The European dream of 1821
Published in the newspaper Ta NEA
Wednesday, 30 December 2020, p. 18
Alongside the 200th anniversary of the uprising against the Ottoman Empire, we also celebrate 40 years of Greece’s official membership in the European Community. These two national anniversaries are closely connected. Europe, as a political and cultural entity, was central to the ideological pursuits of the pioneers of the Greek Revolution. Their European orientation was a conscious choice aimed at securing a European identity and forging alliances—a strategy they saw as the only viable path to liberation and the disentanglement of the Greek community from the backwardness of the East.
The Greek people, both men and women, challenged Ottoman rule, motivated and inspired by the ideas and major upheavals that had taken place in the West: the European Enlightenment, the U.S. Declaration of Independence (1776), the French Revolution (1789), and the Modern Greek Enlightenment. Identifying with progressive Europe was synonymous with embracing the values and ideals of the European Enlightenment: rationalism, individual freedom, scientific knowledge, and opposition to authoritarianism and religious fanaticism. Of course, not all Greeks shared these views, with the Church being the primary opposition!
Since the time of liberation from the Ottomans, the creation of the modern Greek state has been closely linked with Western values. Greek intellectuals, feminists, and the political elite understood the process of building a modern Greek state as a journey toward Europeanization, adopting European norms, values, and ways of life. Leaders like Rigas Feraios, Alexandros Mavrokordatos, Ioannis Kapodistrias, Charilaos Trikoupis, Eleftherios Venizelos, and others were inspired by the values of Western Europe and supported visions for the unification of the European continent. Europeanization was considered synonymous with progress, according to the classical concept of modernity. From the perspective of women, feminist activism was always connected with developments in Europe.
After World War II and the end of the fratricidal civil war, Greece actively participated in the work of the Council of Europe in May 1949, contributing to the strengthening of the idea of European unification. Although Greece aspired to be included among the founding members, it was hindered by those who still saw it as part of the “East.” Greece’s pro-Western policy was solidified with its accession to NATO in 1952 and its application for membership in the newly formed EEC of the six on June 6, 1959—the first country in Europe to do so. It is clear that this early EEC application aimed, above all, to secure Greece’s place in the Western world after the painful experience of the wars. The Karamanlis government’s decision was driven more by political than economic considerations. On November 1st, 1962, the Greece-EEC Association Agreement came into force, marking the beginning of modernization and Europeanization with specific characteristics for Greece.
The dedication and persistence of Konstantinos Karamanlis in promoting the European vision were rewarded in May 1979 when Greece’s accession to the European Community was signed, taking effect on January 1, 1981. The debate over the ratification of the Accession Treaty took place without the participation of the main opposition party, PASOK, led by Andreas Papandreou, and the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), both of which opposed the membership. However, once in government, PASOK worked consistently within the European framework. This was evident from the outset, as they promptly and vigorously reformed the Family Law, removing elements influenced by Ottoman culture, and promoted gender equality policies. Today, we are following a unified European approach in dealing with the pandemic! Therefore, we have many reasons to celebrate both 1821 and 1981 together!
Anna Karamanou
PhD Political Science, NKUA
Former PASOK MEP