Greek plebiscite, 1946
Encyclopedia
In 1946, a new plebiscite took place regarding the form of Greece
's regime and whether the Greek people would once again decide upon a king or not. For the third time the royal position of George II
was at stake. Nonetheless, the final result constituted an expected triumph that cannot be analyzed or understood without looking at the historical background of this period. The legislative elections of 1946, in which the right-wing parties achieved a landslide, had just taken place. The new conservative government of Konstantinos Tsaldaris
was favorable to George II
, but what influenced the result more was the atmosphere of the ongoing civil war.
The civil war convulsed Greece during two main periods: a) 1943-1944 and b) 1946-1949. When the plebiscite took place, the beginning of the second period was unfolding. Divisions became more intense among Greeks and, during the legislative elections, the right-wing parties were strengthened. The centrist parties (that followed a more moderate but also more ambiguous policy) lost part of their power. KKE boycotted the legislative elections and the plebiscite as well. George II
symbolized the unity of the anti-communist forces which partly explains the percentage of votes in his favor. The conservatives, along with prime minister Konstantinos Tsaldaris
, supported him, whereas the centrists were divided. While the centrists regarded George II with displeasure, they did not want to be accused of being "accomplices" of the communists.
The percentage of abstention is important in this plebiscite, as it gives an idea about the size of the KKE's core constituency.
rowspan=2 colspan=3 valign=top|Summary of the 1 September 1946 Greek Plebiscite
!colspan="3" cellpadding="10" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|Votes
|- style="background-color:#E9E9E9"
!No.
!%
|-
|colspan="3"|Yes (Νai)
|align="right"|1,136,289
|align="right"|68.4
|-
|colspan="3"|No (Οxi)
|align="right"|524,771
|align="right"|31.6
|-
|colspan="3"|Registered votes
|align="right"|1,921,725
|-
|colspan="3"|Total number of those who voted
|align="right"|1,664,920
|-
|colspan="3"|Abstention
|align="right"|256,940
|align="right"|13.37
|-
|colspan="3"|No. of valid votes
|align="right"|1,661,406
|align="center"|
|-
|colspan="3"|Invalid votes
|align="right"|3,860
|align="right"|0.23
|-
|colspan="6"|Source: Texts of Constitutional History (Antonis Pantelis, Stefanos Koutsoumpinas, Triantafyllos Gerozisis), Second Volume (1924-1974)
|}
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
's regime and whether the Greek people would once again decide upon a king or not. For the third time the royal position of George II
George II of Greece
George II reigned as King of Greece from 1922 to 1924 and from 1935 to 1947.-Early life, first period of kingship and exile:George was born at the royal villa at Tatoi, near Athens, the eldest son of King Constantine I of Greece and his wife, Princess Sophia of Prussia...
was at stake. Nonetheless, the final result constituted an expected triumph that cannot be analyzed or understood without looking at the historical background of this period. The legislative elections of 1946, in which the right-wing parties achieved a landslide, had just taken place. The new conservative government of Konstantinos Tsaldaris
Konstantinos Tsaldaris
Konstantinos Tsaldaris was a Greek politician and twice Prime Minister of Greece.Tsaldaris was born in Alexandria, Egypt. He studied law at the University of Athens as well as Berlin, London and Florence...
was favorable to George II
George II of Greece
George II reigned as King of Greece from 1922 to 1924 and from 1935 to 1947.-Early life, first period of kingship and exile:George was born at the royal villa at Tatoi, near Athens, the eldest son of King Constantine I of Greece and his wife, Princess Sophia of Prussia...
, but what influenced the result more was the atmosphere of the ongoing civil war.
The civil war convulsed Greece during two main periods: a) 1943-1944 and b) 1946-1949. When the plebiscite took place, the beginning of the second period was unfolding. Divisions became more intense among Greeks and, during the legislative elections, the right-wing parties were strengthened. The centrist parties (that followed a more moderate but also more ambiguous policy) lost part of their power. KKE boycotted the legislative elections and the plebiscite as well. George II
George II of Greece
George II reigned as King of Greece from 1922 to 1924 and from 1935 to 1947.-Early life, first period of kingship and exile:George was born at the royal villa at Tatoi, near Athens, the eldest son of King Constantine I of Greece and his wife, Princess Sophia of Prussia...
symbolized the unity of the anti-communist forces which partly explains the percentage of votes in his favor. The conservatives, along with prime minister Konstantinos Tsaldaris
Konstantinos Tsaldaris
Konstantinos Tsaldaris was a Greek politician and twice Prime Minister of Greece.Tsaldaris was born in Alexandria, Egypt. He studied law at the University of Athens as well as Berlin, London and Florence...
, supported him, whereas the centrists were divided. While the centrists regarded George II with displeasure, they did not want to be accused of being "accomplices" of the communists.
The percentage of abstention is important in this plebiscite, as it gives an idea about the size of the KKE's core constituency.
rowspan=2 colspan=3 valign=top|Summary of the 1 September 1946 Greek Plebiscite
!colspan="3" cellpadding="10" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|Votes
|- style="background-color:#E9E9E9"
!No.
!%
|-
|colspan="3"|Yes (Νai)
|align="right"|1,136,289
|align="right"|68.4
|-
|colspan="3"|No (Οxi)
|align="right"|524,771
|align="right"|31.6
|-
|colspan="3"|Registered votes
|align="right"|1,921,725
|-
|colspan="3"|Total number of those who voted
|align="right"|1,664,920
|-
|colspan="3"|Abstention
|align="right"|256,940
|align="right"|13.37
|-
|colspan="3"|No. of valid votes
|align="right"|1,661,406
|align="center"|
|-
|colspan="3"|Invalid votes
|align="right"|3,860
|align="right"|0.23
|-
|colspan="6"|Source: Texts of Constitutional History (Antonis Pantelis, Stefanos Koutsoumpinas, Triantafyllos Gerozisis), Second Volume (1924-1974)
|}