The Rise of the Golden Dawn in Greece: Austerity and Its Impact on Democracy (original) (raw)
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The resurrection of the far right in post-IMF Greece: the case of the Golden Dawn party
In May and in June 2012, the Golden Dawn, an extremist right-wing political party with overtly anti-parliamentary, anti-liberal, pro-racist ideology which perceives the exercise of physical violence as a legitimate way of claiming political power, managed to win a remarkably large number of seats in the Greek national parliament. Despite the absence of a far-right movement in the Greek political scene since the fall of military junta in 1974, the resurrection of it in the 2012 elections came as a surprise to many observers. They often attributed its rise to Greece's financial crisis and the Golden Dawn's ability to offer an easily “digestible” and simplistic explanation for the country’s situation, suggesting that there was a “conspiracy” of internal and external “enemies” against it. Assisted by the gradual obsolescence of politics and the heated immigration issue, the Golden Dawn became the expression of anger of the betrayed and the have-nots. The arrest of its leader and a large number of its prominent members for laundering money and working for a mafia-style terrorist organization, by a leading right-wing coalition government, brought to the surface both the underground operations of the Golden Dawn Party as well as its connections with certain members of the police and the military. The goal of this paper will be to offer shed some light over the sudden rise of the Far-Right to political power and its effect on the political, social and economic arena of post-IMF Greece.
The Greek welfare state in the age of austerity: anti social policy and the politico-economic crisis
Analysis and debate in social policy,2012, 2012
Greece was the first of the countries in the EU periphery engulfed in the so-called sovereign debt crisis that followed the crisis in the financial and banking sectors. The sovereign debt crisis exposed the serious weaknesses of the politico-economic regime that shaped Greece’s development after the end of the military dictatorship in 1974. It also revealed the unprecedented power of unaccountable international financial institutions, banks and agencies to shape the dynamics of government bond markets across the globe and, therefore, the trajectories of national and regional political economies. More fundamentally, the Greek crisis exposed the limits of EU solidarity, and accelerated changes in the future politico-economic governance of the EU: the institutional innovations pursued as a means for managing the sovereign debt crisis, especially within the Eurozone, undermine national economic sovereignty to an unprecedented degree and, thus, place under serious question the role of national democratic politics in the process of EU integration. Our chapter begins with a brief discussion of the background to the crisis and explores how multiple and mutually re-enforcing causes created the ‘perfect storm’ conditions for its eruption. This is followed by a critical presentation of the key austerity and deregulatory measures adopted by the Greek government until the end of December 2011. Most of these measures were preconditions for the tranches of the ‘bail out’ loan agreed with the so-called ‘troika’ of lenders, the ad-hoc body comprising representatives of the European Central Bank, the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund (ECB/EU/IMF). A discussion of the impact of austerity measures on the economy, welfare and society more generally, as well as our final reflections conclude the chapter. It is argued that the austerity measures and the deregulatory, pro-market, policy reforms prescribed by the ECB/EU/IMF and pursued by consecutive Greek governments have culminated into an anti-social policy that has done nothing to alleviate the crisis. Instead it has severely reduced socio-economic security, traumatized social cohesion and democratic governance and sunk the Greek economy into the deepest and more prolonged recession in recent memory with detrimental effects for the state’s finances and Greek society more generally.
One step further to the right. Right-wing extremism in Greece and the rise of Golden Dawn
2014
This thesis examines the rise of the extreme right party Golden Dawn in Greece. The main argument is that it is necessary to understand the developments of the modern Greek state, from independence and throughout the financial crisis, to understand that there is a general tendency in Greece to lean towards the far right in times of crisis. Recent developments in Greece should therefore not be seen as a unique phenomenon, but rather as a confirmation of the importance of nationalism, the effects of populism, and also the heritage of fascism in contemporary Greece. The first part of this thesis therefore looks at the history of Greece from 1821 to 1990 before moving on to a larger discussion on developments from the 1990s. Particular attention will be given to the period from the financial crisis of 2008 up until this day (early May 2014). This thesis also looks at the concepts of nationalism, fascism and populism, and how they are crucial both in defining the concept of the extreme right and for understanding extreme right-wing parties.
The electoral rise of Golden Dawn from obscurity to parliamentary representation has drawn attention to its particular neo-fascist discourse. In sharp contrast to the tendency of most far-right movements in Europe to present themselves as being part of the political mainstream, Golden Dawn has never disavowed its openly neo-Nazi references. Its political and ideological discourse combines extreme racism, nationalism and authoritarianism along with traditional conservative positions in favour of traditional family roles and values and the Greek Orthodox Church. The aim of this paper is twofold: on the one hand to situate the ideology and discourse of Golden Dawn in a conjuncture of economic and social crisis, a crisis of the project of European Integration, and examine it aspart of a broader authoritarian post-democratic and post-hegemonic transformation of the State in contemporary capitalism; on the other hand to criticize the position suggested recently that Golden Dawn was also the result of the supposedly “national-populist” discourse of the anti-austerity movement. On the contrary, we will insist on the opposition between the discourses and practices of Golden Dawn and the anti-austerity movement in Greece.
In late 2009, Greece found itself in the global spotlight as the country struggled to remain solvent and in the Eurozone. The Greek debt crisis became the subject of world summits, international news headlines and intense market activity. In the four years that followed, the Greek government implemented a series of radical austerity measures, while receiving bailouts and loans of unprecedented magnitude. The situation in Greece revealed structural deficiencies in the European integration project and threatened the existence of the Eurozone itself. This volume investigates the framing, policies and politics of extreme austerity during those crucial four years. It also puts the Greek case into a global context by comparing it to the situation in countries that have faced similar challenges, such as Spain, Ireland, Argentina and Turkey. Featuring multidisciplinary contributions from leading social scientists and an exclusive interview with George Papandreou – the former Greek Prime Minister who handled the crisis from 2009 to 2011 – this is the first comprehensive account of the economic crisis at the heart of Europe.
The Rise of the Golden Dawn: The New Face of the Far Right in Greece
South European Society and Politics, 2013
The article examines the rise of the one of the most extremist political parties in Europe, the Golden Dawn. It sketches the historical trajectory of the Greek far right, examines the ideological, organisational and voter profile of the Golden Dawn, and offers possible explanations for its breakthrough in the 2012 elections. The article shows how the economic crisis has brought about a massive realignment of the Greek electorate away from mainstream parties, giving rise to anti-system and anti-immigrant sentiments. The violent tactics of the Golden Dawn allowed the party to establish an anti-system and anti-immigrant profile, and capitalize on these sentiments. The future of the party will depend on its capacity to organisationally absorb future tensions between party pragmatists and idealists.
Continuity and Change in Greek Politics in an Age of Austerity
2018
This chapter discusses the impact of austerity policies on Greek politics and attempts to identify patterns of continuity and change in the post-1974 era. The first part maps the evolution of politics in Greece, with a focus on the development of the clientelistic state, which shaped state policies largely based on political cost. The second part discusses the changes occurring post-2010, including the decline of the socialist PASOK in favour of the rise of fringe populist parties. It is argued that the political and social turmoil created by the austerity measures adopted have been conditioned by the already existing particular brand of populist and clientelistic governance, which stood at the core of the country’s party political system at least since the 1980s.