposition managed to unite under a highly esteemed leader, Dimitrios GounarisDimitrios GounarisDimitrios Gounaris was the Prime Minister of Greece from March 10, 1915 to August 23, 1915 and April 8, 1921 to May 16, 1922...
- The United Opposition managed to turn the elections into a referendum on the exiled King Constantine IConstantine I of GreeceConstantine I was King of Greece from 1913 to 1917 and from 1920 to 1922. He was commander-in-chief of the Hellenic Army during the unsuccessful Greco-Turkish War of 1897 and led the Greek forces during the successful Balkan Wars of 1912–1913, in which Greece won Thessaloniki and doubled in...
, who was still wildly popular especially in Old Greece (the pre-Balkan Wars kingdom). The Liberals only - The Greek people were tired after almost a decade of wars and division, and was susceptible to the United Opposition promise to secure peace with the Turks and bring the troops home
- The vote of the tens of thousands of Muslim and Jewish citizens in Greek Macedonia was also overwhelmingly cast in favour of the United Opposition, as it had been in the 1915 elections.