The Miraculous Rise of the “Phenomenon SYRIZA”

Abstract

The article focuses on the rise of SYRIZA, not only on the Greek political scene but also as a leading model for the radical left worldwide. More concretely, the article: (a) analyzes the developments that have brought SYRIZA to prominence on the Greek political scene and to the epicenter of political resistance to neoliberalism; (b) presents its strategy which appears to be leading to a possible, albeit long process of social transformation; (c) presents and analyzes SYRIZA's organizational initiatives that aimed at consolidating the party's strategic success; and (d) outlines the challenges lying ahead that may place its radical orientation at risk. Although the article sets off from the Greek political developments, given the tendency for uniformity of social conditions imposed by austerity politics, one can find insights in the Greek for many other settings for socialist strategy.

Keywords:

• SYRIZA
• socialist strategy
• radical left
• neoliberalism
• austerity
• Greek politics

Notes on Contributor

Michalis Spourdalakis teaches political sociology as a professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at the University of Athens since 1991. He is the Dean of the School of Economic and Political Sciences at the University of Athens and the Director at the Laboratory of Political Communication and Media Information at the same university. He has published in the field of political sociology in both English and Greek, and part of his work has been translated into Spanish and Chinese. Since 2011 he is the Chair of the Hellenic Political Science Association (www.hpsa.gr), member of the Editorial Secretariat of the Greek Political Science Review, and a corresponding editor of Socialist Register.

Notes

¹After the June 2012 elections, a three party coalition government made up of the New Democracy (Νέα Δημοκρατία, ND), the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (Πανελλήνιο Σοσιαλιστικό Κίνημα, PASOK) and the Democratic Left (Δημοκρατική Αριστερά, DIMAR) was formed. The coalition lasted for a year until DIMAR withdrew from it, over the decision to abolish the public broadcasting corporation.

²The “immiseration theory” as part of socialist strategy has been the result of economistic reductionism, a strong trend among the parties of the third internationalist tradition. Although this has withered away and it is only partially present in the rational of KKE's literature and decisions, it is definitely echoed by the government forces and repeated by mainstream media.

³The total number of general and/or extended strikes is in excess of 25.

⁴More than 2500 of these are sponsored by SYRIZA, while hundreds are organized by the Greek Orthodox Church and various local states.

⁵Yiannis Dragasakis, prominent MP and head of party's program, first used this expression in a radio interview (May 12, 2012). Since then many members of SYRIZA's leadership have used it including A. Tsipras himself.

⁶The “Platform” which registered approximately 30% of the support of the Congress is composed of a small number of experienced members and organizations made up of former KKE members, Troskyists, as well as a number of former PASOK members of nationalist orientation. The key idea which binds this current is its clear Eurosceptisism.

⁷This for example was the case of SYRIZA's trade unionists in June 2012 when they did not back up a vote for a wild cat strike of the high school teachers, a move that was heavily criticized by the radicals within and outside the party.