Syllabus H/S339 Contemporary Greek Politics and Society: Historical Perspectives on Change and Continuity Spring 2015 Instructor: Romolo Gandolfo Class Meetings: Mondays and Wednesdays, 3:30-5:05pm

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES This class will treat some of the main aspects of contemporary Greek politics and society. In previous semesters, I was adopting an historical perspective, offering first a survey of Modern Greek history and then moving on to focus on contemporary issues. This semester, however, due to the profound reshaping of the Greek party system following the elections of January 25, 2014, we shall focus immediately on the unfolding political developments and then look back at history in order to put these developments in context and understand them better. During the first couple of weeks of this semester you’ll have a unique opportunity to witness the most important moments in the life of a parliamentary: the election of a new parliament; the formation of a new government and the parliament’s “vote of confidence”; the election by parliament of a new president of the republic; and the attempts at immediately implementing the policies outlined in the electoral platform of the winning party. In particular, we shall be following very closely the government’s attempt to open a fresh round of negotiations with the so-called Troika (made up of the European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund) in hope to be able to renegotiate the terms of the Greek financial bail-out, an early end of austerity measures and, if possible, the writing off of a substantial part of the Greek debt. We shall remain focused on Greek political developments (and their historical background) until around our mid-term exam on March 9. In the second part of the semester, we shall shift our attention from politics to society and look in particular at three important issues: (a) the nature of Greek national identity; (b) the role of the Greek Orthodox Church in helping the Greek state shape this identity; and (c) the impact that large-scale immigration has had on Greek society and national identity.

CLASS REQUIREMENTS According to the Program’s rules, students are expected to attend all course sessions as well as a class walking tour of Athens’ historical centre, which will take place (weather permitting) on Saturday, January 31, from 10am to 2pm. Later in the semester we shall also arrange a visit the Greek parliament in the company of a member of parliament. Attendance is compulsory at CYA. Please take note of this school policy when planning your weekend travels in Greece or abroad. On Friday March 6 we shall have a catch-up class. Make sure not to organize any travel during this weekend. According to the Program’s rules, unexcused absences may lead to a lowering of the final grade. You are expected to come to class prepared to actively participate in discussions based on the assigned readings. The final grade will be calculated in the following way:  15% based on 3 short assignments or quizzes.  20% based on class participation and short presentations.  35% based on the midterm exam.  30% based on the final paper. The midterm exam will consist of a set of questions to which you have to answer in a short-essay format. A final term paper of 10-15 double-spaced pages is required and is due on Thursday May 15th by 6pm. You should submit a written proposal by April 15 so as to allow enough time for refining the topic and conducting some research.

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Syllabus REQUIRED TEXTS Given the rapid and dramatic changes of the last few years, all books about modern Greek politics and society are now, to different degrees, outdated, as they all stop between 15 and 20 years ago. Articles published in academic journals during the last few years are either too technical for an introductory course like ours and/or already superseded by the latest developments. Out of necessity, we shall often have to navigate this changing Greek reality using less academic resources and a more eclectic variety of sources. For the historical background, and as reference textbooks, we shall use the following:  Richard Clogg, A Concise History of Greece. Second revised edition (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002).  Thomas W. Gallant, Modern Greece, (New York: Oxford University Press, 2001).  David H. Close, Greece since 1945: Politics, Economy and Society, (London-New York: Longman, 2002).  John Koliopoulos and Thanos Veremis, Greece, The Modern Sequel: From 1831 to the Present (London: Hurst & Company, 2002)  For the political science part of the course, we shall rely on a standard textbook: 

Kenneth Newton and Jan W. van Deth, Foundations of Comparative Politics, (Cambridge & New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005).

Much of the first part of the course will be based on a selection of newspaper articles, news analyses, editorials and special reports in English. We shall use online Greek media available in English, as well as a selection of articles from the international press and European research centers. These articles will be assigned and made available by email or on Moodle as we proceed. The reading load will normally not exceed 2 hours per lesson. Perhaps the best Greek media in English is the daily newspaper Kathimerini, which is published inside the international edition of the New York Times (printed in Greece). The newspaper is available at the CYA library, as well as online www.ekathimerini.com

COURSE OUTLINE PART I Monday, January 26 Introduction to the course: overview of the readings, assignments and requirements. Overview of the election results, the new parliament, the new party system, and the next steps in the formation of a new government and the election of a president of the republic. 

Dimitris Bounias, “Syriza rising,” The Nation, 21 Jan 2015. (This is the article I have already email you.)

Wednesday, January 28 How does a parliamentary system works? Parliamentary vs. presidential democracy. We shall also start looking more closely at the different parties represented in Parliament. Students will form groups and will be responsible for short team presentations on each party over the new 2 weeks. 

