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Stathis N. Kalyvas
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Modern Greece: What Everyone Needs to Know® 1st Edition, Kindle Edition

by Stathis Kalyvas (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
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When Greece's economic troubles began to threaten the stability of the European Union in 2010, the nation found itself in the center of a whirlwind of international finger-pointing. In the years prior, Greece appeared to be politically secure and economically healthy. Upon its emergence in the center of the European economic maelstrom, however, observers and critics cited a century of economic hurdles, dictatorships, revolutions, and more reasons as to why their current crisis was understandable, if not predictable. The ancient birthplace of democracy and countless artistic, literary, philosophical, and scientific developments had struggled to catch-up to its economically-thriving neighbors in Western Europe for years and quickly became the most seriously economically-troubled European country following a fiscal nosedive beginning in 2008. When the deficit and unemployment skyrocketed, the resulting austerity measures triggered widespread social unrest.

The entire world turned its focus toward the troubled nation, waiting for the possibility of a Greek exit from the European Monetary Union and its potential to unravel the entire Union, with other weaker members heading for the exit as well. The effects of Greece's crisis are also tied up in the global arguments about austerity, with many viewing it as necessary medicine, and still others seeing austerity as an intellectually bankrupt approach to fiscal policy that only further damages weak economies.

In Modern Greece: What Everyone Needs to Know®, Stathis Kalyvas, an eminent scholar of conflict, Europe, and Greece combines the most up-to-date economic and political-science findings on the current Greek crisis with a discussion of Greece's history. Tracing the nation's development from the early nineteenth century to the present, the informative question-and answer format covers key episodes including the independence movement of the early nineteenth century, the massive ethnic cleansing in Turkey and Greece following World War I, the German occupation in World War II, the following brutal civil war, the conflict with Turkey over Cyprus, the military coup of 1967, democracy at long last, and the country's entry into the European Union.

Written by one of the most brilliant political scientists in the academy, Modern Greece is the go-to resource for understanding both the current crisis and the historical events that brought the country to where it is today.

What Everyone Needs to Know® is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press.
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  1. ISBN-13
    978-0199948796
  2. Edition
    1st
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  5. Publication date
    April 3, 2015
  6. Part of series
    What Everyone Needs To Know?
  7. Language
    English
  8. File size
    1443 KB
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Stathis N. Kalyvas is Arnold Wolfers Professor of Political Science and Director of the Program on Order, Conflict, and Violence at Yale University. He is the author of The Logic of Violence in Civil War and The Rise of Christian Democracy in Europe, and the co-editor of Order, Conflict & Violence. He has received several awards, including the Woodrow Wilson Award for best book on government, politics, or international affairs, the Luebbert Award for best book in comparative politics, the European Academy of Sociology Book Award, the J. David Greenstone Award for best book in politics and history, and the Gregory Luebbert Award for best article in comparative politics.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00URBMV4U
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; 1st edition (April 3, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 3, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1443 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 264 pages
  • Customer Reviews:

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Stathis N. Kalyvas

Stathis N. Kalyvas

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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
118 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the content insightful, succinct, and well-written. They also say the book is clearly written and pulls no punches.

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ContentReadability
8 customers mention "Content"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book very insightful, succinct, and well written. They say it provides a quick yet detailed account of the making of Modern Greece. Readers also say the book doesn't force a world view, but informs them. They appreciate the author's enlivening, deliberate, and easy read.

"...I found this book to be easy to read and very informative without being too detailed, in short this is a fantastic book to get you up to speed about..." Read more

"...Great take on the years and crises Greece has passed through since gaining freedom from the Turks in 1830...." Read more

"...Politically neutral and exhaustive, the book doesn't force a world view, but informs the reader's understanding." Read more

"This is a really well written book. It provides a quick yet detailed account of the making of Modern Greece...." Read more

8 customers mention "Readability"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book very clearly written and say it's some of the best historical writing they've encountered.

"...I found this book to be easy to read and very informative without being too detailed, in short this is a fantastic book to get you up to speed about..." Read more

"...A fascinating, clearly-written portrait of a brilliant, resilient people." Read more

"...of Greece since independence from the Ottomans is brilliantly written without a word wasted. 'Readably academic' might be the best descriptor here...." Read more

