Alexander Papagos (in Greek:Αλέξανδρος Παπάγος, Alexandros Papagos). Born 1883 (Athens, Greece); died in 1955 (Athens, Greece), was a Greek Field Marshal who led the Greek Army in the Greco-Italian War and the later stages of the Greek Civil War and became the country's Prime Minister. Jump to: navigation, search 1883 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search The Acropolis in central Athens, one of the most important landmarks in world history. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1955 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Acropolis in central Athens, one of the most important landmarks in world history. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Greco-Italian War was a conflict between Italy and Greece from October 28, 1940 to April 6, 1941. ... Jump to: navigation, search An ELAS Terrorist The Greek Civil War was fought between 1942 and 1949, and was the first example of a post-war Communist insurgency. ... Note on Greek names: There is no firm convention for the rendering of Greek personal names into English. ...

Military career

He studied in the Brussels Military Academy and the Cavalry School at Ypres, joining the Greek Army in 1906 as a Cavalry 2nd Lieutenant. Jump to: navigation, search Emblem of the Brussels-Capital Region Flag of The City of Brussels Brussels (Dutch: Brussel, French: Bruxelles, German: Brüssel) is the capital of Belgium and is considered by many to be the headquarters of the European Union, as two of its four main institutions have... The Bellfry of Ypres Ypres (French, generally used in English;1 Ieper official name in the local Dutch) is a municipality located in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, and in the Flemish province of West Flanders. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1906 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

In the First Balkan War he served in the General Staff of King Constantine. As captain he held successive staff positions. He was a confirmed royalist, so in 1917, along with many other officers, he was dismissed from the Army. He was recalled after the return of King Constantine in 1920, when he successfully served as operations officer to the Cavalry Brigade in the Asia Minor Campaign. Jump to: navigation, search The region and battle places For more background on this topic, see Balkan Wars. ... Constantine I, King of the Hellenes (2 August 1868 - 11 January 1923), ruled Greece from 1913-1917 and from 1920-1922. ... The noun or adjective, Royalist, can have several shades of meaning. ... Constantine I, King of the Hellenes (2 August 1868 - 11 January 1923), ruled Greece from 1913-1917 and from 1920-1922. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1920 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events WIKIPEDIA EATS VAGINA January 7 - Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk. ...

In 1923 he was again decomissioned by the Revolution of 1922, but was recalled in 1927 with the grade of Colonel. He was promoted to Major General in 1930, and appointed to higher Army commands. In October 1935, as a Lieutenant General, he was appointed Minister of War in the Georgios Kondilis government. From his position, he employed the Army to support Ioannis Metaxas' declaration of dictatorship in August 4, 1936. Jump to: navigation, search 1923 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1935 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Ioannis Metaxas Ioannis Metaxas (Greek Ιωάννης Μεταξάς, April 12, 1871 - January 29, 1941) was a Greek General and the Prime Minister of Greece from 1936 until his death. ... Jump to: navigation, search August 4 is the 216th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (217th in leap years), with 149 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1936 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

During the next years, as Chief of the General Staff, he actively tried to reorganize and reequip the Army for the oncoming war. With the outbreak of the Greco-Italian War in 1940, he was named Commander-in-Chief and directed Greek operations against Italy. The successes of the Greek Army brought him fame and applause, but his conduct of the campaign has recently been criticized. Jump to: navigation, search The Greco-Italian War was a conflict between Italy and Greece from October 28, 1940 to April 6, 1941. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

After the German invasion in April 1941, he did not flee the country but remained behind. In July 1943, together with other generals, he was arrested and sent to concentration camps in Germany. In 1945 he was repatriated, rejoined the Army and reached the rank of full General in 1947. In 1949, he was once again appointed Commander-in-Chief as to defeat the Communists in the Greek Civil War. With extensive American aid, and with the novel use of napalm, he achieved victory by October of that year, when he, alone of all Greek career officers, was named Field Marshal. Jump to: navigation, search 1941 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1943 is a common year starting on Friday. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1947 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1949 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... Jump to: navigation, search An ELAS Terrorist The Greek Civil War was fought between 1942 and 1949, and was the first example of a post-war Communist insurgency. ... Note: This article is about the military usage of the word marshal. For other usages, see the end of this article. ...

He continued to serve in his capacity as Commander-in Chief while Greece was in astate of political instability, with splinter parties and weak politicians unable to provide a firm government, and the victorious right terror reigning supreme and unchecked throughout the country.

Political career

In May 1951 he resigned from the Army, as to become involved in politics. He founded the Greek Rally (Ελληνικός Συναγερμός), modelled after De Gaulle's Rassemblement du Peuple Français and won the September elections with 35% of the vote, largely due to his popularity, his image as a strong and determined leader, an extensive American support. Despite this victory, Papagos was unable to form a government, and had to wait until the November 1952 elections, when, with a change in the electoral system, he gained 240 out of 300 seats in Parliament. The Field Marshal, with his popular backing and support from the Americans was an authoritative figure, leading to friction with the Royal Palace. Papagos' government successfully strived to modernize Greece (where the young and energetic Minister of Public Works, Constantine Karamanlis, distinguished himself) and restore the economy of a country ruined by 10 years of war, but did little to restore social harmony in a country still scarred from the civil war. Jump to: navigation, search 1951 was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (  listen?) (November 22, 1890 – November 9, 1970), in France commonly referred to as le général de Gaulle, was a French military leader and statesman. ... The Rally of the People of France (French Rassemblement du Peuple Français or RPF) was a French political party, led by Charles de Gaulle. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1952 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search Image:Karamanlis. ...

One of the major issues faced by Papagos was the Cyprus problem, where the Greek majority had begun clamouring for Enosis (Union) with Greece. In response to demonstrations in the streets of Athens, Papagos reluctantly, as this would put Greece in confrontation with Great Britain, ordered Greece's UN representative in August 1954 to raise the issue of Cyprus. When the EOKA armed struggle began in 1955, Papagos was in declining health and unwilling to act. The clashes in Cyprus, however, led to a deterioration of Greco-Turkish relations, culminating in the Istanbul Pogrom in September. By that time, Papagos was ill, and on November 7, 1955, he died. Jump to: navigation, search The Cyprus Dispute refers to the conflict between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots over Cyprus, an island in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1954(MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search EOKA (Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston, in English National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters) was a Greek Cypriot military resistance organisation that fought for self-determination and for union with Greece in the mid- to late- 1950s. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1955 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Istanbul Pogrom, also known as the Istanbul Riots, or the Σεπτεμβριανά in Greek and the 6-7 Eylül Olayları in Turkish (both literally Events of September), was a pogrom directed at Istanbul’s 80,000-strong Greek minority on 6–7 September 1955. ... Jump to: navigation, search November 7 is the 311th day of the year (312th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 54 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1955 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Athens suburb of Papagou, where the Ministry of Defence is located, is named after him. Jump to: navigation, search The Acropolis in central Athens, one of the most important landmarks in world history. ... Papagou, uncommonly Papagos or Pappagos (Greek: Παπάγου) is a suburb in the northeastern part of Athens, Greece. ... The Hellenic Ministry of Defense (Greek Υπουργείο Εθνικής Άμυνας, abbreviated (ΥΠΕΘΑ), is the civilian cabinet organization responsible for managing the Military of Greece. ...