The industrial unionism movement in Greece during the first years of the political change after the fall of the Junta (1974‑1981) (original) (raw)

2018, Cahiers balkaniques

On July 24 th 1974, the transition to democracy took place following the collapse of the military dictatorship. In short, the term Μεταπολίτευση ("Metapolitefsi", in English: Policy Change), denotes the restoration of democracy. The fall of the military dictatorship happened in parallel with the weakening of the post-civil war mechanisms of the State which, from 1949, the year the Greek Civil war ended, until 1974, were controlling all the social activities within the country. The autocratic governance, the ban on left-wing political parties, the military interventions in politics, the rampant action of far-right parastatal organizations, the strict policing as well as the suffocating control of trade-unions, were constituting the major pillars of the State, the winners of the Civil War had established. The legalization of all left-wing parties, the referendum which abolished monarchy in 1974, the unadulterated elections in the same year, the new constitution of 1975, the conviction of the military junta leaders, the gradual return of the political exiles, the extrication of the military from politics and freedom of the press formed the basis of the Third Hellenic Republic. 1 2 At the economic level, since the beginning of the 1960's, rapid industry growth took place which, during the dictatorship period (1967-1974), grew even further as the Greek industry expanded in mass production sectors, like the chemical industry, metallurgy and the manufacturing of electrical appliances. 2 During this time, industrial businesses were The industrial unionism movement in Greece during the first years of the poli...