Ο άδηλος ρόλος των συλλογικών δράσεων στην ελληνική καθεστωτική αλλαγή (1974) : προκαταρκτικές σκέψεις για το Πολυτεχνείο

Abstract

The Greek transition was neither the product of a ‘pact’ (Spain), nor of ‘rupture’ (Portugal). In the regime change literature it is considered typical of a special -sui generis- type characterised by its peaceful and consensual nature. Although certain features of this imagery can be questioned, the overall description is not inaccurate. But it is unbearably static and, as result, shallow. This article claims that the roots of this problem are theoretical. By adopting an exclusively institutional perspective the transitions literature has contributed a wealth of information on the strategic moves of the official political personnel at the micro-level, albeit without managing to integrate it in a broader social and historical framework. A major victim of this practice has been the study of collective action which, with the exception of blatant cases such as a Portugal, has been typically relegated to the background. Exploring the prerequisites for their re-integration, the article evaluates the literature and employs theoretical and conceptual tools from the field of Contentious Politics in order to assess the characteristics and role of the “Polytechneio” uprising.