Thrasyvoulos Makriyannis

"This I guarantee"

- Thrasyvoulos Makriyannis

o Sevásmios, Thrasyvoulos Angelos Makriyannis (February 9th, 1904-) is a Byzantine politician, leading the Proodeftiko Komma (formerly known as the Fileleftheron Komma) in 1930, hailing from the Makriyannis family, known for the Makriyannis Armaments Concern. He is both the youngest member of the Plebeivouloi, and the youngest party leader in Roman history, being elected to represent Thessaloniki in 1924, at the age of 20, and becoming the leader of the Fileleftheron Komma in 1927, beginning a reformation of the party into the Proodeftiko Komma, which transformed the party from a hardline classical liberal party, to a middle-line "responsible capitalist" party, advocating for a social safety net and cooperating with businesses to create a better economy for the poorest citizens. Although several hardliners, such as Serevios Moulitis, left the party and joined the Syntiritiko Komma in response, the party began recovering its reputation following Black Thursday, and due to the SdK's unsuccessful response to the depression, became the Prothypourgos of Rome in 1930.

Early Life
Makriyannis was born on February 9th 1904 to Georgios Makriyannis and Eleftheria Makriyanni, members of the patrician class in Smyrna. As a young child, Makriyannis often diverged from his siblings in his behavior and worldview. As he grew older, he would often go walking around the city accompanied by a personal guard. Despite their efforts to redirect him, several times he wandered into the poor districts of Smyrna."It was in those days, where I first encountered the idea of poverty. It went against what I lived. Here I was, in the most prosperous country on the planet, in a very prosperous family, and there were people who could not afford to eat. I think if other patricians could see that, they too would be more open to the idea of social security."Makriyannis' early years as the youngest male child in a wealthy family meant that he was not groomed for taking over a business or marrying into another patrician's family. He spent his earliest years in studying and wandering Smyrna. The lack of attention his parents gave him has been quoted as his reasoning for taking an active role in his own children's lives.

He attended secondary school at the "Emperor Constantine Academy" in Smyrna, where he excelled at debate and political science. He made top honors at the academy and was recruited by several universities in Rhomania. By the time he graduated in 1919, he was fluent in Standard Greek, Contemporary Latin, French, and English in addition to his native Anaionian Greek.

College
Makriyannis accepted an offer from the University of Neapolis, and started his degree in political science. While there, he received several honors, including the position of Primum inter Scholarium or "First among Scholars." Within his first academic year, he joined the College Liberals Association, and quickly rose through the ranks to become the head of that organization.

In 1923, while attending university at Neapolis, he met Nebulica Punica, a social science major from a working class Latin family. They instantly became fascinated with one another, and soon thereafter they were a well known couple at the University. They married about a year later in 1924.

In 1925, Thrasyvoulos graduated with a masters of political science, and he and Nebulina moved to Makriyannis' hometown of Smyrna.

Political Career
Almost immediately upon returning to Smyrna in May 1925, with a monetary gift from his father, he and Nebulina purchased a home in the Kiposoreinon district of Smyrna. Makriyannis declared his intention to run for the Kiposoreinon district seat, recently vacated by the geriatric conservative grandee Theodosios Melisennos.

The Kiposoreinon district was split into three socio-economic areas, one working class, one middle class and one aristocratic/patrician class. Makiyannis faced competition from Georgios Kipiron, a Social Democrat, and Eleftherios Panoramides, a Syntiritiko acolyte of Melisennos. Prior to Makriyannis' run, the Kiposoreinon was a safe Syntiritiko district, often called the Conservative island in the Liberal heart of Rhomania, a title it gained by being home to the majority of the aristocratic class.

Panoramides saw the threat from the young upstart from a wealthy patrician family to his political prospects, and doubled down on his aristocratic base while attempting to maintain some appeal among the patrician and middle class voters. With Kipiron holding a virtual monopoly on the working class vote, Makriyannis decided to adopt a strategy of appealing to a broad swath of voters across the socio-economic strata, with a particular focus on the middle class (who felt ignored by the Social Democrats and Conservatives who dominated the politics of the area), on female members of the aristocratic and patrician classes who felt disaffected with the Syntiritikoi's somewhat chauvinistic platform in 1925, and on more moderate members of the working class who were hesitant towards the more ambitious policy positions of the Social Democrats. Makriyannis campaigned as the "man in the middle," who sought to ease the situation of the working class while protecting the property rights of the upper classes and favoring sustainable economic growth. He spoke of women's issues, stating that "women are coequal members of the economy, and we must ensure that they are treated as such." Panoramides relaxed after hearing Makriyannis' platform during the first forum, believing that he positioned himself too left for the upper and middle classes, and too right to capture a significant portion of the lower class vote.

While Makriyannis and Kipiron continued campaigning and debating in forums, Panoramides instead decided to abstain from the forums and instead increased his focus upon the aristocracy, for whom he would organize several galas and balls in support of his candidacy. Makriyannis and Kipiron decided to capitalize upon this, and both argued to the other stratas in the district that Panoramides was out of touch with their concerns, and would only represent one group in the district. The middle and patrician classes, who frequented the forum debates the most, saw Panoramides absence and the majority swayed against Panoramides, who still felt secure in his support among those classes.

When election day came, Makriyannis won 45% of the vote with a broad coalition of moderate minded working class individuals, reform minded middle class intellectuals, patrician class industrialists, and female members of the aristocracy; Kipiron won 30% of the vote with the majority of the working class and a generous percentage of the middle class; Panoramides won 25% of the vote, failing to capture the support his predecessor Melisennos relied upon to carry him to a reliable 55-65% victory over his own political adversaries.

Makriyannis' triumph over Panoramides marked a significant turning point in the Kiposoreinon district. Following his victory and later transformation of the Filelefthero into the Proodeftiko, the aristocracy of the Kiposoreinon began relocating to the outskirts of Smyrna and elsewhere in the Anaionian region, dissatisfied with the now Sevasmio Vima Makriyannis, and replacing them were more middle and patrician class families who would secure the district for Makriyannis and the Proodeftikoi for years following.