The Political Effects of the Greek Economic Crisis: The Collapse of the Old Party System

This chapter examines the breakdown of the old Greek party system (1977-2009) during the post-2008 economic crisis. Using a critical political economy approach, it argues that the collapse of the old two-party system was caused not only by the impact of the economic depression, but also by the long crisis of political representation that predated it. The analysis also maintains that, despite its demise, one of the pillars of the old party system, the centre-right ND, survived the economic crisis partly because it possessed incorporative mechanisms that were relatively autonomous from the state and partly because it used state power effectively against its far-right rivals, LAOS and Golden Dawn. Finally, the chapter shows that the limited political effects of the Greek economic crisis have encouraged other elements of continuity, most notably Syriza’s retro strategy of invoking PASOK’s early populism in the hope of replacing the old ‘two-party’ with a new ‘two-plus’ party system.