From 1977 to 2012, Greek political life was organized on the basis of a strong two-party system with New Democracy (ND) and the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK). For thirty-five years, this system, with the alternation of the parties that formed it in power, ensured the longest period of political stability, democratic normalcy, and economic prosperity in modern Greek history. How was it formed, who were its protagonists, how did it function, how did it ensure its renewal and reproduction in twelve consecutive electoral contests, what undermined it, how did it lead to its crisis and deregulation within a broader context of political destabilization in Europe.   Giannis K. Pretenteris is a journalist. He studied Economics and Law at the University of Grenoble (France), European Studies at the Institute of European Studies in Geneva, International History and Politics at the Graduate Institute of International Studies at the University of Geneva. Since 1984, he has worked at Vima, the Economic Courier, Nea, MEGA, Antenna, and Thema FM. Today, he is an editorial consultant and columnist at Nea and Vima.