From radicalism to pragmatism via Europe: PASOK’s stance vis-à-vis the EEC, 1977-1981

Abstract

In the late 1970s, the Greek Socialist Party changed its initially radical attitude against European integration; it was a process of internal party dissent, with a series of alternatives to full membership being examined. The current article focuses on this volte-face, arguing that PASOK’s stance towards the European Economic Community (EEC) was a result of Andreas Papandreou’s calculated manoeuvring, which was part and parcel of the socialist leader’s own brand of political opportunism. Sources include official diplomatic and party archival documents, newspapers and memoirs of prominent figures. More specifically, archival material is utilized for the first time to trace this monumental policy change and to shed light on the origins of Greece’s ‘troubled relationship’ with the EEC/EU.