Disasters and Triumphs (2022)

In 1824, the Sultan instructed Mehmet Ali to quell the Greek uprising. In the years that followed, his army occupied the Peloponnese, leaving behind scorched earth. At the same time, Messolonghi and Athens are falling. The Greek uprising that started with great hopes and military successes has been defeated militarily and the flame of the revolution is fading. How did the triumph of independence finally emerge from the disaster?

Gaining independence may have been a huge success, but it was only the first step. The new state of the Greeks is tiny and powerless. The state apparatus is non-existent and central power is challenged by everyone: armed militants, local leaders and robbers. As modern experience shows, building a functioning state is much more difficult than gaining your independence.

In 1921, Greece celebrates the hundredth anniversary of the beginning of the Greek Revolution. The triumph of the Balkan Wars has preceded while the Greek army is already in Smyrna. The country is a breath away from the realization of the creation of a state that will include the Hellenism of the Balkans and Asia Minor. But a year later, he will experience an inconceivable catastrophe, the traces of which are still visible today.

After the Asia Minor Catastrophe, the country’s big bet is to replace the Great Idea with a new national vision. And this is nothing more than achieving prosperity instead of territorial expansion. Thus, in place of the Great Idea comes the goal of modernization. But what kind of modernization are we talking about?

The economic miracle of the twenty years 1950-1970 is unique and leads the country to its final exit from underdevelopment and poverty. Economic success, however, does not guarantee political development.

In 1974, the country acquires the most democratic and liberal state it has ever had in its history. A few years later it became a member of the European Economic Community, a closed club of the richest and most developed countries in Europe. At the same time, however, the expectations of a radically changing society are growing, expectations for even greater freedoms and more prosperity.

The country’s participation in the euro will lead to a new period of economic growth and unprecedented prosperity. At the same time, however, there is a major challenge: the economy needs to be reorganized, public debt reduced, competitiveness increased and critical areas such as public administration, justice, health and education reformed. Only in this way will Greece be able to reduce its distance from the rich countries of Europe and ensure its prosperity. Otherwise, it will be vulnerable to the first storm.