The rise to power of Eleftherios Venizelos in 1928 put social issues onto a new, more systematic footing. The criteria he followed in order to resolve the problems were crystallized on the one hand in the voting in of the Idionym law, and on the other in the establishment of the compulsory arbitration of the state in employment relations. Hoewever, instead of working out a new recovery policy in social terms (like the one from his first period), the experienced Cretan politician endeavoured to overcome the crisis and to maintain popular support by having as weapons his political charisma and the methods of political manipulation.
Nevertheless, despite the government being active across a wide front, it was charged with two economic scandals: the counterfeiting of quinine (a medicine then much in demand because of malaria), and the excessive price of bread, both of which had a particularly negative impact on the electorate.