and Andre Gerolymatos[2]
Before an
attempt to examine the nature of civil-militaryrelations in Greece between
1940-49 is made, a rephrasing of this essay's title is necessary. "The
military as a sociopolitical force," we feel, reverses the appropriate
order of approaching our subject. The impact of political and social change on
institutions hould have priority over the effect of transformed institutions on
society and politics.
The officer
corps began to deviate systematically from its expected function only
after certain important social changes began to occur in Greece. Whereas
throughout the nineteenth century the military never acted as an autonomous
corporate body, the period between the world wars was marked by military interventions.
Although the scope of most interwar coups was limited to redressing grievances,
promoting professional interests, or replacing one civilian order with another,
officers became for a while the ever-present arbiters of the struggles between
the Conservative and Liberal parties, while at the same time being controlled
by them to a large degree. […]
[1] THANOS VEREMIS,
Professor of History at the University of Athens, is the author of
several books and articles on the history of the Greek army. He is currently
working on security and strategic issues in the Eastern Mediterranean.
[2] ANDRE
GEROLYMATOS, Director of Modern Greek Studies at Dawson College
in Montreal, Canada, is a specialist on the history of the Greek officer corps
and on the "Security Battalions" during the 1940s.
