ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the shaping of Greek migration policies and development strategies designed to fit social needs, political expediency and economic growth options during the 1950s and 1960s. It provides an insight into the new migration trends and mobility patterns of the post-war period as well as into the policy responses of a Western world peripheral country whose participation in the international migration arena was delayed due to its civil war (1946–1949). Seeking its path to development and modernization in the specific context of the Cold War, Greece undertook a proactive role in the management of the emigration of its surplus manpower. It competed in foreign labor markets – albeit from a disadvantageous position – initially, by following the idea of multilaterally organized migration and subsequently, by entering the European system of regulated temporary labor migration. The study aims to explore the possibilities and limitations of post-war Greece to formulate a realistic migration agenda and an efficient development plan.
