Post-Dictatorial Greece: Democratization and Transition to Socialism and Beyond

Abstract

The history of Greece’s membership in the European Union (EU) starts in 1981. But given that Greece as a European country has a much longer history, tracing the Greek path to EU membership a few decades prior to its 1981 accession is necessary because those years are important to understand modern Greece. More specifically, this chapter will briefly touch upon the rocky political existence of the Greek state after World War II, highlighting both the ideological divide that sent the country into a tailspin immediately after the war’s end, and the resurgence of several groups with the ability to dictate terms to the state. The first part looks at the Greek civil war while the second looks at the last military intervention in Greek politics. The third section discusses the Greek transition to democracy until the democratic consolidation that saw the peaceful transition of power from the conservatives to the socialists, while the fourth section extensively discusses the socialist era, its apogee, and its transformation. This cycle of political events, though thoroughly historical, will establish a timeline and partially explain some of the main peculiarities that the Greek political system developed over the years. Most notably, it will establish the roots and the development of the Greek dirigiste economic system, the foundation of its Byzantine bureaucracy, and the reinforcement of the active interest groups with extended veto power within society, which will lead to the next chapter that will discuss the transition’s impact on society.