The Rise of Golden Dawn: Ideology and Organization in an Industry of Private Protection in Contemporary Greece

Abstract

In this paper I analyze a case of extreme response to need of security in the landscape of advanced democracies: the role of Golden Dawn in the management and reproduction of the profound socio-economic crisis in Greece. I argue that the keys behind the success of such a party are to be found in two distinct but self-reinforcing elements: its organizational strength and its anti-system ideology. The most significant organizational structures and activities which transformed Golden Dawn into a quasi-mafia style “industry of private protection” are thus investigated, along with the most important contents of its radical and anti-systemic message.