Who we have to thank for our democracy

It is good sometimes to look at our history as a neutral observer and remember what we owe and to whom. On the 50th anniversary of the restoration of democracy, known in Greece as the Metapolitefsi, one leader stands out, high above the rest: Konstantinos Karamanlis.

If we go back and relive what he experienced and managed in the summer of 1974, we will understand how fragile and how dangerous the project of transitioning to democracy was. He himself did not know whether the police officers who guarded him in the early days would arrest him if some shadowy figure gave the order. Marines under the control of a pro-democracy military officer were stationed in the National Garden in case of another coup. Karamanlis handled this transition masterfully. Today, Greece can be proud to have a vibrant democracy that has endured for 50 years, despite the huge economic crisis and the...