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Eleftherios K. Venizelos (1864 - 1936)
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Eleftherios Venizelos was born in Crete in 1864. At that time Crete was ruled by the Ottomans. In 1886 his family had to leave the island quickly and move to Greece because his father was involved in the Cretan insurrection . He studied Law at the University of Athens and worked as a lawyer in Chania. Soon he entered politics as a member of the liberal party of the island. He was actively involved in political life and showed that he was a realist, a visionary, an intelligent, flexible and daring person who had an impressive personal charm.
In 1910 he moved to Greece and became Prime Minister. He also started organising the “Liberal Party”. He contributed towards the development of the political and economic progress of Greece, as well as towards the victory of the Balkan Wars.
In 1920 he was defeated during the elections and withdrew from politics but came back after the Asia Minor disaster in 1922. At that time he changed Greek policy with both the exchange of the Greek and Turkish populations and the Treaty of Lausanne which defined the boundaries between Greece and Turkey. In this way he worked towards peace.
He was a Prime Minister again between 1928 - 1932. He worked for stability and creativity. He also achieved the signing of the pact of friendship between Greece and Turkey in 1930. In 1935 he decided by himself to leave Greece and live in Paris where he died in 1936.
Check that you understand what these words mean in this document Insurrection: uprising. Visionary: a person who possesses the ability to imagine how a country, society, industry, etc. will develop in the future and to plan in a suitable way. Flexible: readily changed or changing. Impressive: admirable. To contribute: to have a part in bringing about something. Elections: a system used for the choosing of a government by the people. To withdraw from: move out or back; to take out; to remove . Disaster: catastrophe. Boundaries: real or imagined lines that mark the edge or limit of something. Stability: the condition when things do not change very often or suddenly. Pact : an agreement or treaty.