Kenneth Newton and Jan W. van Deth, Foundations of Comparative Politics, Chapter 4 “Presidential and parliamentary government”, pp. 60-71.

Tentative: Saturday, January 31 Field trip to Athens. A walking tour through Athens’ old commercial center, looking for clues to understanding contemporary Greece: her complex relationship to her different pasts (Classical, Roman, Byzantine, Frankish, Ottoman); the economic forces shaping and reshaping the development of the capital city since independence in the

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Syllabus early 19th century; recent social issues (new immigrant neighborhoods; new forms of social marginality and exclusion; etc). Monday, February 2 In this lesson we shall examine Greek voting systems and look at how they affect the make-up of parties, parliaments and governments. We shall do this by taking once again a broad comparative perspective, and relying to a great extent on your knowledge of American politics. In particular, we shall address questions linked to: direct vs. indirect elections; proportional vs. majority electoral systems; factors determining voting turnout; party models and party leadership selection. We also look at the differences between federal and unitary (centralized) states.  

Kenneth Newton and Jan W. van Deth, Foundations of Comparative Politics, Chapter 11 “Voters and Elections”, pp. 200-220, and Chapter 12, “Party government”, pp. 221-37. Kenneth Newton and Jan W. van Deth, Foundations of Comparative Politics, Chapter 5, pp. 72-85 only.

THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND TO CONTEMPORARY GREECE Over the next month, we shall focus on the political and social history of Greece, from independence to World War II, with a view to understanding the most important long-term forces and issues still at play in today’s Greece. Wednesday, February 4 In this class, we shall discuss the main issues related to the formation of “modern Greece”. In particular, the role of the Greek diaspora in the independence movement; the main features of the new Greek state (a monarchy under an ‘imported’, German dynasty; an ‘eastern’ society called to shed its traditional culture and quickly adopt ‘modern, western ways’); as well as its peculiar international status (the issue of the ‘Protecting Powers’ and Greece’s international ‘dependency’).  Clogg, Concise History of Greece, Introduction and Chapter 2, “Ottoman rule and the emergence of the Greek state, 1770-1831”.  Gallant, Modern Greece, Chapters 1 & 2, pp. 1-28.  For a useful, rapid overview of Greece’s historical development, see Federal Research Division, Library of Congress, (edited by Glenn Curtis), Greece: A Country Study, section on “Historical Settings”, pp. 42-82. Monday, February 9 As we continue to look at 19th century Greece, in this class we focus on two broad issues: 1) the role of nationalism and ‘irredentism’ in the construction of a modern Greek national identity; and 2) Greece’s transition from absolute to constitutional monarchy (formation of political parties; creation of new institutions; the issue of ‘clientelism’ in Greek politics and society). While addressing these issues, we shall try to assess to what extent they are still playing a role in contemporary Greece.  Clogg, Concise History of Greece, Chapter 3, “Nation Building, the “Great Idea’ and National Schism, 18311922”.  Gallant, Modern Greece, Chapters 3 & 4, pp. 31-74. You should pay special attention to the section on “Nationalism and Identity”, pp. 67-74. Suggested additional reading: Constantine Tsoukalas, “On the Problem of Political Clientelism 

in Greece in the Nineteenth Century”, Journal of The Hellenic Diaspora, (1978), pp. 5-17. Monday, February 16 In this class we focus on the profound and lasting impact of World War One on Greek politics and society: as Gallant puts it, those years saw the transition “from a Nation United to a Nation Divided”. We look in particular at the role of Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos (Greece’s dominant political figure in the first half of the 20th century) as he clashes with the monarchy over the issue of whether to enter the Great War and, if so, on which side. We also look at the Balkan Wars of 1912-13, and the challenges posed by the sudden territorial expansion of Greece, which after 1913 included significant minority populations (Muslims as well as Slavs and Albanians).  

Gallant, Modern Greece, Chapters 5. Clogg, A Concise History of Greece, last part of Chapter 3.

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Syllabus  Suggested additional readings: Thanos Veremis and Helen Gardikas-Katsiadakis, “Protagonist in Politics, 1912-1920”, pp 115-131, in Paschalis M. Kitromilides, ed., Eleftherios Venizelos: The Trials of Statesmanship (Edimburgh University Pres, 2006). From the same book, you may also read the short introduction by P. M. Kotromilides, “Perspectives on a Leader”, pp. 1-6. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps Wednesday, February 18 The Great Catastrophe of 1922 and the Forced Exchange of Populations between Greece and Turkey; the impact of the refugee population Greek economy and society; the crisis of constitutional democracy and the rise of an authoritarian/fascist regime during the interwar period.  

