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pecia l R ep o r t
and King Constantine of the Hellenes, the Greek flag
was erected at the fortress of Firka in Chania. The
Union had been achieved and the legacy of this success
helped Eleftherios Venizelos become prime minister of
Greece and change the country’s history.
Today, 100 years later, Crete is totally different. The
island is developed, has culture, hardworking people
and a wealth of initiatives to highlight the historical,
social, natural and traditional richness of the island.
Through the difficult economic conditions of the times,
it remains a beacon of innovation, a source of natural
beauty and a center of science and arts.
But above all the brave soul who wants to live and
breathe in freedom is always here, alive, on every
street, square and home. And Crete will not forget
how it acquired this good. That is why, smiling, the
island expects the next 100 years to progress and develop because of its own strengths and history. K
S
Immediately there was a meeting, which declared the
independence of Crete, and the flag of the Cretan state
was removed and the Greek one was put in its place.
The civil servants were sworn allegiance to King George
I of Greece, and a five member executive committee
was appointed with the mandate to govern the island
in the name of the king of the Greeks and in accordance
with the laws of the Greek state.
When Venizelos became prime minister of Greece,
the Cretan deputies insisted they be recognized as
equals in the Greek parliament. At first Venizelos refused because he had correctly predicted Turkey would
be weakened further with the outbreak of the Balkan
wars. The Ottoman Empire was indeed weakened and
became powerless to require anything on the island.
So, with the Treaty of London in May 1913, Crete
was formally unified with Greece.
In December 1913, in the presence of E. Venizelos
Continued from page 11
«?????????» ?????? ????????? ??? ?? ????
???????? ?????????? ????????????.
?? 1896, ???? ?? ??? ???????? ??????
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?? ?????????? ??? ???? ??? ???? ????? ???? ??
??????????? ??? ??????? ?????????? ??? ????????.
????? ??? ?? ??? ????????? ??? 4 ????? ???
?????? ??? ??? ??????? ???????? ??? ???
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??? ??????? ??? ??????? ?? ?????? ?? ????????
????? ??????, ? ???? ??? ???????. ? ??????
???????? ????? ??? ?????? ??? ??????????
?????? ??? ????????, ??? ??? ?? ?????, ???
???? ??? ?? ???????? ??????? ??? ?????????
???????, ??????? ?? ????? ??? ????????? ??
?????? ???????. ? ?????? ???????? ????????
?????? ??????????? ??? ???? ?? ???? ??????
???????????? ???????? ????????? ??? ?????.
??????? ??? ???? ??? ???? ????????????? ???
??????? ?? 1898 ??? ????????, ?? ?????????
??? ???? ? ????????? ???????? ????????????????????????, ???????????? ???? ??? ???????
???????? ?’ ??? ???????, ?? ?????? ????????
??? ??????? ???????? ???? ???????????
«??????? ????????». ?? ?????? ??? ???????????
?? ?????? ??????????? ?? ??????? ???
???????????? ????. ???????? ?????? ???? ????
??? ?????????: ? ????? ?? ?? ?????? ??????.
(Top) Executive Committee of Crete. M. Petychakis, Eleftherios Venizelos,
A. Michelidakis, Emm Logiadis, C. Pologeorgis. (E.I.E.V.). (Above) The organization
Cretan gendarmerie and militia was one of the first tasks of the newly established
State of Crete. From postcard era (E.I.E.V.)
KPHTH | WWW.PANCRETAN.ORG
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