17 Facts About Nikolaos Plastiras

Nikolaos Plastiras was a Greek general and politician, who served three times as Prime Minister of Greece.

Nikolaos Plastiras' parents were originally from Morfovouni, a village in the Agrafa mountains of southwestern Thessaly.

Nikolaos Plastiras fought in the Macedonian Struggle, and participated in the military coup of 1909.

Nikolaos Plastiras entered the NCO School in 1910 and, after being assigned to the rank 2nd lieutenant in 1912, he fought with distinction in the Balkan Wars, where he earned his nickname "The Black Rider".

Nikolaos Plastiras first rose to wider prominence when, as a major, he supported the Movement of National Defence of Eleftherios Venizelos during the First World War.

Nikolaos Plastiras fought with distinction with the Archipelago Division at the battle of Skra-di-Legen and was promoted to lieutenant colonel.

Nikolaos Plastiras's force was then transferred to Smyrna in Asia Minor via Romania.

Nikolaos Plastiras forced King Constantine I to abdicate, called upon the exiled Venizelos to lead the negotiations with Turkey which culminated in the Treaty of Lausanne, and set about to reorganize the Army of Thrace against any Turkish advance.

Nikolaos Plastiras was even admired by his greatest enemy, Mustafa Kemal.

Nikolaos Plastiras, persecuted during the Pangalos dictatorship, attempted to lead a coup in March 1933, after the anti-Venizelists won the elections, but facing universal reaction, he was forced to flee abroad.

Nikolaos Plastiras played a role in the creation of the EDES resistance group, whose titular leadership he had despite his will, after discussions with Komninos Pyromaglou.

Nikolaos Plastiras returned to Greece in 1945, after his selection as prime minister following the December events of 1944, primarily because he was a commonly accepted personality.

In 1949, after the end of the Greek Civil War, Nikolaos Plastiras founded a new party, the Progressive Liberal Party which transformed into National Progressive Centre Union for the 1950 Greek legislative election, forming a following of disappointed Liberals and left-leaning democrats.

Nikolaos Plastiras preached a message of national reconciliation, which put him in conflict with the conservative establishment which sought to punish those who had fought to establish a communist government.

Together with Sofoklis Venizelos and George Papandreou, Nikolaos Plastiras formed a coalition government in 1950, which fell when his partners retired.

Nikolaos Plastiras formed a coalition government with Sofoklis Venizelos' Liberals, and attempted to address the great problems of the country.

Nikolaos Plastiras's government initiated the economic recovery and the reconstruction of Greece.