Nikolaos Plastiras (Greek: Νικόλαος Πλαστήρας; 4 November 1883 – 26 July 1953) was a Greek general and politician, who served three times as Prime Minister of Greece. A distinguished soldier known for his personal bravery, he became famous as "The Black Rider" during the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922, where he commanded the 5/42 Evzone Regiment. Due to his fame, he retained his position despite the military reshuffle that commenced after the 1920 elections. After the Greek defeat in the war, along with other Venizelist officers he launched the 11 September 1922 Revolution that deposed King Constantine I of Greece and his government. The military-led government ruled until January 1924, when power was handed over to an elected National Assembly, which later declared the Second Hellenic Republic. In the interwar period, Plastiras remained a devoted Venizelist and republican. Trying to avert the rise of the royalist People's Party and the restoration of the monarchy, he led two coup attempts in 1933 and 1935, both of which failed, hastening the collapse of the Second Republic and forcing Plastiras to exile in France.
During the Axis Occupation of Greece in the Second World War he was the nominal leader of the EDES resistance group, although he remained in exile in Marseille. His stance and opinions on the occupation remain a matter of scholarly debate. After the occupation, he returned to Greece, founding the National Progressive Centre Union (EPEK) and serving as a centrist Prime Minister three times, often in coalition with the Liberal Party. In his last two governments, he tried to heal the rift caused in Greek society by the Greek Civil War, but was unsuccessful. He championed land resettlement and wealth redistribution policies, along with the extension of voting rights to women, the release of political prisoners and abolition of the death penalty, despite his own anti-communist beliefs. The EPEK-Liberal coalition's defeat in the 1952 elections to Greek Rally began a three-decade dominance of the political right in Greek politics. Plastiras died in poverty in July 1953 and was accorded a state funeral.
