WI: Andréas Papandréou stays in North America instead of going back to Greece?

Dan1988

Dan1988

Andréas Papandréou (Ανδρέας Παπανδρέου) was one of Greece's most important (and, consequently, one of its more famous) post-Junta Prime Ministers. The son of a Prime Minister who served in the Royalist government-in-exile during the Second World War, and then twice as Prime Minister during the 1960s in one of the most turbulent periods in modern Greek history, Andréas was instrumental in starting up PASOK - originally as a democratic-socialist party, but gradually moving towards the centre - and served twice as Greece's Prime Minister, the first time in what was Greece's first socialist government.

Now, prior to this, Andréas had spent some time in the US (he got his degree from Harvard) and it was only in 1959 that he returned to Greece. But what if Andréas stayed in North America instead of going back? After all, Andréas served in the US military during World War II and as a result obtained American citizenship. He could have led an interesting life in North America, no matter where his career led to. True, he would have robbed Greece of one of its most important politicians after the Junta, but apart from that Andréas could equally have served the US well. His views need not align with those formed in OTL.

So what do you think? How do you think Andréas would have fared had he stayed in the US instead of going back to Greece?
 

overoceans

He gets tenured as a left-leaning Economics prof at a prestigious American university, attaining about as much fame as you can with that sort of position.

I'm not sure if the American public-intellectual pantheon would have room for two John Kenneth Galbraiths. Maybe AP could turn up on Firing Line occassionally as a foil for Buckley.
 

overoceans

oreocruncher said:
I would consider him as being a prof...
A bit like Krugman I guess...
Click to expand...

I once saw an old issue of Canadian Forum from the 70s, when Papandreou was in exile in Toronto. It had an article by him about multinational corporations. I only skimmed it, but it seemed very much like the standard left-wing critique of multinationals in those days.
 

Romanos

First of all, no Papandreou means no Pasok. Maybe most of its officials and voters would go to centre-left Centre Union, and the rest would go the United Left. A fascinating scenario for modern Greek history. The effects of that would be enormous. Also his role in the 60s political landscape was critical in the eventual 1967 coup. Unfortunately, I don't know enough to comment on his US academic career.
 

oreocruncher

Romanos said:
First of all, no Papandreou means no Pasok. Maybe most of its officials and voters would go to centre-left Centre Union, and the rest would go the United Left. A fascinating scenario for modern Greek history. The effects of that would be enormous. Also his role in the 60s political landscape was critical in the eventual 1967 coup. Unfortunately, I don't know enough to comment on his US academic career.
Click to expand...

I would say that the coup may not happen, or if it does the US wouldn't be as supportive of it...
It was paranoia over him that contributed to them accepting the junta taking power, even though it was mostly bullshit...

And if the junta never happened, then strangely Greece would actually end up in the EEC earlier, because there already was an association agreement (aiming towards eventual membership), which got suspended under the junta...
Also, the Turkish invasion of Cyprus wouldn't happen, because I really don't think the Greek government would overthrow Makarios to pursue enosis, which is what sparked the Turkish invasion in the first place...
So Northern Cyprus as it is now wouldn't exist...

Though if the junta doesn't happen, then Amnesty International would take longer to become prominent, as one of the first big things they did was expose the atrocities of the junta...
Also, the film "Z" wouldn't exist I think due to the different context...
 
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