The five-episode documentary series explores the pivotal period in Greek history from July 1974 to the present, covering the 50 years since the fall of the dictatorship and the establishment of new political institutions. The series uses the extensive audiovisual archives of ERT to showcase significant events and provide a unique interpretation of the post-dictatorship era, which is often referred to as the "Metapolitefsi" (transition to democracy).

The series does not aim to provide an exhaustive or encyclopedic account of these complex 50 years but instead focuses on how the major political, social, and cultural shifts of the period were experienced at the time and how they are understood today. It explores how ordinary people lived through and interpreted these events in real time, how those events influenced their daily lives and cultural developments, and how we interpret them in hindsight, with the benefit of historical perspective.

The collaboration between political scientist Stathis Kalyvas and sociologist Panagiotis Panayiotopoulos is central to this approach. Their narrative, based on exhaustive research in ERT's archives, delves into the political, social, economic, and value-based transformations triggered by the Metapolitefsi. Through original images and the words of the people—both famous figures and ordinary citizens—the documentary aims to spark intergenerational dialogue about the meaning and impact of the last five decades in Greece.

Each episode offers a vibrant, experiential, and often unexpected portrait of the period, encouraging reflection and discussion among both older generations who lived through these changes and younger ones who are discovering them for the first time.

1974 marks a pivotal moment in modern Greek history. It is the year of the tragic events in Cyprus but also the moment when the dictatorial regime collapses, and democracy returns to Greece. Or rather, when it is reconstructed under unprecedented terms.

The transition to democracy is seen as exemplary, as it combines the absence of violence (it is a ‘velvet revolution’) with the radical goal of becoming the most inclusive and free political regime the country has ever known. This goal would be expressed through a series of major institutional reforms and political changes, all occurring in an environment of social shifts and cultural transformations. Almost everything changes in an extraordinarily short and intense period, yet the consequences prove to be remarkably resilient over time.

The episode takes us back to the years 1974-76, when the significant political changes that define the content of the Metapolitefsi (the post-junta period) take place and crystallize. It looks back at the Polytechnic Uprising and continues with the events in Cyprus, the general mobilization, and the arrival of Konstantinos Karamanlis in July 1974. It focuses on three key events from that period through unique archival footage: the elections of November 17, 1974, the referendum of December 8, 1974, and the trial of the junta’s main perpetrators in the summer of 1975. Simultaneously, it delves into issues such as societal behaviors during the dictatorship and the dynamic that emerges between rival political factions immediately afterward. Finally, it analyzes the process of transforming the country into a ‘modern’ urban society, with young people decisively entering the center of the picture, claiming their place in society and politics.

During this period, the pace of change is so overwhelming that it dramatically raises people’s expectations. There is a prevailing sense that democracy will solve all problems. These are the years of hope and optimism... the years of innocence.