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This book provides a comparative analysis of how two radical left parties achieved government participation and their subsequent political experiences. In the face of the most severe and most prolonged crisis in the history of capitalism, it would be expected for radical left parties to seize the opportunity to promote their political agenda. Although reality has often confounded prognosis, two particular radical left parties - the Greek SYRIZA and the Cypriot AKEL - were elected to the highest government office. The author uses these two examples to engage with the broader question of what to expect when left-wing radicals achieve governance. This question is now of particular importance given the emergence of radical leftists in other parts of Europe, including Corbyn in the UK and Podemos in Spain.
List of contents
Preface and acknowledgments.- List of Tables.- Abbreviations.- Chapter 1: Introduction.- Chapter 2: The Left and Power: A Historical Retrospective.- Chapter 3: SYRIZA: The History of the Struggle of Factions.- Chapter 4: AKEL's Double Soul.- Chapter 5: Rising to the Challenge: The Journey to Power.- Chapter 6: The Radical Left in Government: Two Steps Back.- Chapter 7: What to Do?.- Bibliography.- Index.
About the author
Yiannos Katsourides is Adjunct Lecturer in the Department of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Cyprus. He has also taught at the European University Cyprus. His previous book,
The History of the Communist Party in Cyprus: Colonialism, Class and the Cypriot Left, was published in July 2014. Dr Katsourides has been awarded fellowships from the Institute of Commonwealth Studies of the University of London and the Hellenic Observatory of the London School of Economics.
Summary
This book provides a comparative analysis of how two radical left parties achieved government participation and their subsequent political experiences. In the face of the most severe and most prolonged crisis in the history of capitalism, it would be expected for radical left parties to seize the opportunity to promote their political agenda. Although reality has often confounded prognosis, two particular radical left parties – the Greek SYRIZA and the Cypriot AKEL – were elected to the highest government office. The author uses these two examples to engage with the broader question of what to expect when left-wing radicals achieve governance. This question is now of particular importance given the emergence of radical leftists in other parts of Europe, including Corbyn in the UK and Podemos in Spain.