Gallant, Chapter 7. Clogg, Chapter 4 (only up to the outbreak of WWII in 1940)

Wednesday, February 25 In the next two classes, we shall be focusing on the 1940s (the so-called “Terrible Decade”), marked by Nazi occupation, a growing anti-fascist popular resistance movement, and finally by a bitter civil war along ideological lines (communists vs. nationalists). As these tragic events had a very divisive and lasting impact on Greek politics and society, we have to examine them in some detail. In this first class we shall focus on the devastating famine of 1941-42, the everyday experience of occupation, the issue of collaboration with the occupying forces, speculation and profiteering, and the nature of the Greek resistance movement.  Gallant, Chapter 8  Clogg, Chapter 4 (from the outbreak of WWII till the end of the chapter).  Recommended additional reading: Mark Mazower, Inside Hitler’s Greece: The Experience of Occupation, 1941-44 (New Haven: Yale University Pres, 1993), “Introduction”, pp. xiii-xix. Students with little previous knowledge of European Nazi-Fascism, Soviet Communism and WWII may find it useful to read the relevant chapters in any college manual on 20th century European history. In the library you’ll find Donald Kagan, The Western Heritage, Volume 2, (2006). Monday, March 2 The civil War, 1943-1949  Same reading list as in previous lesson.  Additional recommended reading: Marc Mazower, ed., After the War Was Over: Reconstructing Family, Nation and State in Greece, “Introduction”, pp. 3-10. Wednesday, March 4 The legacy of the civil war. A blocked political system in a rapidly changing society: Greece in the 1950s and 1960s.   

Clogg, Chapter 5 (up to start of 1967 military dictatorship). Gallant, Chapter 9. Close, Greece since 1945, Chapter 2.

Friday, March 6 The military in Greek politics and society. In this lesson, we look at civilian-military relationship. We focus on the concept of “pretorianism”, and on the military dictatorship that ruled Greece between 1967 and 1974. We also assess the role of the military from the restoration of democracy in 1974 till today, and the heavy burden of defense expenditures on the Greek state budget.  

Gallant, chapter 10, pp 197-203 Clogg, pages about the military dictatorship.

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Syllabus  Additional recommended reading: Veremis, Thanos, The Military in Greek Politics: From Independence to Democracy (London: 1977). Read the Introduction, chapters 9, 10, 11, as well as the conclusions.  McNeill, William H., The Metamorphosis of Greece since World war II, (Chicago and London: 1978), pp. 23-27 (on the background of the Greek officers). Monday, March 9

MID TERM EXAM Wednesday, March 11 1974: the transition to full democracy and to a stable two-party system.  

Clogg, A Concise history of Greece, Chapter 6. Nikiforos Diamandouros and Richard Gunther, eds., Parties, Politics, and Democracy in the New Southern Europe (Baltimore & London: The John Hopkins University Press, 2001), pp. 147-150.

Monday, March 16 PASOK in power, 1981-2004: socialism or populism? Populism or modernization?    

Clogg, A Concise History of Greece, Chapter 6. Read Also A Concise History of Greece, Second Edition (2002), Chapter 7(to be found inside the folder with scanned readings), pp. 201-238. Gallant, Modern Greece, pp. 208-12 Nikiforos Diamandouros and Richard Gunther, eds., Parties, Politics, and Democracy in the New Southern Europe (Baltimore & London: The John Hopkins University Press, 2001), pp. 304-307. Nikiforo Diamandouros, “Politics and Culture in Greece, 1974-91: An Interpretation”, in Richard Clogg, ed., Greece, 1981-89: The Populist Decade, pp. 1-25.

Monday, March 23 The Rise and Fall of the Conservatives: the New Democracy Governments of Kostas Karamanlis, 2004-2009. The making of a fiscal crisis.  

Takis S. Pappas and Elias Dinas, “From Opposition to Power: Greek Conservatism Reinvented”, South European Society & Politics, Sept-Dec. 2006, pp. 477-95. Additional short readings may be distributed in class

Monday, March 30 The 2012 Elections and the end of the “Metapolitevsi” (1974-2009). Greece on the verge of bankruptcy: causes and prospects. The Socialist handling of the crisis (2009-2012, and the new coalition government between the center-right New Democracy and a much smaller Socialist party. The debate over “whose fault is it?”  

Additional readings will be distributed in class. For a dated but still useful analysis, see Christos Lyrintzis, “Greek Politics in the Era of Economic Crisis: Reassessing Causes and Effects”, Hellenic Observatory Papers on Greece and Southeast Europe, Paper N. 45 (March 2011). London School of Economics and Political Science, available online at http://www.lse.ac.uk/europeanInstitute/research/hellenicObservatory/pdf/GreeSE/GreeSE45.pdf

Wednesday, April 1 Visit to the Greek Parliament. The visit is part of the course, and attendance is required. The actual date may be moved, depending on the program of Parliament. We shall try to visit Parliament while in session and we shall spend one hour talking to a member of Parliament.

