Greece is often referred to as the birthplace of European civilisation. The period from 700BC saw the rise of the great city states of Athens, Corinth and Sparta, frequently engaged in long struggles for supremacy, and uniting only when faced with the common threat of invasion by the Persian Empire. The zenith was reached in the fifth century BC when Athens became the cultural and artistic centre of the Mediterranean, producing magnificent works of architecture, sculpture, drama and literature – 2500 years later, you can still see the splendid Parthenon crowning the Acropolis rock in the city centre, the classical marble sculptures on display in the National Archaeological Museum, and even the ancient tragedies written by Euridipes and performed in the Odeon of Herodes Atticus during the Athens Summer Festival.
Athens lost her empire through a mutually destructive struggle with her arch rival Sparta. The nation was then forcibly united under Alexander the Great. After defeating the sagging military might of Persia in a number of major battles, the expansion of the empire spread Greek influence through the East as far as India and Egypt. The empire fragmented after Alexander's death in 323 BC, and the fall of Greek hegemony was completed when the country came under the sway of Rome. Under the Roman emperor Constantine, the empire gained a new capital in Constantinople, and Greece came under the control of the Eastern Empire when the empire divided. The Byzantines (who bequeathed Greece with its countless quaint little brick churches and religious icons featuring weary-eyed saints against golden backgrounds) were, however, unable effectively to defend the whole of their empire from invaders, and only occasionally did Greece enjoy the security of effective imperial rule. The major beneficiaries of this were the Venetians, who increased their influence in Greece and other parts of the empire.
Byzantium finally fell to the Turks in 1453, although the process of conquest was already well underway by the end of the 14th century. For the next 350 years, Greece was part of the Ottoman Empire. Although this is a period of their history that many Greeks despise, countless traces of Turkish influence can be seen in modern day Greek culture, such as the language, cuisine, music and dancing. Many attempts were made to shake off the yoke of the Ottomans, with the Orthodox Church playing a leading role in organised uprisings, as well as safe-guarding the Greek national identity, which to this day is closely related to religion.
After a bitter War of Independence from 1821, a free state was declared in 1829. In 1833, the so-called Great Powers (Britain, France and Russia) installed the unpopular King Otto (originally from Bavaria), and Greece became a monarchy, ruled by an imported (predominantly Danish) royal family, until 1973. The effective consolidation was a gradual process, the last territory to be handed back being the Dodecanese Islands in 1945.
After liberation from the Germans at end of WW2, Greece descended into civil war, with pro-Communists fighting the right-wing monarchists, until in 1949, Communism was outlawed and sympathisers either fled the country voluntarily, were sent into ‘exile’ on remote islands such as Ikaria, or were forced to renounce their beliefs. From 1967 to 1974, Greece endured the rule of the oppressive right-wing Colonels, also known as the junta. Since their fall Greek politics has been dominated by two main parties, the right-wing New Democracy Party (ND).
The EU has also been at the heart of Greek foreign policy and although Greece has occasionally found itself at odds with its partners on a number of important issues, it has derived important dividends from this approach. One of these has been a slow but steady improvement in relations with Turkey, which itself aspires to EU membership; despite common membership of NATO, bilateral relations between Turkey and Greece have historically been among the worst between any two European countries. The principal causes are historical, coupled with the continuing division of Cyprus and control of territorial waters in the Aegean Sea. But Greece has now explicitly backed Turkey's own EU application and the then Socialist prime minister, Georgos Papandreou, made further moves to improve relations.
Greece also keeps a wary eye on the Balkan states to its north. Independence for the Former Yugoslav Republic Of Macedonia (FYROM) was initially blocked by Greece before a complete settlement between the two countries was agreed in 1995. During the conflict in the former Yugoslavia (now Serbia and Montenegro), Greece was actively involved in finding a peaceful political settlement although it objected strongly to the 1999 NATO intervention in Kosovo against the Serbs. Instability in Albania is another irritant and Greece has come close to closing its border on several occasions to prevent mass illegal immigration.
Another constant irritant in relations with the UK and the US has been the 25-year assassination campaign by the far-left November-17 guerrilla organisation, which targeted prominent Greeks and foreign nationals. Many left-wing Greeks blame the US for the Greek Civil War that followed WW2, and for the period spent under the military junta, which was in part instigated by the Americans. By the end of 2002, cooperation between Greek and foreign agencies - which had previously been lacking - finally brought about the demise of November-17. For the Greek authorities, the elimination of the domestic terrorist threat was an essential precursor to the success of the 2004 Olympic Games.
Although Greece managed to pull off a tremendously successful 2004 Olympics, the country has since descended into recession. The gravity of the nation’s debt became apparent in early 2010, so that by spring Athens was reduced to requesting a massive bailout from the EU and the IMF. Since then the economic crisis has deepened, and after a crisis in confidence in Georgos Papandreou, Lukas Papademos became prime minister in 2011. It remains to be seen whether the country will remain in the Eurozone, or default and return to the drachma.
98% Greek Orthodox, with Muslim, Roman Catholic and Jewish minorities.
Social conventions:Greeks are very aware of their strong historical and cultural heritage. Traditions and customs differ throughout Greece, but overall a strong sense of unity prevails. The Greek Orthodox Church has a strong traditional influence on the Greek way of life, especially in more rural areas. The throwing back of the head is a negative gesture. Dress is generally casual. Smoking is prohibited on public transport and in public buildings.
Greek (Ellenika) is the official language. Most people connected with tourism, and younger generations generally speak some English, French, German or Italian.
Language phrases:
