Page 5/Key Dates of the History of Greece(1923-2000)
1923 January:convention on compulsory exchange of population between Greece and Turkey.
July:Treaty of Larsanne reverses Greece's gains by the Treaty of Sevres.
December:King George the second departs Greece on 'extended leave'.
1924 March:Proclamation of republic.
April:plebiscite retifies establishment of republic.
1925 March:Cyprus becomes a British crown colony.
June:Establishment of dictatorship by General Theodores Pangalos.
1926 August:overthrow of Pangalos dictatorship.
November:adoption of proportional representation and formation of 'ecumenical' (all-party)government.
1927 June:Promulgation of republican constitution.
1928 July:beginning of Venizelos' last administration.
1930 June:Ankara convention inaugurates period of reconciliation with Turkey.
1933 March:unsucessful Venizelos' coup launced by Colonel Nikolaos Plastiras.
June:attempt on Venizelos' life.
1935 March:attempted Venizelist coup; Venizelos leaves Greece.
October:downfall of Tsaldaris government as result of putsch.
November:rigged pleabiscite votes for return of King George the second.
1936 January:elections result in parliamentary deadlock with communists holding balance of power.
March:Death of Venizelos in exile in France.
August:establishment by General Mexatax of dictartorship of 4 august
1940 October:Italian invasion of Greece folowed by Greek counterattack into Albania.
1941 April:German invasion of Greece.
September:foundation of National Liberation Front(EAM).
1942 November:destruction of Gorgopotamos viaduct by Greek resistance forces and British saboteurs.
1943 September:outbreak of civil war within the resistance.
1944 April:outbreak of mutinies in Greek armed forces in Middle East.
October:liberation of Greece.Moseow 'percentages' aggreement between Churchill and Stalin assigns Greece to British sphere of influence.
December:police shooting of demonstrators in Athens catalyst for communist insurgency. Chruchill's abortive peace-making mission to Athens result in appointment of archbishop Damaskinos of Athens as regent.
1945 February:Varkiza agreement ends communist insurgency.
1946 March:first post-war election gives victory to royalists.
September:plebiscite votes for restoration of King George the second return to Greece.
October:establishment of communist Democratic Army of Greece.
beginning of Civil War.
1947 March:Proclamation of Truman Doctrine results in massive US military and economic assisstance to national government.
April:King Paul succeeds to throne on death of brother George the second.
1949 August:remnants of Democratic Army, defeated in battles of Grammos and Vitsi, flee into Albania.
October:Communist party of Greece announces 'temporary cesation' of hostilities, bringing civil war to formal close.
1952 January:promulgation of new constitution.
November:electoral victory of Marshal Papagos' Greek rally..
1955 April:beginning of armed EOKA struggle in Cyprus for enosis(union)with Greece.
1958 May:far left United Democratic left becomes official opposition with 24 percent of vote.
1960 August:Cyprus becomes independent republic within the British commonwealth.
1961 October:Georgios Papandreou launches 'unyielding struggle' to overturn Konstantinos Karamanlis' election victory.
1963 November:Papandreou's Centre Union secures narrow victory in elections.
December:breakdown of 1960 constitutional settlement in Cyprus.
1964 February:Centre Union secures decisive parliamentary majority.
March:death of King Paul. Acession to throne of King Constantine the second.
1965 July:constitutional clash with King Constantine results in resignation of prime minister papandreau.
September:formation of 'apostate' Centre Union government with support of conservative National Radical Union.
1967 April:military coup forestalls elections scheduled for May.
December:King Constantine launches abortive counter-coup, flees into exile. Regency established.
1968 September:authoritarian constitutior ratified in plebiscite held under martial law.
1973 March:Student occupation of Law Faculty of Athens University.
May:abortive naval muting.
June:proclamation of a 'presidential parliamentary republic.'
July:election of Colonel Georgios Papadipoulos, the only candidate, as president in a plebiscite held under martial law.
November:student occupation of Athens polytechnic suppressed by the army. Papadopoulos replaced as president by General Phaidon Gizikis.
1974 July:Archbishop Makarios deposed as president of Cyprus in coup backed by military junta in Athens. Turkish invasion and occupation of northern Cyprus. Collapse of military regime and replacement by Civilian government headed by Konstantinos Karamanlis.
November:Karamanlis' New Democracy secures 220 out 0f 300 seats in Parliament.
December:plebiscite records 70 percent vote for abolition of monarchy.
1975 June:promulgation of new constitution, reinforcing the powers of the president.
1977 November:Andreas Papandreou's Panhellenic Socialist Movement(PASOK) becomes main opposition party.
1980 May:Karamanlis elected President.
1981 January:Greece enters European community as tenth member.
October:Papandreou's PASOK forms Greece's first 'socialist' government.
1985 March:constitutional crisis leads to resignation of Karamanlis as president and election of Christos Sartzetakis.
June:PASOK re-elected for a second term.
1987 March:Aegean incident brings Greece and Turkey to the brink of armed conflict.
1988 January:Davos agreement holds out promise of Greek-Turkish rapproachment.
1989 June:election in which no party wins overall majority leads to temporary conservative/communist coalition.
November:inconclusive election leads to formation of all-party 'ecumenical' government.
1990 April:Konstantinos Miosotakis New Democracy secures 150 out 0f 300 seats in parliament anf forms government.
May:Konstantinos Karamanlis elected President.
1993 October:Andreas Papandreou's PASOK returns to power.
1996 January:Andreas Papandreou forced to resign due to ill-health, succeeded as prine minister by Kostas Simitis. Greece and Turkey came close to war over sovereignty over Islet of Imia/Kardak.
1999 August/September:Earthquakes in Turkey and Greece promote rapprochement between the two countries.
2000 April:Kostas Simitis returned to power at head of PASOK government.
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