Andreas Papandreou: The Making of a Greek Democrat and Political Maverick by Draenos Stan

Author:Draenos Stan [Stan, Draenos]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: International Relations, Communism; Post-Communism & Socialism, Historical, History & Theory, Europe, Political Ideologies, Biography & Autobiography, Political Science, History, Political, General
ISBN: 9781299775176
Google: TKGLDwAAQBAJ
Goodreads: 18651659
Publisher: I. B. Tauris & Company
Published: 2012-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 14

New Realities

However unseemly, parliamentary ratification of the Stephanopoulos Government marked an important victory for the Palace and its allies. But everyone realized that the underlying crisis was not over. From Athens, Anschuetz reported the view shared widely by Greek opinion that, although the ‘most acute stage’ of the crisis had passed, the ‘life expectancy of the present government is dangerously threatened’.1 In its first months, the misbegotten Stephanopoulos regime labored under the expectation that it could not last beyond the spring of 1966. A few days after the confidence vote, Anschuetz called on the new Prime Minister. Stephanopoulos complained that he found himself caught ‘between gangsters (Papandreous) and blackmailers (members of his government jockeying for position). He had convoked [a] meeting of 45 former members of CU supporting [the] present government to explain “He is not Jesus Christ” and he cannot feed all the hungry Greek politicians with the few loaves and fishes provided by available cabinet positions.’2 A week later, however, enough loaves and fishes were miraculously produced to add another 13 members to the Government, bringing all 45 breakaway CU deputies into the bloated cabinet.

In a radio address, Stephanopoulos declared his intention to continue the Centrist policies the public had voted for in the February 1964 elections. But in the critical areas of military and internal security, the Government was predictably hostage to the Palace and its allies on the Right, vividly signified by its appointment as Minister of Public Order an anti-Communist roughneck who was bent on renewing political persecution of the Left. The new Government also announced dramatic changes in the leadership of the military. General Konstantinos Tsolakas, a rare Centrist officer, was kicked upstairs from his important position as chief of the Third Army in Thessaloniki to become Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a largely ceremonial post that commanded no troops. General Ioannis Gennimatas was removed as Army Chief of Staff, leading Eleftheria to claim vindication for its campaign against him during the spring.3 But the newspaper raised no objections when, at the behest of the Palace, the Government replaced him with General Grigoris Spandidakis, a devoted Palace loyalist richly connected with Right-wing conspiratorial circles.

Regrouping after their loss in Parliament, the Papandreou forces launched a tour of liberal Crete in order to press their central demand: new elections. Headed by George Papandreou, a large contingent of CU deputies spent three days traversing the island. Greeted everywhere by cheering throngs, the campaign culminated with a major address by the elder Papandreou in Mitsotakis’ home town of Chania. Andreas remained in the background, receiving scant notice in the Centrist press. But once more, Andreas’ enemies brought him to public attention. As the CU deputies began their campaign from Agios Nikolaos in the east, Mitsotakis was also visiting Crete, where he spoke to an indoor crowd of supporters in Chania, the first time an ‘apostate’ minister had ventured to speak at a public meeting. Mitsotakis engaged in venomous personal attacks depicting Andreas as a base

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