Abstract

Syriza's victory in the recent Greek general election shook the foundations of the Western political establishment and gave hope to the millions suffering the austerity measures imposed by the European Troika. Millions asked, how did this happen and what is it about Greece that created such a centre of radicalism?

This insider's account, from Syriza's Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos and economist Christos Laskos, shows that that the narrative of Greek exceptionalism is a myth. The blame game that has been played by the EU powers is an ideological tool used to shift attention from the disillusionment and anger at the European and global capitalist economic order.

By alienating an entire nation of people, the Troika has revealed the internal contradictions of the modern neoliberal establishment, as well as the inadequacies of the earlier social-democratic Keynesian regime. Tsakalotos and Laskos suggest that there is very little that differentiates Greece from other countries struggling under austerity, and that parties such as Syriza could usher in a new, democratic and socialist era across the continent.
'A clarion warning'
Yanis Varoufakis, Professor of Economics, University of Athens and Visiting Professor, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas; author of The Global Minotaur: America, Europe and the Future of the Global Economy
'A clear account of how Greece and the eurozone got into such a mess. It makes clear that the crisis is not only economic, but also one of growing regional and social inequalities and the retreat of democracy'
Alexis Tsipras, head of Syriza (Coalition of the Radical Left) and Leader of the Opposition in the Greek parliament
'Superb... With a methodological approach that moves us away from a purely national explanation of the crisis and its response, and with a continually rich body of empirical detail throughout, this volume is simply a must-read for those who want to truly understand how we got here, and what is to be done in pursuing a more progressive response than currently dominates the political landscape'
Jamie Jordan, Political Studies Review
'The future of democracy in Greece is a matter for all of us in Europe. Laskos and Tsakalotos take us behind the headlines about 'bailouts' and 'crisis' and share with us both the challenges and the alternatives which Greeks are creating as they resist: from networks of solidarity to a new kind of political party with a strongly European perspective'
Hilary Wainwright, Co-editor of Red Pepper, author of Reclaim the State: Experiments in Popular Democracy