The impact of political parties on the people

In the period after 1922 the overwhelming majority of Greek people rallied around the two big political factions: they either supported the Venizelists (with their different branches) or the monarchy (People's Party). At the beginning of the 1930s the political situation changed. The economic crisis that struck the world economy with an unprecedented vehemence from the beginning of the 1930s, maximized the bitterness of domestic social problems like unemployment and inflation. It is in the light of this that the dramatic rise of radical elements (especially Communists) and the support they gained from large parts of the population (young, unemployed, workers, refugees) should be viewed. It is worth noting that unlike other countries and despite the existence of a few certain groups, Greece never acquired a Fascist party of any consequence.

As has been accurately pointed out, there was an apparent discrepancy in the inter-war period between social structures and their political representation. Greece, a rural country, in contrast to other Balkan countries with a similar composition, never had a strong agrarian party.

The labour class and, to some extent, the rural element was represented by a new party, the Greek Communist Party, that appeared on the scene in 1924 and developed into the Socialist Party (SEKE). Despite its initial limited range, its views caused disproportinately large ripples in the political firmament of the time and its presence played a catalytic role in the course of developments, especially in the 1930s.