January 14, 1960
SPYROS MARKEZINIS: The leader of the Progressive Party, Spyros Markezinis, gave a talk yesterday at the Greek-Soviet Association headquarters on the «Crisis in the 3rd Century AD and the Conclusions to Be Drawn from It.» He spoke of the role the army played in serving the Antonine emperors in the 2nd century, only to become a leading force toward the eventual decline in the following century. It was during this time that the last traces of democracy disappeared, ushering in a period of social and economic decline. This period also marked the onslaught of barbarian hordes against Rome and the introduction of a number of Eastern religious beliefs. Total breakdown, according to the speaker, was averted thanks to the adaptability of the Illyrian emperors and Constantine the Great. Through the practice of coexistence between East and West, there was a smooth transition from the ancient world to the Middle Ages and to the modern world after the 15th century. The speaker compared that time with today, emphasizing the fact that then, as now, the world was at a turning point. And that now developments in technology were taking humanity into the atomic and space age.
