Georgios Kartalis

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Georgios Kartalis

Georgios Kartalis (Greek: Γεώργιος Καρτάλης, 1908–1957) was a Greek politician.

Early life and political career

Kartalis was born in

University of Kiel
(1932–1933).

Kartalis returned to Greece in 1933 in order to take up the family's role in the local politics of Volos. He stood unsuccessfully for the city's mayor in 1933, but in the June 1935 elections he was elected as an MP in the People's Party ticket. His knowledge of economy and finance led to his immediate appointment General Secretary in the Economics Ministry in the government of Panagis Tsaldaris, and after the royalist October coup of General Georgios Kondylis he was named Labour Minister.

The imposition of the dictatorial

Metaxas Regime on 4 August 1936 marked a profound shift in Kartalis' political views: whereas his family had traditionally been conservative monarchists, and Kartalis himself had both campaigned with the royalist People's Party, which had never accepted the establishment of the Second Hellenic Republic (1924–1935), and even held a post in Kondylis' government, which had restored the monarchy, Kartalis now became a convinced republican and was involved in a number of anti-regime initiatives.[1]

Second World War

On the outbreak of the

Venizelist and republican Army colonels such as Evripidis Bakirtzis with the view of forming a republican-oriented resistance group. Finally, with the cooperation of Colonel Dimitrios Psarros, the National and Social Liberation
(EKKA) movement was founded in early autumn 1942. EKKA aspired to a purely republican regime after the war, including vaguely socialist ideas such as a "socialization" of industry.

EKKA became the third major resistance group after the communist-led

George Papandreou
. In this government, Kartalis held the post of Vice-Minister of Press and Information.

Post-war career

After the country was liberated in October 1944, Papandreou's government was soon faced with the mutual mistrust and rivalry between EAM-ELAS, which controlled most of the country, and the forces of the British-backed government-in-exile, which attracted the support of many of the pre-war political elites. Despite disagreements with Papandreou, Kartalis remained in office as Minister without portfolio from October 1944 to Papandreou's resignation on 3 January 1945, during the

Greek economy from the devastations of World War II. His reforms shored up public finances and paved the way for the Greek economic miracle
of the 1950s and 1960s.

Together with Alexandros Svolos he founded the Democratic Party of the Working People, but failed to get elected into Parliament in the 1952 elections.[2] He then stood successfully in 1954 as mayor of Volos, holding the office until his re-election into Parliament in 1956. He died of heart failure on 27 September 1957 in London.

References

  1. ^ (in Greek) Komninos Pyromaglou Georges Kartalis and his Age 1934-1957 Edition: Istoriki Erevna Athens 1965
  2. ISBN 960-259-096-3
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