Konstantinos Karamanlis

During this period, he married Amalia Kanellopoulou.
His successful political record strengthened his public standing and paved the way for his appointment as Prime Minister following the death of Alexandros Papagos. On 5 October 1955, King Paul invited Konstantinos Karamanlis to form a government – a decision that was met with broad support among parliamentary representatives and the majority of the Hellenic Rally (Hellenikos Synagermos) party’s supporters. Nevertheless, wishing to bring fresh energy into political life, Karamanlis founded a new party, the National Radical Union (Ethniki Rizospastiki Enosi), and early elections were held in February 1956. His victory in those elections, followed by further successes in 1958 and 1961, kept him in office for eight consecutive years.
During his first period as Prime Minister, Karamanlis’ chief concern, and his greatest achievement, was the design and implementation of a programme to boost the country’s economic growth. The economy expanded steadily, with GNP doubling at an average annual rate of 6.25%. Per capita income rose from $305 to $565, while inflation stood at just 2%. Investment advanced rapidly, the banking system was revitalised and the financing of the economy was encouraged. Greece’s foreign-exchange position improved, balance was restored in the external accounts and exports were promoted. Domestic production was strengthened, shipping and tourism developed, and foreign capital flowed into the country. Together, these were the main elements of the economy’s success.
Karamanlis also set out to strengthen the country’s productive capacity. This involved large-scale infrastructure and electrification works and a programme of electricity supply; the drawing up of the first five-year plan and the establishment of the Organization for Industrial Development; land reclamation; the introduction of new crops; reafforestation; the creation of agro-industries; and better trading conditions for agriculture. The public works programme continued and expanded. A modern highway network was completed, culminating in the Patras–Athens–Thessaloniki–Evzonoi road (PATHE). Water supply and urban improvement projects were carried out in the major cities, public welfare works were undertaken in the provinces, and tourism developed rapidly.
The growth of the economy allowed Karamanlis, in due course, to turn his attention to education and culture and, for the first time, to sport, as well as to broader support for social welfare and the introduction of institutional measures in this field. The most notable of these was the establishment in 1961 of the Agricultural Insurance Organization.
Karamanlis envisaged a country freed from the blight of economic stagnation and poverty. In his mind, this was bound up with the need for a dynamic response to the challenges of the era at the international level. At a time of intense global tension, it was natural for him to seek to safeguard national security and territorial integrity, first of all through Greece’s membership of NATO. In the last phase of his eight-year term, which coincided with détente, opportunities arose for an “opening to the East”, aimed at easing international pressures and creating new scope for cooperation. Karamanlis also successfully promoted good relations with the developing world, and with the Arab countries in particular, while always giving priority, where necessary, to Greece’s interests in the region.
At the same time, he worked to resolve the Cyprus question, which – after five years of armed struggle by the Cypriot people and difficult diplomatic efforts by Greek governments – led to the establishment of the independent Republic of Cyprus in 1959–1960.
However, the most crucial issue in Karamanlis’ foreign policy was Greece’s relationship with the European Economic Community (EEC), which he regarded as “not merely an economic joint venture, but an entity with a broader political mission and significance”. After two years of intensive negotiations, Greece became the first associate member of the Community of the original six member states, on 9 July 1961.

Alongside the consolidation of democracy, the government took positive measures in the economy and in social policy, in spite of the effects, towards the end of Karamanlis’ six-year term, of the global energy crisis. Income was redistributed, and increased financing of the economy produced satisfactory rates of growth in Gross National Product. Substantial public works were planned and carried out, and progressive measures were introduced in social policy. In education, the use of two forms of the language was abolished, primary and secondary schooling were reformed, and technical training was upgraded. Further measures improved the quality of life in general: protection of the cultural heritage, institutionalization of environmental protection, a number of effective measures in the sports sector. The groundbreaking proposal to hold the Olympic Games permanently in Olympia reflects Karamanlis’ broader vision.
Strengthening national security, by doubling military expenditure and mounting a diplomatic offensive to enhance Greece’s international standing, formed the basis of Karamanlis’ foreign policy. When NATO proved unable to react to the expansion of the Turkish-occupied zone in Cyprus, he decided to withdraw Greece from the military structure of the Alliance. Relations at the political level were maintained, however, leaving open the possibility of a return. This is what eventually happened, once continued absence was judged perilous for Greece. The policy of maintaining a strategic balance between Greece and Turkey was reinforced through the allocation of U.S. military assistance on a seven-to-ten ratio. Overall, Karamanlis’ search for a diplomatic strategy that served every aspect of Greece’s interests, without departing from his central orientation, gave Greek foreign policy new strength and substance at both the regional and international levels.
His “opening” towards the countries of the Soviet bloc went hand in hand with the promotion of new forms of intra-Balkan cooperation, both bilateral and multilateral. This policy culminated in his historic visits to Moscow and Beijing in 1979, the first by a Greek Prime Minister. At the same time, Greece’s longstanding relations with the Arab world were strengthened and renewed, reflecting the country’s strategic role as a bridge between Europe and the Middle East.
Above all, however, his most significant international achievement was securing Greece’s accession to the European Economic Community after three years of intensive negotiations. This outcome was the culmination of a strategic vision he had first articulated two decades earlier, aimed at firmly anchoring Greece within the European integration process.
On 5 May 1980, Karamanlis was elected President of the Republic. His presidency was defined by unwavering respect for the constitutional order, a commitment to political neutrality above party conflict, the orderly alternation of power, and sustained efforts to ease polarisation and strengthen national unity. He resigned from the presidency in 1985, and was elected to the office again in 1990, serving a second term until 1995.
Konstantinos Karamanlis died on 23 April 1998, three years after withdrawing from active political life. For 60 years, he was present on the political stage, serving for eight years as a minister, fourteen as Prime Minister and ten as President of the Hellenic Republic. Karamanlis’ political vision rested on three aims: economic prosperity for Greece, the consolidation of democracy and the country’s integration into Europe. By the end of his career, all three had been achieved.