Abstract:
Greece is a picturesque country on the southern tip of the Balkan Peninsula straddling the always-blue Agean, Ionian and Adriatic Seas. Considered by many to be the cradle of Western Civilization and the birthplace of democracy, her ancient past has long been the source and inspiration of Western thought. It seems ironical that the glorious epitaphs of the past should ring hollow in the political instability of Modern Greece.The attention of the present world to the crises that threaten peace and political stability in the Northeastern Mediterranean have deep roots and factors that precede the current tensions. When reviewing the literature covering Greece in the years 1973-74, five distinct areas stand out as the primary factors in the construction of the present socio-political climate. Each of these factors, variously in harmony and at odds with one another, constitute the political and ideological entities that formulate current Greek policy, foreign and domestic. These five areas, consisting of the military, the intelligentsia (as represented by the students in the universities), the monarchy, foreign influence (predominantly American influence), and the concept of the Megale Idea (which pervades the entire Greek social structure), make up the five chapters of this work. The historical-analytical method is used to demonstrate the effect of each factor on the political functioning of the state. A final chapter will discuss the conclusions drawn.