Fifty-one years ago, on September 3, 1974, Andreas Papandreou—flanked by members of the Panhellenic Liberation Movement (PAK), the Democratic Defense, and figures of the anti-junta struggle—unveiled the founding declaration of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) at the Kings Palace Hotel in Athens. Few at the time imagined that this radical manifesto would lay the groundwork for political and social change of historic proportions in Greece.

The text Papandreou introduced struck many as revolutionary. It challenged the entrenched conservative order head-on, its rhetoric sharp, its slogans electrifying, its demands unprecedented for the era. It spoke of national independence, popular sovereignty, social emancipation, and democratic renewal—principles that clashed directly with the dominance of the right and the cautious centrism of the time.

To his critics in New Democracy and the centrist establishment, Papandreou was an extremist, more akin to the Arab Ba’athists than to European social democrats. They underestimated the spirit of the post-junta years, the sweeping shift underway in Greece, and the aspirations of a people determined to claim a freer, more equal life beyond exclusion and division.

What followed was a political whirlwind. Guided by that radical September 3 declaration, PASOK won just 13% of the vote in the 1974 election, rose to 25% in 1977, and then, in October 1981, swept to power with a commanding 48%. From its first days in government, the party became a genuine engine of political and social transformation.

Greece changed profoundly: social mobility expanded dramatically, millions who had long been marginalized found a place in national life, and opportunities opened up for upward movement across society.

Everyday life improved for countless people. Landmark reforms followed, from the modernization of family law to the creation of the National Health System—achievements that remain reference points for public policy to this day.

Over time, however, the radical force of PASOK was absorbed into the system. The party shifted, adapting to the demands of Greece’s European turn, and it was Papandreou’s successors who ultimately steered the country into the eurozone.

Today’s PASOK bears little resemblance to the insurgent movement born from the historic declaration of September 3, 1974—a reminder of how a revolutionary vision can be transformed, and tamed, by history.