ABSTRACT
Thus, with the fall of the colonels' regime and the Metapolitefsi (the Political Change of 1974), we witnessed a gradual but steady move away from the old structures and habits, leading to a completely new party system and a democratic regime with, by Greek standards, unprecedented qualities. The settling of the monarchy issue, the legalization of parties with communist ideological orientation (53 party formations identified themselves as communist in 1974), the clearly European orientation of the
country, the recognition of the anti-fascist movement, along with the recognition of the institutions of organized interests as legitimate expressions of society and contributing actors to the policy-making process are some of the key developments of this new era. Political parties were not only conditioned by these developments but were instrumental in them.
