Metapolitefsi

Τhis year Greece celebrates half a century of a well-functioning democracy following the collapse of the junta in July 1974.

The invasion of Cyprus and the tragic division of the island were the last and most painful chapter of that dark period in the nation's modern history.

The Hellenic Center in London is showcasing the work of two contemporary visual artists, Rena Papaspyrou from Greece and Cyprus' Maria Loizidou, who explore the modern city and the concept of belonging, combining experience with fantasy, through the perspective of their respective generations.

September 3 will mark 50 years since the founding of socialist PASOK. Much will be written and said about this party - or movement - which dominated Greek politics during the Metapolitefsi period, as well as its founder.

Greece is celebrating 50 years of democracy, the restoration of which followed the collapse of the seven-year junta that ended disastrously with the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in July 1974.

In 1984, “Eleni” divided Greece yet again, reigniting civil passions. The book, a product of extensive research and based on hundreds of verified testimonies, tells the true story of Eleni Gatzogianni from Lia, Epirus. Eleni, a simple village woman, became a universal legend due to the immense success of the book written about her tragic fate by her son, Nikos Gatzogiannis.

The transition period, known as Metapolitefsi, began at 2 am on July 24, 1974, when the French presidential plane landed at Ellinikon Airport. Konstantinos Karamanlis was greeted like a hero by thousands of citizens who had gathered in the middle of the night to welcome him.

Occupation: This pivotal term traces back to the distant 1973, resonating with undiminished intensity to the present day. Campuses worldwide were ablaze, the culmination of which would be witnessed in Athens: the events at the Law School in February and March, followed by those at the Polytechnic later on, notably the famous three-day occupation in November that ended in bloodshed.

The quality of the democracy achieved during the Metapolitefsi era, its institutional and financial performance, is held in much lower esteem by younger generations than older Greeks, a new poll has found.

The remarkable (if not yawning) chasm between the generation that experienced the entire cycle of Greece's return to democracy after the fall of the 1967-74 military dictatorship and younger age groups born into the cycle of the so-called Metapolitefsi has been vividly illustrated by a poll commissioned by Kathimerini that was presented last week at a conference on the subject.

Is Greece's transition to democracy, a historical process known as the "Metapolitefsi," complete? What are the legacies and hangups left behind, 50 years after the collapse of the military dictatorship? The debate on these and many more questions has started, and it needs to carry on, if for no other reason than to separate myth from reality.