Agrarian Politics in Interwar Greece: The Stillborn ‘Peasant’ Parties (1923-1936)
Agrarian Politics in Interwar Greece: The Stillborn ‘Peasant’ Parties (1923-1936)

Summary/Abstract: My article will examine the role played by the agrarianist ideology in inter war Greek politics. Political interest in the rural population dates back to the early nineteenth century. Radical land reform and the emancipation of the peasantry had become part of the modernizing liberal government programmes since 1910. Yet it was not until 1923 that an agrarian party was founded in Greece. The emergence of the peasant as an active factor in the political and social life was a striking phenomenon in the history of Greek politics between the two world wars. However, factional misgivings, the petite - bourgeoisie's aspirations of the Greek peasant masses as well as the clientelist networks of the established bourgeoisies parties left very limited ground for its success. Yet, agrarianism exerted a far greater intellectual influence on interwar Greece’s hegemonic ideology than the electoral sway of the Agrarian Party of Greece (which actually hardly ever exceeded 6%). To this end, I will investigate the origins and identity of the agrarian political personnel, and their parliamentary career. Similarities and differences between the right-wing and the left-wing agrarianist agenda will be highlighted. State intervention and protectionist measures in agriculture will be revisited. Last but not least, the influence of agrarian populism on the discourse of Greek nationalism will also be briefly considered.

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