Anti-elitism in Greece: The perilous revenge of the bad pupil

Much has been said about the rise of populism across Europe and America in the last three to five years, tracing its roots to economic inequalities, excessive political correctness, cultural imperialism and uncontrolled migration. However, Greece is currently experiencing the most dangerous form of populism, "anti-elitism," which is feeding social adversity against the elites - political, cultural, financial, scientific or otherwise - and the latest evidence of this is the terrorist attack against former prime minister Lucas Papademos last week.

Anti-elitism, a recurring phenomenon internationally, contributed to the evil that swept Europe, one way (in Eastern Europe) or another (in Central Europe and the Ottoman Empire), in the period from the 1910s to the 1940s.

Historically, anti-elitism has been profoundly cultivated by financial crises, which tend to widen the gap...