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PASOK was established in September 1974 following the fall of the Greek military regime and the restoration of democracy. Its founder was Andreas Papandreou, the son of the late Greek liberal leader George Papandreou. Its founding principle were "National Independence, Popular Sovereignty, Social Emancipation, Democratic Process."

At the November 1974 elections PASOK received 13.5% of the vote and won 15 seats, coming third behind the conservative New Democracy party of Konstantinos Karamanlis and the liberals of George Mavros . At the November 1977 elections, however, PASOK eclipsed the liberals, doubled its percentage of the vote and won 92 seats, becoming the official opposition.

In October 1981 PASOK won national elections with 48% of the vote, and capturing 173 seats and forming the first socialist government in the history of Greece. Although Papandreou had campaigned on opposition to Greek membership of NATO and the European Economic Community, he soon changed his mind and began renegotiation conditions for Greek entry to the EEC.

In 1985 the PASOK government revised the Greek Constitution to remove most powers from the President and to give wider authority to the Prime Minister and the elected Government. Many other sweeping social reforms were carried out. At the June 1985 elections PASOK 45% of the vote and won 161 seats. In June 1989, however, the PASOK vote fell to 40%, and the legislature was deadlocked. Another election in November produced the same result. After a prolonged political crisis, a third election in April 1990Events January January 3 Former leader of Panama Manuel Noriega surrenders to American forces. January 7 The Leaning Tower of Pisa is closed to the public due to safety concerns. January 9 Lt Gen Bazilio Olara Okello The man who led the coup aginst Dr Apo brought New Democracy back to power.

In opposition PASOK underwent a leadership crisis when Papandreou was prosecuted over his alleged involvement in the Bank of CreteBank of Crete was a small Greek bank bought by George Koskotas, and they both shot to fame, or rather infamy, thanks to the bank's involvement in a major scandal in Greece in the late 1980s. Specifically in November 1988, a shortfall of US$132 million was scandal. He was eventually acquitted, and at the October 19931993 is a common year starting on Friday and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003 Events January January 1 Czechoslovakia divides. Establishment of independent Slovakia and Czech Republic. elections he was able to exploit nationalist sentiment over the MacedoniaAlexander the Great, king of ancient Macedon, on the waterfront at Thessaloniki, capital of Greek Macedonia Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in south-eastern Europe with an area of around 67,000 square kilometres a and CyprusCyprus (in Greek Kypros Κυπρος; and in Turkish Kibris is an island in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, 113 kilometres (70 miles) south of Turkey and around 120 km west of Syrian coast. Name and position The English-langua issues to regain power. In 19951995 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). It has a Golden number of 1, and was the first year of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People (1995- 2005): http://www. org/culture/indigenous . Events January events Ja, however, Papandreou's health began to decline and PASOK was racked with leadership conflicts.

In January 19961996 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar), and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty''. Events January January 5 Hamas operative Yahya Ayyash is killed by an Israeli-planted booby-trapped cell phone Jan Papandreou was forced by ill-health to retire, and he was succeeded by Costas Simitis, the candidate of the modernising, pro-European wing of PASOK. Papandreou died in June, and became the subject of a posthumous cult among the PASOK faithful that now, with the decline of socialist ideology within the party, provides its main focus of loyalty.

At the September 1996 election, Simitis won a mandate in his own right, and in December Greece agreed to enter the Euro zone, burying the Greek nationalist ideology which under Papandreou had been PASOK's hallmark. In September 1997 Greece won the right to stage the 2004 Olympic Games. Simitis won another term in April 2000, winning 42.7% of the vote and 158 seats: a substantial achivement for a party which had been in power almost continuously for nearly 20 years.

On January 7 2004 Costas Simitis announced his resignation as leader of PASOK. He was succeeded by George Papandreou, son of Andreas Papandreou. PASOK hoped that Papandreou could reverse the slide in the opinion polls which saw the opposition New Democracy party under Costas Caramanlis 7% ahead at the start of the year.

But although Papandreou reduced ND's lead in the polls to 3%, he was unable to reverse the view of a majority of Greek voters that PASOK had been in power too long and had grown lazy and corrupt. ND had a comfortable win at the March 7 elections, placing PASOK in opposition after eleven years in office.

PASOK is a member of the Party of European Socialists and the Socialist International. In the European Parliament it has eight MEPs.