The transition from military to civilian rule has been relatively ignored by scholars, regardless of the considerable importance of such a transition to the field's understanding of civil-military relations. This article fills that gap by examining the case of the relinquishment of power by the Greek military in 1974 after seven years in power. It provides a short history of military politics in Greece, the factors involved in the military decision to disengage from government, and the issues associated with the new civilian government. In conjunction with a variety of internal and external factors, the military ultimately appeared to disengage in order to end the divisive effect of politics on the military as an institution.