History And Geography Of Greece Essay

On January 1st 1981 Greece joined the European Communities ushering in a period of sustained growth. The countries widespread investments on infrastructure coupled with funds from the European Union led to a sharp increase in revenue from tourism and the service sector. This helped the country reach historical highs in their standard of living. By 2001 Greece had adopted the Euro and in the proceeding 7 years the GDP per capita went from $12,400 in 2001 to $31,700 in 2008, an increase of 156%. The Greek government was encouraged by the European Central Bank and other private banking institutions to

Ever since Greece joined the Eurozone their economy has been falling apart. Greece was the last country to join in 2001. The euro replaced their modern currency of the drachma. Today Greece is still trying to fight to pull out of the deep and horrid debt they are in. Greece could become the first country to leave the Eurozone, due to its struggling economy and financial crisis, leaving the European Union in debt while helping Greece crawl out of their terrible nightmare.

In a relatively resource-poor region, a society rose from the access of foreign sources of raw materials and markets abroad. This society came to be known as one of the largest nations in Eurasia. The rise and fall of this great nation has to do with war-fare and the conflict between city-states. Their division led to the widespread of language and culture. This is the great story of Ancient Greece and how individualism changed the view Greece had on certain issues. (Bulliet 99) From 1000 B.C.E to 30 B.C.E, Ancient Greece’s view on individualism changed the political system Greece had, over time changed the way individuals thought and made important Intellectual changes, and gradually changed the Economic system such as bartering.

For my journey, I am traveling to Greece. Greece is a small country located in the Balkan Peninsula with a total area of about 50,942 square miles. About a fifth of the country is made up of more than 1,400 islands scattered throughout the Ionian and Aegean Seas. The capital of Greece is Athens, an ancient city located along the southern coast of Greece (“Greece - Location, Size, and Extent”). Greek culture and language dates back to 1500 BC, and it evolved over thousands of years to become what we know today. In 1821, Greece declared independence from the Ottoman Empire. However, it was not until 1829 that Greece officially became an independent state (“Greece/Greek - Development of a Nation”). The national flag, adopted in 1978, is made up

A country who’s economy was devastated by the monetary exports demanded of them by the second world war, Greece has shown great financial fluctuation and vulnerability within the last 80 years, resulting in one of the most disputed economic records in the history of the European Union. Dubbed the ‘Greek Economic Miracle’, Greece showed great resilience throughout the 1950’s and 1960’s, with credit to their superior food trade and shipping industry, continuing to produce high levels of economic growth in contrast to others that had also been affected by the war. With the Treaty of Accession (1979) entering into force on 1st January 1981, Greek’s commitment to the European Communities (European Union) proved pivotal regarding it’s controversial qualification into the Eurozone in 2000. Owing to this, in an attempt to recover the unstable foundations of its economy, Greece has since been subject to various regulations and measures of austerity, leaving what was once a highly commended country both financially and socially, in a deplorable state of desperation.

The roots of Greece’s economic problems extend deep down into the recesses of history. After the government dropped the drachma for the euro in 2001, the economy started to grow by an average of 4% annually, almost twice the European Union average. Interest rates were low, unemployment was dropping, and trade was at an all-time high. However, these promising indicators masked horrible fiscal governance, growing government debt and declining current account balances. Greece was banking on the rapid economic growth to build upwards on highly unstable foundations. In 2008, the inevitable happened – the Greek debt crisis.

According to the Central Intelligence Agency, located at the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula, including more than 2000 islands in the Aegean Sea and the Sea Ionic, with an area of 131,957 square kilometers and 11 million people, Greece, a European nation, exists, with a political parliamentary republican structure established since 1974 (CIA, 2014). Furthermore, and relevant to this analysis, more than half of Greece’s economic industry is concentrated in the metropolitan area of the capital, Athens, with activities dedicated in its majority to agriculture, tourism, construction, among others.