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Syllabus Greece, the debt crisis, and the wider crisis of the Eurozone. What has been the Greeks’ attitude toward the European Union from 1974 to the present? How has the financial crisis affected the trust of the Greeks (and other Europeans) in the European institutions and the overall project of an “ever closer union”? 

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Suggested reading for an historical background: Yiannis E. Mavris, “From Accession to the Euro. The evolution of Greek public attitudes toward European integration, 1981-2001”, chapter 8 in Dimitrakopoulos Dionyssis and Argiris Passa (eds.) Greece in the European Union, London & New-York, Routledge U.P., 2004, pp. 113-138. Additional material will be assigned later in the course depending on the unfolding crisis between Greece and the European Union.

Monday, April 20 New immigrant communities: is Greece becoming a multicultural country?Nationalist and xenophobic reactions to immigration at a time of economic crisis   

Anna Triandafyllidou and Michaela Maroufof, Greece: Report prepared for the SOPEMI meeting, Paris, 1-3 December 2010, available online. Anna Triandafyllidou and Ifigeneia Kokkali, Tolerance and Cultural Diversity Discourses in Greece. European University Institute. Florence, 2010. At http://ec.europa.eu/ewsi/UDRW/images/items/docl_20423_66188297.pdf Additional readings may be assigned for this class.

Wednesday, April 22 Undocumented Migrants in Greece. Screening of the award-winning documentary “The Stop-Over”, by Iranian Swiss director Kaveh Bakthiari. Hopefully, we shall be able to discuss with the film director this in-depth, moving portrait of seven clandestine migrants in Athens. Monday, April 27 Asylum seekers, immigrants and citizenship in Europe. Guest lecturer: Heath Cabot, author of “On the Doorstep of Europe: Asylum and Citizenship in Greece” ( University of Pennsylvania Press, 2014). 

Introduction, Chapter One and Conclusion from Heath Cabot, “On the Doorstep of Europe: Asylum and Citizenship in Greece”.

Wednesday, April 29 The Orthodox Church in Greek society. Religion and National Identity.  

Victor Roudometof, “Orthodoxy as Public Religion in Post-1989 Greece”, in V. Roudometof et al., eds., Eastern Orthodoxy in a Global Age, Lanham, MD, Altamira Press, 2005. Yannis Stavrakakis, “Religious Populism and Political Culture: The Greek Case”, South European Society & Politics, Winter 2002, pp. 29-52

Monday, May 4 The Orthodox Church in Greek society. Religion and National Identity (cont.)  

George Th. Mavrogordatos, “Orthodoxy and Nationalism in the Greek Case”, West European Politics, Jan. 2003, pp. 117-136. Koliopoulos and Veremis, Greece: The Modern Sequel, Chapter on “The Church of Greece”, pp. 141-51.

Wednesday May 6 Conclusions: Where is Greece heading? Page 6 of 8

Syllabus Class debate on a broad important topic discussed during the semester, to be selected with the students. Thursday May 14 Final paper due by 6pm.

Electronic resources www.wikipedia.com (the well-known problem with wikipedia is that, unless you know a subject well, it’s often hard to judge how reliable a particular entry is. For this reason, most colleges and schools do not allow students to use or quote this source. The sections on “Politics and Government of Greece” and “Greek Elections”, however, are particularly well done: accurate, detailed and reliable. Besides, they are being constantly updated by a small group of dedicated observers of Greek affairs. To the best of my knowledge, no other source in the English language provides such a good, fully referenced introduction to Greece’s ongoing political issues. You are encouraged to explore it, under my guidance). The following websites will also prove useful to follow the current situation in Greece and its background http://www.ekathimerini.com (Kathimerini newspaper. English edition) http://www.opendemocracy.net (see the articles on Greece and the Greek crisis at OpenDemocracy) http://www2.lse.ac.uk/europeanInstitute/research/hellenicObservatory/pubs/publicationsHome.aspx (Hellenic Observatory at the London School of Economics) http://web.amna.gr/anaenglish (Greek News Agency) http://www.greekdefaultwatch.com (insightful blog in English on the current Greek financial crisis; by Nikos Tsafos, a Greek economist and political scientist) http://insidegreece.wordpress.com (blog by English Kathimerini’s deputy editor, Nick Malkoutzis) Page 7 of 8

Syllabus www.parliament.gr (Greek Parliament site) www.mfa.gr (Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs) www.greeceinprint.com (for bibliographical references) www.cia.com (look specifically for Greece)

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