Populism and heritage in Greece

Chapter 6 gives a detailed historical account of Greek populism since the end of the military junta in 1974. It illuminates that the first far-right Greek populist parties emerged as a reaction to the policies adopted by the conservative government of Constantine Karamanlis towards junta officials, the king and communists. The principal discourse of such far-right parties has so far been based on the idea of protecting ‘the Helleno-Christian tradition’. The Golden Dawn (GD) is the last player of this movement. The Chapter reveals that the GD is a reaction to leftist internationalism, migration, and European integration. Golden Dawn is portrayed in the Chapter as rather different from the other five populist parties discussed in this book. The GD is still a far-right extremist political party with a strong biologically defined racist tone. The Chapter demonstrates the ways in which the GD has so far used the past, heritage, and ancient Greek myths, as well as the trio of ‘homeland-religion-family’ to appeal to its followers. Deriving from interviews conducted in and around Athens, the Chapter also illustrates that GD supporters perceive the party as an outlet for their anti-systemic sentiments, rather than as a party that they want to see in power in the foreseeable future.

Political science · Politics · Populism · Balkans: History, Politics, Society · Contemporary and Historical Greek Studies · History · Law