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The Syriza government in Greece: The pseudo-left in power

The rise to power of Syriza in Greece in 2015 is a strategic experience for the entire working class. The “Coalition of the Radical Left” was elected in January based on pledges to end austerity measures demanded by the EU and the IMF.

In the ensuing eight months, however, Syriza comprehensively betrayed its election promises. After signing an agreement to extend EU austerity measures in February, only weeks after coming to power, it trampled the landslide “no” vote in the referendum on austerity that it organized in July and rammed a massive new austerity bailout through parliament.

From the beginning, the World Socialist Web Site rejected Syriza’s claims, and those of its numerous pseudo-left cheerleaders internationally, that its election marked a significant shift to the left. Based on an analysis of Syriza’s class character as representative of an upper middle-class strata, advancing a pro-capitalist program, the WSWS warned that it would rapidly renege on its promises.

This page includes many of the most important statements and articles published on the WSWS in 2015.

Greece's then prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, addresses members of his Syriza party during a meeting, in Athens, May 27, 2019 [AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis]
The Election of Syriza
Syriza’s capitulation to EU austerity
Syriza’s pseudo-left supporters
The fraudulent “referendum” on EU austerity
Syriza imposes the dictates of the banks
The September 2015 re-election of Syriza
The role of Yanis Varoufakis
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