Konstantinos Karamanlis: The iconic politician before politics

On April 23, 1998, one of the most emblematic political figures in the history of our country, Konstantinos Karamanlis, passed away.

Much has been written about his political activity both as a minister and as prime minister in crucial historical periods for Greece (1955 – 1963, 1974 – 1980).

However, his life before he dedicated it to politics and his country is, for most, clearly less known.

Karamanlis before politics

Konstantinos Karamanlis, as Angelos Stagos writes in “BIMA” of April 26, 1998, “was born on March 8, 1907 in Kiupkioi during the Ottoman Empire, which was later renamed Proti, 50 kilometers from Serres.

»He was the first of eight children, three boys and four girls (one girl died at the age of five in 1914) of Georgios and Fotini Karamanlis.

»His father was a teacher until 1904, when he was fired by the Ottoman authorities for his activity with the Greek rebel groups. Thus he was forced to engage in the tobacco trade, with considerable success, until he was financially ruined in 1928.

»In 1925, Georgios Karamanlis sends his sons Konstantinos and Alekos to study in schools in Athens. Konstantinos Karamanlis graduated in 1925 from the 8th Gymnasium of Kypseli and already having in mind to engage in politics he entered the Law School. He received his degree in December 1929 and practiced law until 1935.

Karamanlis in first person

“TO VIMA” of October 19, 2019 published excerpts from Eva Nikolaidou’s book “Konstantinos Karamanlis. The human side of it” by I. Sideris publications, which had as its occasion the meeting of the author with Konstantinos Karamanlis in 1987 in the context of a report on the paternal homes of politicians.

Here are Karamanlis’ own accounts of pivotal moments in his life.

The first experience of war

“I had my first experience of war in 1913, when during the Second Balkan War the Bulgarians occupied Pangaeo. After the retreat of the small Greek forces with which he fought in Agiti, my father returned to the village to lead us to the Strymonos area, which was supposed to be controlled by the Greek forces.

“However, when we arrived at an intermediate village, Rodolivos, we were informed that the Bulgarians had cut off the road. So we were forced to take refuge with a friendly family, where we spent the night.

“Around midnight, the Bulgarians invaded the village with shots and an unprecedented noise. I vividly remember the scene of my father and four or five other men, armed and ready to defend themselves if the Bulgarians invaded the house. Also the scene of the women and us children who brought us up to the roof ceiling – for safety reasons. We all spent the night anxious.

“The morning of the next day, a preacher, at the behest of the Bulgarians, called on those fleeing there from the surrounding villages to return to their homes. A little before noon, unable to do anything else, we set off returning to Protin.

“The escort consisted of my parents, my two younger sisters and two other friendly family members. In the middle of the road we met a Bulgarian unit who stopped us to check.

“By a bad and strange coincidence, at the head of this unit was a Bulgarian officer with whom my father had clashed under the following circumstances.

“During the First Balkan War, the struggle between the Bulgarians and the Turks was common and there was a confusion which was exacerbated by the Greeks and Bulgarians’ attempt to create bridgeheads in view of a victorious end to the war against Turkey.

“That’s when the Bulgarian officer in question came to our village and asked my father to share with the villagers some texts written in Bulgarian.

“My father refused to accept them with the declaration that that land was and will remain Greek and he was expelled, it seems, from the village.

“This same officer, recognizing my father, reminded him of that old scene, and after he escaped, he ordered the whole escort to go forward, except my father, whom he detained with the intention of abusing or executing him.

“I remember that at that moment I jumped off the mule and hung onto my father’s feet. After they made an attempt to pull me away and we all went through moments of anxiety, the Bulgarian officer, obviously moved, let my father follow us, after saying to him: “Nachi thanks to the child, because I have children too.” Under these conditions, we returned to the village where we found our house completely ransacked.”

Children’s quarrel

“Next to our village there was another village, Rodolivos. There was permanent enmity between the two villages, because both claimed the primacy of Pangaios. This enmity was most intense among the children and found its expression in the stone war.

“Hundreds of children from each side meet once or twice a week in the middle of the distance and armed with slings and organized militarily we fought real battles. In these battles I took an active part and have preserved their imprints on my face ever since.

Life in the village

” (…) The same time [1925] enrolled at the Athens Law School. In the summers I went to the village and helped with the agricultural work of the house. I thus gained personal experience of both the toil and the anguish of the tobacco grower, who can never know his year’s income, since it depends on weather conditions and is affected by the volatility of prices.

“For its permanent residents, the village certainly does not have the idyllic character that painters and poets attribute to it. Life, when it is indeed unjust, is by nature unpleasant because boredom is added to toil and poverty.

“However, it is also a unique school for those who want to study people and make social observations. In the village, people’s relationships, their virtues and vices, their successes and failures have a simple, I would say primitive form and are therefore easier to grasp and explain. In this school I learned lessons that proved useful in the rest of my life.”

The first case

“In 1932 I obtained my lawyer’s license and settled as a lawyer in Serras. I was not, of course, a distinguished jurist, since both my studies and my professional pre-education were of necessity flawed.

“However, I soon managed to fill in my gaps, establish myself professionally and earn enough money to provide for my three sisters and educate my brothers.

“Unfortunately for me, the first case I took on was premeditated murder. A breeder killed a colleague in the mountain and fled. I was preparing for his defense, so after a week I learned with relief that he escaped to Romania.”

The father and politics

“My father tried to convince me not to indulge in politics, both because he had no respect for those involved in it, but also because he believed that my character made me unsuitable for this.

“He specifically told me that politics requires lies, compromises and many times dishonours, things that do not fit in with my straight and honest character. And he added in conclusion: “If you enter politics, you will either sacrifice your character to succeed, or you will testify if you want to keep it.”

Military service

“In 1931 I received my diploma and in order to gain time I registered for a professional practice and at the same time I joined the 19th Regiment of Serres to fulfill my military service.

“I didn’t do very well in the army because, as I said before, I was insubordinate by nature, but also because I was ill-treated by my superiors as a “Kalamaras”.

“Nevertheless, I felt comfortable, because the life of the lottery winner is free from cares and responsibilities. You don’t even have the problem of choosing what to eat, what to wear and how to behave.

“Everything is regulated by military regulations. However, I performed well in the exercises and had a good performance. I even remember that when, during an inspection, General Othonaios stood in front of me and made a flattering remark about my performance, the captain with whom I was in permanent enmity, passing in front of me, forced the phrase: “You should have known what a Kumasi you are”.

Venizelos’ mistake

“Venizelos, who was at the center of the 1915 division, made the mistake of returning to politics in 1928. And I call it a mistake, because he returned at a time when the country did not need his services.

“After the elections of 1926 which led to a universal government, the old passions were softened, the new Constitution was voted, the monetary stabilization took place, the dispensation was adjusted and despite the frequent disagreements, that government was busy with the reorganization and development of the country.

“Venizelos apparently came back with the good intention of national reconciliation. And with the ambition to develop and make Greece “unrecognizable” as he called it. But he did not realize that he had been overtaken by events and that his return would inevitably rekindle passions.”