ABSTRACT
Having gained independence in 1830, Greece – the first country in South-eastern Europe to overthrow Ottoman rule – introduced a Parliament as an institution of representative government in 1844. During the years of King Otto’s monarchy (1833-1862), the Parliament was a forum for the expression of opinion, enabling the Greek people to voice their desire to promote democracy, to see their country expand territorially (in order to include all Greeks still living under the Ottomans) and develop economically. Three political parties, the ‘English’, ‘French’ and ‘Russian’ Party – their names deriving from their orientation vis-à-vis the great powers that had guaranteed Greek independence – dominated the political scene of the time. 1
