Greek Economy

A detailed Summary of Greek Economy

Chris Tsoumalis was born in Driofito, a small village of approximately 1200 people in Greece, in the year 1913. At that time the economy in Greece, at least in this small town, was essentially an agricultural economy. There was the beginning winds of a World War that would continue to affect the economy, but not as much as a war would affect other countries in these modern times. The economy in the United States was not an overriding factor in the Greek economy overall, and even less of a factor on a small village in Greece such as Driofito.

In Driofito the wealthiest individual in town was the person who owned the most land. In this particular case, that person was my great grandfather Chris. Chris did not start out that way, when he was fifteen years of age he worked as a farmer and herder and continued in that vocation until the day he died. To become the wealthiest individual took more than just farming and herding. Chris was also a salesman. He traveled by foot with a donkey carrying his cargo to the neighboring villages offering his goods for sale and barter. Some of the products he offered included agricultural products such as lentils, corn, potatoes, tobacco, beans, vegetables and wheat.

The people at that time were more concerned with the overall welfare of the community than they were for individual conveniences.

ised livestock and offered them for sale as well. The livestock included; cows, pigs, sheep, chicken and goats. Chris also owned two horses, and the above mentioned donkey that he used as a pack animal. One of the keys to survival during his times was the ability to transport goods quickly, efficiently and cheaply. Because the villages that he traded with were small and relatively close, he was able to accomplish this be using the donkey to help pull the cart as well as transporting goods.

Many researchers believe that another factor in the emergence of the American economy as compared to the Greek (or any other economy for that matter) was the democratic ideals held by the Americans.

During the early 20th century the village community in Greece and the small community in the United States were very similar. The difference was that the small communities in the United States were being guided by ideals that led to growth, whereas Greece's ideals were to focus on other issues.

Would the small differences between the two countries developed into such a large gap of wealth if Greece had the resources (including human resources) as had the United States?, probably not.

They also worked all year round. To enjoy a bountiful harvest the various crops had to be planted and harvested at different times of the year. For example, in September the entire community would pitch in and clear all the land. This usually took as long as a month, after which they would plant the seeds for lentils and wheat. In January they would plant the seeds for a tobacco crop. The farmers would always be eithe

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Approximate Word count = 1189
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Foreign