The purpose of this book is to outline the framework of developments in Greek politics from the end of the Civil War in September 1949 to the Metapolitefsi in July 1974. Three fundamental themes run through this twenty-five-year period:

First, the functioning of democratic institutions. Authoritarian political culture, a legacy of the Civil War, increased influence of the monarchy and the military, the impact of the Cold War, disagreement about the rules of the game, and the inability to form strong homogeneous mass parties all contributed to the decline and collapse of parliamentarism.

Second, the Cold War. Greece is integrated into the bipolar international system. Subsequently, the Cyprus issue raises fundamental issues such as the distinction between Atlantic and national interests and American influence on Greek domestic and foreign policy. At the same time, the possibility of participation in European integration is detected.

Finally, the process of economic development. Critical choices concern industrialization and the role of the state in the development process. Development and urbanization raise issues of opportunity and income distribution and simultaneously transform the foundation of Greek politics. From the early 1960s, Greece, while not yet a welfare society according to the post-war model, is increasingly faced not only with the problem of poverty but also with the management of development expectations. This issue is intertwined with the political-constitutional issues rooted in the past and collectively constitute the issue of adapting the political system to a new, completely different environment from that in which the post-civil war political settlement was formed.