In 1999, ten European nations joined together to create an economic and monetary union known as the Eurozone. Countries, such as Germany, have thrived with the euro but nations, like Greece, have deteriorated since its adoption of the euro in 2001. The Eurozone was created in 1999 and currently consists of eighteen European nations united under the European Central Bank and all use the euro. The Eurozone has a one point six percent inflation rate and an eleven point six percent unemployment rate in 2014. Greece joined the Eurozone in 2001 and was the poorest European Union member at the time with a two point six percent inflation rate3 (James, 2000). Greece had a long economic history before joining the Eurozone. The economy flourished from 1960 to 1970 with low inflation and modernization and industrialization occurring. The market crash in the late 1970’s led Greece into a state of recession that the nation is still struggling with. Military failures, the PASOK party and the introduction of the euro have further tarnished Greece’s economic stability. The nation struggles with lack of competitiveness, high deficit, and inflation. Greece has many options like bailouts, rescue packages, and PPP to help dig it out of this recession. The best option is to abandon the Eurozone and go back to the drachma. Greece’s inflation and deficit are increasing more and more and loans and bailouts have not worked in the past. Leaving the Eurozone will allow Greece to restructure and rebuild

On January 1st 1981 Greece joined the European Communities ushering in a period of sustained growth. The countries widespread investments on infrastructure coupled with funds from the European Union led to a sharp increase in revenue from tourism and the service sector. This helped the country reach historical highs in their standard of living. By 2001 Greece had adopted the Euro and in the proceeding 7 years the GDP per capita went from $12,400 in 2001 to $31,700 in 2008, an increase of 156%. The Greek government was encouraged by the European Central Bank and other private banking institutions to undertake loans to fund foreign infrastructure projects like those related to the Olympic Games of 2004. When the financial crisis

As a country Greece always struggled with its finances. In the 1990s, it consistently ran significant budget deficits while using the Drachma (the former currency of Greece). Because of this, Greece joined the European Union in 2001 which was two years later than other nations. After joining the EU, Greece had a time of prosperity. This did not last too long as a financial crash occurred in 2008. This affected other countries in the EU, but Greece was hit the hardest. In the time before joining the EU, if a situation such as this occurred, Greece would print more currency, boosting the economy . However, since the Euro was controlled by the European Central Bank (ECB), this was not an option. Unemployment was soaring all over Greece. This was worse than the unemployment in the United States during the Great Depression . Most affected were the younger adult population. Besides from unemployment, Greece had an issue with uncollected tax receipts. Greece had more tax debts than any other country in the EU.

In October 2011, eurozone leaders meeting in Brussels agreed on a package of measures designed to prevent the collapse of member economies due to their spiralling debt. This included a proposal to write off 50% of Greek debt owed to private creditors, increasing the EFSF to about €1 trillion and requiring European banks to achieve 9% capitalisation.

Greece aligned with European Communities (European Union) during 1981. This brought about economic growth for Greece and increased investments, the growth of industrial infrastructure, an increase in investments from the EU, increased tourism, an increase in shipping and exports and an increased standard of living the country had not previously known. During 2001, Greece converted to the euro and its GDP grew from $12.4K per capita in 2001 to $31.7K per capita during 2008. During 2004, the Greek government made strides to entice the European Commission, the European Central Bank, many private banking organizations

In late 2000 due to financial crisis the Greece largest industries, tourism and shipping, were badly affected. The Greece had joined the group knowing that it would be easier for it to get the debt with a globally strong currency Euro. The Greeks continued lavish spending (events like Athens Olympic which are reported to cost Greece several times more than the estimated cost, public care) combined with long following trade deficits and large tax evading population lead the Greece budget deficit and public debt to rise to insurmountable amount. And now, the deficit percentage and the debt to GDP ratio for the Greece are highest among

Greece has joined Europe Union since 1981. In the 1990s, it steadily ran substantial budget deficits while using the Drachma as its currency. As a result, in 2001 Greece decided to adopt the euro as a solution of its budget deficits. After using euro, all went well for the first several years. Like other Eurozone countries, Greece benefited from the power of the euro, which meant lower interest rates and an inflow of investment capital and loans. Greece enjoyed a period of growth from 2001 to 2007. This boom was described by several analysts as unsustainable growth.

Greece introduced the euro as their currency in 2001. They made the euro their national currency because Greece was in the middle of a recession and needed the financial help of the bank of the European Union. However, because Greece has a very early retirement age and very generous benefits they spend more money than they take in. They also pay their government workers very well. Also, when Greece switched to the euro they made a big mistake by paying large amounts of money in order to make the currency transfer. Greece didn’t have this money to pay out in the first place.