A Brief History of Greece

Anyone who would like to understand modern Greece in all its contradictions and conflicts should take the time to learn a little bit about its history. This book offers a compact and well-informed overview of the moving development of this country from the time of the Ottomans up to the present day. By highlighting the great historical markers of the 19th and 20th centuries—the War of Independence of 1821 and the founding of the nation, the Asia Minor Catastrophe of 1922, the German-Italian occupation and the ensuing civil war of 1941-1949 as well as the entry into the European Community in 1981, the political history is embedded into the economic, social, and cultural development of the country. A balanced overall picture emerges from this groundwork and this contributes to a better understanding of Greek society at a new turning point in its history. The author has added a new chapter to this second edition in which he describes the crisis time after 2014, the current Grexit discussions, and the first years of the government under Alexis Tsipras and his SYRIZA coalition party. Ioannis Zelepos teaches as a professor of modern Greek studies at the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich. Through his many publications, he has become known as an expert on modern Greek history and culture.