Centrism and political parties during the process of democratic transition in Greece and Spain (1974-1982). UCD and ND: From government to opposition

  • Sethelos Isidoros Balios Investigador independiente
Keywords: Democratization, centrism, UCD, ND

Abstract

The members of the government that led the democratic transition in Greece and Spain originated from the political systems which the democratization aimed to replace. The most notable examples were Constantino Karamanlis and Adolfo Suárez. Although the former did not collaborate with the Coronels’ dictatorial regime, he was prime minister during the period of «limited» democracy before the dictatorship. During the transitions, the political parties they led, ND and UCD, were presented as centrist/right centrist parties with a more liberal than conservative political discourse. The strategy was to attract the centrist vote and it was proven a correct decision in the first democratic elections. This article aims to a comparative study of these political parties and governments from the begging of the democratizations to the end of their political hegemony in 1981/1982. Moreover, the study will focus on their political discourse, their electoral influence, the social and political changes in the two countries and the impact they had on the strategy of these parties.

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Published
2022-12-19
How to Cite
Isidoros Balios S. (2022). Centrism and political parties during the process of democratic transition in Greece and Spain (1974-1982). UCD and ND: From government to opposition. Historia y Política, 48, 79-107. https://doi.org/10.18042/hp.48.04