For all their bravado and the genuine excitement they awakened both at home and abroad, the governments of Tsipras and Costa did not promise revolution. They promised national autonomy and self-respect, and, above all, social improvement. This made them vulnerable to the threat of immediate economic suffocation. After all, what good was a small increment to your pension or shorter waiting lists for social housing if a cap on ECB liquidity assistance left you unable to get cash out of the bank?
