Hellenic Republic
Greece, 1974 to today. Draft, not yet reviewed
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country located mostly on the Balkan peninsula of Southeastern Europe, with thousands of islands extending geographically to Asia Minor. Greece endured military occupation during World War II, the subsequent Greek Civil War, and prolonged political instability, leading to a military dictatorship in 1967. The country began transitioning to democracy in 1974, leading to the current parliamentary republic.
Seat of power: Athens
Rulers
Michael Stasinopoulos
President of Greece, 1974–1975
He was a Greek jurist and politician who served as the President of Greece from 18 December 1974 to 19 July 1975. A member of New Democracy, he was the first officeholder under the Third Hellenic Republic.
Portrait of Michael Stasinopoulos: Associated Press, Public domain, file
.png){kind=link}
Konstantinos Tsatsos
President of Greece, 1975–1980
He served as the second President of the Third Hellenic Republic from 1975 to 1980. In 1940, he was arrested and exiled for opposing the 4th of August Regime under Prime Minister of Greece Ioannis Metaxas.
Portrait of Konstantinos Tsatsos: Keystone Press, Public domain, file
Konstantinos Karamanlis
President of Greece, 1980–1985
He was a Greek statesman who was the four-time Prime Minister of Greece and two-term president of the Third Hellenic Republic, serving in the former role from 1955 to 1963 and from 1974 to 1980. During his first term, he applied a program of rapid industrialization, heavy investment on infrastructure and improvement on agricultural production, which led to the post-war Greek economic miracle.
Portrait of Konstantinos Karamanlis: Bert Verhoeff for Anefo, CC0, file
.jpg){kind=link}
Christos Sartzetakis
President of Greece, 1985–1990
He was a Greek attorney who served as the president of Greece from 1985 to 1990. Sartzetakis entered the judicial career in 1955, became Justice of the Peace at Kleisoura, Kastoria, and in 1963, served as judge of the Court of First Instance of Thessaloniki.
Portrait of Christos Sartzetakis: Associated Press, Public domain, file
.png){kind=link}
Konstantinos Karamanlis
President of Greece, 1990–1995
A towering figure of Greek politics, his political career spanned portions of seven decades, covering much of the latter half of the 20th century. He was appointed prime minister by King Paul of Greece after Papagos's death in 1955.
Portrait of Konstantinos Karamanlis: Bert Verhoeff for Anefo, CC0, file
Konstantinos Stephanopoulos
President of Greece, 1995–2005
He was a Greek conservative politician who served two consecutive terms as the president of Greece from 1995 to 2005. He first stood for election in 1958, with the National Radical Union and was elected for the first time as MP for Achaea Prefecture in 1964.
Portrait of Konstantinos Stephanopoulos: Jannos Kassianou, CC BY-SA 3.0, file
Karolos Papoulias
President of Greece, 2005–2015
He was a Greek politician who served as the president of Greece from 2005 to 2015. A member of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement, he previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1985 to 1989 and again from 1993 until 1996.
Portrait of Karolos Papoulias: ΠΑΣΟΚ, CC BY-SA 2.0, file
Prokopis Pavlopoulos
President of Greece, 2015–2020
He is a Greek retired politician, who served as the president of Greece from 2015 to 2020. A member of New Democracy, he previously was Minister of the Interior from 2004 to 2009. He was succeeded by Katerina Sakellaropoulou on 13 March 2020, who became the first woman to serve as President of Greece.
Portrait of Prokopis Pavlopoulos: Mark Neyman, CC BY-SA 3.0, file
Katerina Sakellaropoulou
President of Greece, 2020–2025
She is a Greek retired judge who served as the president of Greece from 2020 to 2025. Prior to her election as president, Sakellaropoulou served as president of the Council of State, the highest administrative court of Greece. She was the country's first female president.
Portrait of Katerina Sakellaropoulou: Office of the President of Ireland, Public domain, file
.jpg){kind=link}
Konstantinos Tasoulas
President of Greece, 2025 to today
He is a Greek politician and lawyer who has served as the president of Greece since 13 March 2025. He previously served as President of the Hellenic Parliament from 2019 to 2025.
Portrait of Konstantinos Tasoulas: Kyriakos Samartzidis, CC BY 4.0, file
Culture
- At the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa, Greece is often considered the cradle of Western civilisation, Western philosophy, and Western literature.
- Through the Ancient Greeks, Greece is the birthplace of democracy, historiography, political science, major scientific and mathematical principles, theatre, and the Olympic Games.
- The Parthenon was built in the 5th century BC in thanksgiving for the Greek victory over the Persian invaders during the Greco-Persian Wars.
- Shipping and tourism are major economic sectors, with Greece being the ninth most-visited country in 2024.
Picture
The Parthenon is a former temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, that was dedicated to the goddess Athena.
Image: Steve Swayne, CC BY 2.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.