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Abstract
The first centenary (1900-2000) of the establishment of agricultural cooperatives
in the Greek countryside is an appropriate occasion for offering a
critical retrospective of their operations during the 20th century. Initially,
the causes of their delayed appearance and establishment in Greece are investigated.
Subsequently, the large extension of agricultural credit, as well
as the constantly increasing involvement of the government and banks in
their internal affairs are described and analyzed. This analysis also focuses
on the particular interwar conditions that favored the protectionism of the
agricultural economy and the “State’s supervision” of cooperatives, an essential
element of agrarian policy, even during the first post-war period.
Finally, we examine developments relating to the cooperatives during the
transition from dictatorship to democracy, namely, the subsequent legislative
interference, doubtful investments, as well as the transformation of the
organizations into an arena of self-interest for political parties and their
leaders and into a means of implementing government social policy.