Alexandros Papanastasiou (1836-1936)
"I would not exaggerated if I claimed that the formation of my political thinking would not be the same if I was not so attached to the people of Arcadia..."
The 13th of April 1924 was a day of hight importance for Greece and
Democracy. The 70% of people of Greece said "YES" to the uncrowned democracy.
This event is considered as a personal accomplishment of ALEXANDROS PAPANASTASIOU, a
politician from Levidi-Arcadia. A political personality that is not appreciated as much as
it should be. He was born in 8th of July in Tripolis. Panagiotis Papanastasiou was his
father and Marigo Rogari Apostolopoulou his mother, both from Levidi. He graduated school
from Pireas, he matriculated the Law School of Athens and he left for Germany after he
obtained his PhD from Athens University. He studied philosophy, sociology and economics in
Haidelberg and Berlin but the science of law wasnt good enought for him so he went
to London and to Paris to study social sciences. He returned to Greece in 1907 when his
father died and he took up his position in politics.
The highlights of his political career are:
1907. Foundation of "Society of Sociology"
1910. He is elected MP in Arcadia as an associate of Eleftherios Venizelos and he sruggles in favour of small farmers in Thessalia that they were asking for land.
1910. He joins the army as a volunteer and he takes part in the Balkan Wars. He was a minister in several goverments of Venizelos: of Transportations, Internal Affairs and Public health.
1920. Venizelos looses the elections and Papanastasiou is leaving Greece for four months and goes to Italy.
1922 (April). He establishes "Dimokratiki Enosi" a new party that in 1928 is turned into"Agrotikon kai Ergatikon komma". -Some days before the establishment of the new party he publishes one of the most known political essays of Modern Greek History "The Manifest on Democracy" (Dimokratiko Manifesto) and he even goes to jail for it.
12.3.1924, he forms goverment and he is declared Prime Minister.
25.3.1924 He brings to the Parliament proposition to abolish Dynasty and to vote for democarcy. The majority voted against uncrowned democracy and they proclaimed a referendum.
13.4.1924 The referendum resulted to democracy. The Second Parliamentary Democracy is a fact. His goverment didnt last long. Just for several months.
In Levidi exists a small museum dedicated to this great Arcadian politician and man that all Arcadians should be proud of.
Other links
An other link for Papanastasiou biography.
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