Greece 2
For Greece, the twentieth century has been a period full of violence and uncertainty. The last years of the century, however, have brought the potential for political stability in a slowly maturing democratic system, and for economic prosperity as a part of a European continent undergoing unprecedented unification. Democracy, the basis of government since the foundation of the modern Greek state in 1832, has had it's longest and most consistent application in the era that began with the toppling of the military in 1974. Economic growth, which virtually stopped in the 1980's, showed signs of revival in the early 1990's, helped by substantial aid programs and strict economical guidelines from Greece's partner nations in the European Union (EU). On the negative side, Greece's traditionally difficult relations with neighbor Turkey remained extremely tense as a series of territorial issues were still unresolved in the mid - 1990's. And the violently unstable regions of the former Yugoslavia, just to Greece's north, renewed the threat that the wider Balkan turmoil of the earlier decades might begin a new chapter. In the next few pages, I will talk about the social, political and economical aspects of past and current events tha
Initially, the war against Germany and Italy went very well for Greece. The nation rallied behind General Metaxas, and men of all political persuasions joined the military. Under the leadership of General Tsolakoglou, the Greek army in Epirus drove the Italians out of Greece and through most of Albania. For many Greeks, this campaign was an opportunity to liberate their countrymen across the Albanian border in "Northern Epirus". The campaign stalled in cold weather, then it lost its leader, Metaxas, who died in January 1941. The British, who at this time had no other ally in the region, provided air and ground support but poor coordination between the allied forces made Greece vulnerable to a massive German attack in the spring of 1941, which was intended to secure the Nazi land in preparation for the invasion of Russia. Under the German blitzkrieg, the Greek and British forces fell quickly. Most of the British force escaped, but Tsolakoglou, trapped between the Italian and the German armies, was forced to surrender. Athens fell shortly afterward. King George II, his government, and the remainder of the Greek army fled to Crete. Crete fell the next month, however, and George established a government-in-exile in Egypt. By June 1941, Greece had been divided among Bulgaria, Germany and Italy. The Germans controlled the most critical points: Athens, Crete, the Thracian border zone with Turkey, and a number of the Aegean Islands. The Bulgarians were given Thrace and most of Macedonia. The Italians occupied the rest of Greece. From the outset, the Germans effectively controlled the country, ruling harshly though the governments of Tsolakoglou and later Ioannis Rallis. The German plundering of the nation's resources for the war effort combined with a British naval blockade to cause food shortages, massive inflation, and finally a devastating famine that killed as many as 100,000 people in the winter of 1941-2. In recent news, Greece is bringing to top US officials its call for a pause in NATO bombing of Yugoslavia to encourage Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to respond positively to tough demands for settlement of the Kosovo conflict. Foreign Minister Papandreou says he is convinced international mediation could end the conflict swiftly. Secretary of State Albright and other US officials will hear him out while trying to keep Greece in line with NATO's military campaign. Of the 19 NATO nations, Greece is probably the most skeptical that all out bombing will bring Milosevic to his knees. Mr. Papandreou is proposing a 48 hour pause in the bombing to give Milosevic some calm to consider a response to the NATO demands for withdrawal of all Serb troops. Based on this information I believe that although the disproportionate size of the forces had made the outcome of the Civil War inevitable, the DAG's mistakes quickened its fall. After Vafiades was ousted by KKE (Communist Party of Greece) chief Nikos Zahariadis in mid-1947, the DAG made a disastrous shift from guerilla tactics to conventional battles. Outgunned and outmanned, the DAG was pushed into the mountains and eventually defeated. The Civil War ended when the last DAG mountain fell at the end of August. Thus, in addition to the more than 500,000 killed in WWII, during the Civil War 80,00 more Greeks lost their lives, 700,000 more became refugees and the national economy was left in ruins. The twentieth anniversary of the fall of the military junta dictatorship, in July 1994, afforded Greeks an opportunity to assess their country's progress since that event. Most political observers found that concrete gains had been made and that democracy had been consolidated. Although the political system of Greece still includes serious flaws, the democratic transition of 1974 - 1999 has often been cited for the efficiency with which it has dealt with political problems lingering from the tumultuous past and put in place checks and balances that should res
Some common words found in the essay are:
Civil War, European UnionEU, Greek American, Volos Larisa, Agricultural Policy, II Greek, , Georgios Papandreou, Secretary Albright, Socialist Movement, civil war, world war ii, war ii, world war, mid 1990's, economic growth, orthodox church, aegean sea, percent population, capita income greece, prime minister, war ii greek, war ii civil, structural funds, ii civil war,
Approximate Word count = 3015
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page double spaced)
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