KADİR HAS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES PROGRAM OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS EXPLAINING THE RISE OF THE RADICAL RIGHT WITHIN THE EUROPEAN CONTEXT: THE CASE OF GOLDEN DAWN EMRE METİN BİLGİNER PHD THESIS ISTANBUL, JANUARY, 2020 EXPLAINING THE RISE OF THE RADICAL RIGHT WITHIN THE EUROPEAN CONTEXT: THE CASE OF GOLDEN DAWN EMRE METİN BİLGİNER ADVISOR: ASSOC. PROF. DIMITRIOS TRIANTAPHYLLOU PHD THESIS Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies of Kadir Has University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of PhD in the Discipline Area of International Relations under the Program of International Relations. ISTANBUL, JANUARY, 2020 ACCEPTANCE AND APPROVAL This work entitled EXPLAINING THE RISE OF THE RADICAL RIGHT WITHIN THE EUROPEAN CONTEXT: THE CASE OF GOLDEN DAWN prepared by EMRE METiN BiLGiNER has been judged to be successful at the defense exam held on 8 JANUARY 2020 and accepted by our jury as PHD THESIS. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dimitrios Triantaphyllou (Advisor) Kadir Has University Prof. Dr. Damla Demirözü Istanbul University Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kostas Ifantis Kadir Has University Prof. Dr. Serhat Güvenq Kadir Has Universi Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zuhal Mert Uzuner Marmara University I certify that the above signatures belong to the faculty members named ov Prof. Sinem Akgül A "e Dean/GSSS Sckool Gro.-du-a-te DATE OFIAPPROVAL: TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... i ÖZET ................................................................................................................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................... iii DEDICATION ................................................................................................................. v LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................... vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ..................................................................................... viii INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 1 NATIONALISM: LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL OVERVIEW .................................................................................................................. 17 2.1. Theories of Nationalism ......................................................................................... 18 2.1.1. Emergence ..................................................................................................... 19 2.1.2. Components ................................................................................................... 24 2.2. European Nationalism ........................................................................................... 43 2.2.1. Origins ........................................................................................................... 43 2.2.2. Germinations .................................................................................................. 46 2.3. Greek Nationalism ................................................................................................. 53 2.3.1. Motivations .................................................................................................... 53 2.3.2. The European/Global Impact ......................................................................... 55 2.3.3. The Greek Radical Right ............................................................................... 56 2.4. Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 58 NATIONALISM IN THE EUROPEAN CONTEXT ............................................ 61 3.1. Historical Background ........................................................................................... 63 3.1.1. The Industrial Revolution .............................................................................. 63 3.1.2. World War I & World War II ........................................................................ 66 3.1.3. The Cold War Era .......................................................................................... 71 3.1.4. The Post-Cold War Era .................................................................................. 74 3.2. Nationalism-Populism Concurrence .................................................................... 76 3.3. The Manipulation of Social Values ....................................................................... 81 3.4. Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 83 NATIONALISM IN GREECE................................................................................ 86 4.1. Motivations ............................................................................................................. 87 4.1.1. The Greek Liberation War ............................................................................. 88 4.1.2. Divinity .......................................................................................................... 94 4.1.3. The Involvement of the Church ..................................................................... 97 4.2. The Greek Radical Right ..................................................................................... 101 4.2.1. Origins ......................................................................................................... 101 4.2.2. World War I, World War II and Civil War .................................................. 102 4.2.3. The Cold War Era ........................................................................................ 104 4.2.4. The Post-Cold War Era ................................................................................ 106 4.2.5. Neo-Nazi Rising .......................................................................................... 108 4.3. Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 111 THE CASE OF GOLDEN DAWN ....................................................................... 114 5.1. Emergence ............................................................................................................. 118 5.1.1. Party Roots and Motivations........................................................................ 119 5.1.2. The Influence of the Colonels’ Junta Regime (1967 - 1974) ...................... 131 5.1.3. From Pamphlet to Political Arena ............................................................... 134 5.2. Parliamentary Emergence ................................................................................... 137 5.2.1. Success in the Elections ............................................................................... 137 5.2.2. Golden Dawn as an Organization and its Collaborations ............................ 140 5.3. Neo-Nazi Populism ............................................................................................... 143 5.4. Golden Dawn Trial ............................................................................................... 148 5.5. Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 150 DISCUSSION & CONCLUSION: THE FATE OF THE PHENOMENON .... 154 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................ 164 CURRICULUM VITAE ............................................................................................. 192 APPENDIX A – GOLDEN DAWN’S PROGRAM FOR A FREE AND POWERFUL NATION ....................................................................................................................... 193 APPENDIX B – DISTRIBUTION OF GOLDEN DAWN ELECTORATE ......... 195 APPENDIX C – GOLDEN DAWN BRANCHES .................................................... 196 APPENDIX D – GREEK LANGUAGE SOURCES ................................................ 197 EXPLAINING THE RISE OF THE RADICAL RIGHT WITHIN THE EUROPEAN CONTEXT: THE CASE OF GOLDEN DAWN ABSTRACT This thesis aims to analyze the rise of the European radical right movements related to the Greek case through the use of a theoretical approach and historical background. The Greek case came into prominence with the aftermath of the economic crisis and refugee crisis of the 2010s. Simultaneously, the Greek Neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn managed to enter the Greek Parliament in 2012 and became a phenomenon on the Greek political scene. Revealing the correlation between the emergence of nationalist thought and the rise of the radical right will help us understand the Greek case in depth. Golden Dawn’s sudden prominence should be examined by considering the historical background of nationalism in Europe and specifically in Greece rather than only by linking it to a single issue such as the economic crisis or the refugee crisis. This study covers major arguments regarding the topic in its theoretical aspects and assembles different major perspectives of scholars that deal with the theories of nationalist thought. Identifying the organizational structure of radical right politics within the context of a theoretical framework is significant in order to comprehend the country specific factors in nationalism studies.