"The Poor Have Much More Money": Changing Socio-Economic Relations in A Greek Village

"The Poor Have Much More Money": Changing Socio-Economic Relations in A Greek Village Diane 0. Bennett "The poor have much more money."1 The speaker is a woman from a farm family on the Pelion peninsula, complaining about economic conditions in the 1980s. Her complaint demonstrates the existence of an identifiable group called "the poor—i floht," who continue to be thought of as poor even though economic changes have brought them more money. Lehonia, the community in which the speaker lives, is differentiated into landowners and laborers; until recently the laborers were poor. Economic and political changes originating at national and international levels have catalyzed changes in the relationship between landowners and laborers in the village. In contrast to the improved situation of the poor, she continues, it has become impossible for landowners to get ahead these days. The problems of the landowners are not unrelated to the improved conditions of the poor. The poor have gone to work in factories and the price of agricultural labor has risen. In the decades since the end of World War II, Greece has experienced rapid economic and demographic change. Although it remains in the semi-periphery of the capitalist world system— dependent on foreign capital, commerce, and tourism, and with a weak industrial sector—Greece's economic growth has been impressive . From 1950 to 1971, for example, the gross national product grew at an average of 6.7% per year, as compared to 3.0% for the U.S. and 5.6% for Spain (Hagen 1975: 27). From 1974 through 1979 the gross domestic product continued to grow at over 5% per year (OECD 1983b: 10). In 1960 49% of the work force was employed in agriculture; by 1981 agriculture employed only 31% of the total (OECD 1962, 1983a). Economic growth has effected profound changes throughout rural Greece, but communities have been afJournal of Modern Greek Studies, Volume 6, 1988. 217 218 Diane O. Bennett fected in different ways. Some villages have become virtually depopulated ; some have profited by the introduction of new agricultural technology; others, including Lehonia, have remained viable communities but have experienced complex changes in social and economic structure. Lehonia lies on a small plain on the Pelion peninsula which extends into the Aegean to the southeast of Thessaly and the city of Volos. Expanded urban employment opportunities, improved roads, and regular bus service have made it possible for residents of the Lehonia plain to work in Volos while continuing to live in the village. A labor shortage in agriculture has developed even though the population size has remained stable.2 This situation presents an opportunity to observe the changing social and political relations that occur as the local class system based on control of agricultural land is increasingly absorbed into the class structures of the nation. Changes in the relative values of land and labor have been central to this process, and different groups within the rural population are differentially affected by the new circumstances. The earthquakes that destroyed much of Volos and the neighboring Pelion in 1954— 1955 were the first in a series of external events that increased the demand for labor. These events include the rebuilding program after the earthquakes, the industrial development in Volos, and the opening of the labor market in Northern Europe. The augmented demand for labor reshaped local social and economic structures: decreased dependency of laborers on landowners has initiated social change, and the reduced profitability of agricultural has altered the local economy and the meaning of class relations in the community. Class Structures in Rural Greece In this paper, I consider three conditions necessary and sufficient to constitute a system structured by class relations:3 systematic and permanent differences in control of critical resources among groups in the population, social barriers between these groups, and an awareness by the participants of common interests within each group and different interests among them. AU three conditions exist in the socio-economic system of Lehonia. Before discussing changes in Lehonia's class structure, it is useful to compare this socioeconomic system to those in other communities studied by ethnographers and students of Greek class formation. Lehonia's internal class structure4 sets...