Goudi coup

As an uprising of Goudi (Greek επανάσταση στο Γουδί ) or movement of Goudi (Greek κίνημα στο Γουδί ) is called in August 1909, initiated by Greek officers revolt; he is regarded partly as a military coup, partly as a bourgeois revolution. It led to far-reaching reforms and paved the longtime prime minister Eleftherios Venizelos their way to power.

Initial situation

At the beginning of the 20th century, Greece was facing huge problems. The defeat in the Greek -Turkish War in 1897 was seen as a national humiliation that operated despite the defeat Association of Macedonia and Crete with the Greek nation-state did not seem to come out ahead.

Even domestically, there was a widespread feeling of stagnation. After bankruptcy in 1893, government revenues an international financial control had been subordinated to the economic problems reinforced the social question and led to a general dissatisfaction with the state institutions, with government, Crown, parties and the judiciary.

The Military League

Inspired by the Young Turk Revolution in 1908 joined 10 young officers, in which the general prevailing discontent a displeasure joined because of the promotion policy, which was directed primarily against the Crown Prince Constantine as Commander in Chief, in October 1908 a conspiratorial circle together, which already is " Military League "(Greek Στρατιωτικός Σύνδεσμος ) called. Among them was the then Lieutenant Theodoros Pangalos.

The Military League, whose existence was announced in June 1909 quickly received feed from all branches of service. In July 1909, the officers called in a secret meeting of the resignation Konstantinos from his military post, an increase in the military budget and military reform. The new Prime Minister Dimitrios Rallis, Georgios Theotokis replaced the end of July 1909, had initially taken the claims, but focuses on the prosecution of the responsible for the revolt officers after he took power.

The uprising

After arrests and refusal Rallis ' to receive representatives of the military, it came in the night of 15 August 1909 uprising: the supporter of the Military League gathered at the barracks of Goudi, a neighborhood in the east of Athens. Several hundred officers under the leadership of Colonel Nikolaos Zorbas, followed by about 2,000 soldiers, police and civilians moved, threatened with the invasion of the city, if not their ultimate demands would be met. These included not only the replacement of the crown prince as commander in chief and all princes from their military positions and an amnesty for participants in the revolt of the reconvening of the dismissed in recent months officers, the dismissal of certain officers such as Ioannis Metaxas, who were regarded as followers of the crown prince, a military reform, but also in general - political populist reforms such as tax relief.

Rallis stepped back then, the King instructed Kyriakoulis Mavromichalis to form a government. The new government promised all the conditions of the rebels to meet and carry out further reforms to improve the management, an efficient and impartial judiciary, an education system, which should be adapted to the financial, military and national needs, the assurance of life, honor and assets of the citizens, the reorganization of the economy and tax relief for citizens and for setting the aimless expenditure of the state budget and the improvement of the armed forces.

To enforce their demands, the Military League called for a mass rally on September 14, 1909; Professional associations and other organizations joined in, so the rally into a powerful demonstration was in the thousands - in contemporary accounts is of 70,000 participants, the speech - from the military school at Pedio tou Areos in Athens attracted to the Royal Palace.

The implementation of the requirements

The implementation of the requirements in laws met with political opposition in Parliament, which was led by Theokotis and Stephanos Dragoumis. However, under the threat of a coup and the dissolution of Parliament, the Military League reached that by the end of 1909, 160 bills were voted. The demands for a substantial increase in the military budget, replacement of members of the royal family of military positions, fix the carriage jams, dismissal of royalist officers were accepted.

However, many others, especially economic policy demands were found to be immature and unrealistic. Thus the demanded tax relief did not agree with the expansion of the military budget. After enforcement of their professional political demands, the military league lost its assertiveness. Increasingly, also showed different political ideas of their followers. Did not penetrate as naval officers with their radical demands for dismissal of almost all senior officers, they occupied the military port of Salamina; However, their revolt was crushed.

Early 1910 demanded the military council, disappointed by the government Mavromichalis whose resignation.

The call for Venizelos

In the difficult political situation, members of the Military League at Eleftherios Venizelos, who was Prime Minister from 1909 Crete since May and was reputed to have a distant relationship to the crown is turned. Venizelos had shown his sympathy with the demands of the rebels. He met the end of 1909, in Athens and tried to mediate between the king, political parties and military league. They finally agreed to the election of a Constituent Assembly and the formation of a transitional government with Dragoumis as Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Zorbas as Defense Minister. Only after the elections to the Constituent Assembly had been approved by parliament, the Military League disbanded in March 1910.

In the elections in August, which was founded by Venizelos progress-oriented Liberal Party was successful. In October 1910 Venizelos became Prime Minister. He initiated a reform policy. In 1911 a new constitution was promulgated and adopted more than 100 laws.

Despite the anti-monarchist tendencies of his followers Venizelos was initially concerned about a conciliatory attitude towards the royal house; he also continued once the heir to the throne and the other princes back into their military positions. In foreign policy, operational Venizelos at a fixed expansion war policy. He coined the Greek politics for many years.