Many factors brought about the relative decrease in the power of the throne: economic and social changes (particularly the emergence and strengthening of the middle classes) and the corresponding policies (the broadening of the base of political participation,

the gradual decline in support for the old parties, the emergence of young statesmen). The young politicians were less compromising with the King as concerned the management of military and foreign affairs, domains that until then fell exclusively under the jurisdiction of the monarchy.

The throne, identified with the old political oligarchy, that is with only one part of the bourgeoisie, gave up the possibility of being acknowledged as a regulatory and balancing factor between parties. From now on, Greek political life was characterized by constitutional instability, as Venizelists and anti-Venizelists pursued the resolution of the political crisis through their own constitutional policies, alternatively in favour of and against the monarchy.

This institutional-constitutional crisis was the fundamental reason for the Army's taking on independent political action in this period.