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    The Decline of Greece’s Syriza: Moderation, Factionalism, Oligarchization, and Weak Popular Counterpower


    Brown, John (2025) The Decline of Greece’s Syriza: Moderation, Factionalism, Oligarchization, and Weak Popular Counterpower. New Political Science, 47 (3). pp. 436-463. ISSN 0739-3148

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    Abstract

    Mass antineoliberal protests in Greece that challenged the long-standing two-party system and austerity policies associated with both major parties (PASOK and New Democracy) were followed by the emergence of challenger party Syriza. Data gathered during interviews with figures from Syriza as well as other leftist parties and activists highlight, however, that the outsider-to-insider party-building process culminated in a delegitimized and fragile Syriza. The electoral strategy of Syriza leaders in conjunction with opposition pressures encouraged a moderation of the party’s brand. To pursue such moderation required insulating the leadership clique from radical voices via degenerative factionalism and oligarchization processes. Moreover, weak popular sector organizations were unable to counter the moderation-factionalism-oligarchization process. The culmination of the party-building process saw a Syriza that lacked a coherent brand or any societal connections, leaving it vulnerable to replacement in the party system.
    Item Type: Article
    Keywords: Syriza; Left populism; movement-party; antineoliberal; Greece;
    Academic Unit: Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Institutes > Maynooth University Social Sciences Institute, MUSSI
    Faculty of Social Sciences > Sociology
    Item ID: 20618
    Identification Number: 10.1215/07393148-11832581
    Depositing User: John Brown
    Date Deposited: 29 Sep 2025 10:33
    Journal or Publication Title: New Political Science
    Publisher: Duke University Press
    Refereed: Yes
    Funders: Research Ireland Pathway Award (21/PATH-A/9386)
    Related URLs:
    URI: https://mural.maynoothuniversity.ie/id/eprint/20618
    Use Licence: This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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