One of the most visited European countries but one of the least known. The modern Greek state dates from 1830 and bears little resemblance to the popular image of ancient Greece. For a relatively small country (51,000s q miles) it is surely a favorite destination. Nearly 3/4 of it is mountainous, uninhabited or uncultivated. This country remained relatively undeveloped until the 1960's. Rural areas lacked paved roads and even basic utilities, prompting extensive, unplanned urban growth and emigration...hello dear Papoo's family (my stepfather).
For centuries, a large number of Greeks have lived abroad and currently there are over half as many Greeks outside the country as in! During the centuries of domination by Venetians and Ottomans the Greek Orthodox Church preserved the Geek language and with it, Greek identity through its liturgy and schools. Today the Orthodox Church (Boca and Bubba's church) is still a powerful force despite the secularizing reforms of the PASOK government in the 1980's.Compared to most of its Balkan neighbors, Greece is a relatively wealthy country....however by Western standards, not so much. The persistent negative trade deficit is aggravated by imports of luxury goods- from a belief of inherent superiority of all things foreign. No car manufacturing going on here. Greece is still in a developing economy- with agriculture and the service sector accounting for 2/3 of the GNP. No more over staffed civil service as a part of the old full-employment policies of yesterday year. Lots of political instability in recent years. Since 2012, Antonis Samaras has been the Premier of Greek and the leader of the New Democracy.
But how about some of that stunning Greek History...remember back to your Western Civ classes. The history of Greece is that of a nation, not of a land. The Greek idea of nationality is governed by language, religion, descent and customs, not so much by geography. Think Bronze age struggles, and the defeat of the Greek army by Phillip II 338 BC. Greece was absorbed into Alexander the Great's Asian empire. And then became a province of the Roman Empire. As part of the Eastern Empire, she was ruled from Constantinople and in the 11th century became a powerful element within the new, Orthodox Christian Byzantine world.
After 1453, when Constantinople fell to the Ottomans, Greece as a political entity disappeared altogether. Bye Bye Baklava! Eventually, the realization that it was the democracy of Classical Athens which had inspired so many revolutions abroad gave the Greeks themselves the courage to rebel and in 1821, to fight the Greek war of Independence. With some bumpy roads post WWII- let's all hope and pray they are finding their way in this crazy world.