"...Kalyvas approach is enlivening, deliberate, and a surprisingly easy read on a complicated topic...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Peter Mamakos
5.0 out of 5 stars I really enjoyed this book
Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2017
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I really enjoyed this book. I needed to write a paper about the Greek debt crisis but wanted to understand a little more context about the problem rather than just the news reports. While this book provides ample detail about the conditions (political, economic, and cultural) leading up to the onset of the crisis, Mr. Kalyvas has written an excellent book about Greek history that frames Greece as much more than being just a troubled economy. This book delves into the details of modern Greek history starting with the conditions leading up to the war for independance and the subsequent creation of the modern Greek nation and continues until election bringing Tsipras into office. I found this book to be easy to read and very informative without being too detailed, in short this is a fantastic book to get you up to speed about Greece.
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GAA1
4.0 out of 5 stars A nonbiased view of the debt crisis
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2020
This is probably the best non-academic work on the Greek debt crisis. Reading it made me understand that the information I've been told by my Greek friends is mostly incorrect. Not surprizing given that their narratives are personal ones. Kalyvas takes the 10,000 foot view without getting bogged down in technical details. While it does start with the War of Independence, Kalyvas is not a historian. He is a political scientist and the book is written from a nation building, macroeconomic and political point of view. Reading it you realize the common stereotypes repeated in the media are not accurate but just represent lazy reporting. I would ignore the reviews indicating bias. The book deals out plenty of damning facts to all the players, Greek and foreign, who were involved. I removed one star simply because I would have liked even more detail but that may not be everyones cup of tea. Otherwise its really an excellent book.
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Dan Truitt
5.0 out of 5 stars Now I Get it
Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2017
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Now I understand the current Greek crisis in historical context. Great take on the years and crises Greece has passed through since gaining freedom from the Turks in 1830. The book's main thesis can be summed up as a small country constantly getting in political and financial trouble by overextending itself, which triggers a major crisis, and then coming out on the other side in better shape than she went in. Greece's current problems are no exception as indicators, especially a big uptick in tourist revenue, show that renewed prosperity may be just around the corner. A fascinating, clearly-written portrait of a brilliant, resilient people.
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B. Gilstein
5.0 out of 5 stars Some of the best historical writing I've encountered
Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2019
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At a concise 200 pages, this history of Greece since independence from the Ottomans is brilliantly written without a word wasted. 'Readably academic' might be the best descriptor here. Each chapter subheading poses a question, with the next 2-4 pages answering that question by placing the most crucial details within the context of the broader historical themes being discussed. Each of these subheadings could be an essay in its own right, fluidly moving from subject matter to subject matter until reaching the present day. A true pleasure to read; I will be searching out the existence of other works by the author.
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Athan
4.0 out of 5 stars great, up to 1974
Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2018
I baptised the son of the speechwriter for a prominent Greek politician some thirteen years ago (how time flies!) We’d just won the election a year earlier and my mom ended up sitting next to the minister for the informal dinner that followed. (Let me get this out of the way, I come from the same side of the aisle in Greek politics as author Stathis Kalyvas.)

“It looks grim,” she offered, even though it was 2005 and we were still enjoying the tailwind of our quadruple crown of Olympic glory, European Cups in football and basketball and, last but not least, first place in the Eurovision Song Contest, courtesy of a diaspora Greek bombshell.

“H Hellada pote den pethainei,” was his answer (a popular saying which roughly translates to “Greece will never die”)

That ought to have been the title of Kalyvas’ book!

The main thesis of this 2015 effort is that, contrary to perception, the modern Greek state is an immense success. Not only that, but the success has always come as the result of a three-step process, whereby Greece:

1. Sets an impossible goal
2. Against all odds, achieves it
3. Over-reaches and falls, but somehow still finds itself better off than not having tried

This naturally leads to the conclusion that “Greece will never die:” much as the present time feels dire, the only way is up.

Luckily, in support of his flimsy argument, Kalyvas has written an excellent 150 page history of Greece since 1821. The reader is taken through

• The ambitious war of independence, which may have ended with military defeat at the hands of the Turks, but regardless led to Greece being granted statehood by its French, British and Russian allies.

• The debt-fuelled establishment of a proto-state that ended with bankruptcy in 1894 and military defeat to the Turks (again) in 1897, but regardless bequeathed to Greece one of the earliest European representative democracies, a class of fonctionnaires and land reform.

• The “Great Idea” that led to the victorious Balkan Wars of 1912-13, allowing Greece to liberate Epirus, Macedonia and Thrace, tragically ended with the ill-fated 1922 expedition into Asia Minor, permanently losing to Hellenism what had been its beating heart for more than a millennium, but also infused the Greek state with a million hard-working refugees and put an end to its permanent lack of labor resources.

• The civil war of 1943-49 (on which which Kalyvas’s “23 Questions” is in my view the best I’ve ever read and ever expect to read) which may have split the country ideologically in two and may have cost thousands of lives, but rendered Greece the vanguard state of the West against the domino risk of communism, making it necessary for the US to lavish the country with all the necessary support to make Greece the West’s shop window for successful post-war modernization.

• The 1967-74 dictatorship, which, apart from taking the country backwards, cost Hellenism half of Cyprus, but also set up Greece to become the first southern-European state to democratize (indeed, the first country post-war to keep a live dictator in jail until his death some 30-odd years later) and thus earned it pole position when the EU decided to expand.

• The PASOK years; this is definitely a contentious part of the book. As discussed, I 100% agree with everything Kalyvas has to say here about the use of EU bounty (and later massive borrowing thanks to low bond spreads) to set up and feed a gargantuan state apparatus that was beholden to a single political party, but somehow ended in annus mirabilis 2004.

I lived the early Papandreou years and remember them as an outrage. However, the counterpoint that all these laws were the price to pay for our side of the aisle having run the country since 1949 and at the exclusion of some 15% of the population is never made in these pages. Neither is the fact that we do not have the counterfactual regarding what politicians from our side would have done better than Andreas Papandreou with the EU money.

• The Crisis of 2010 which has led us to a depression deeper than that suffered by the US in 1929-33, the emigration of 300k able-bodied Greeks, the biggest ever IMF bailout, four identikit governments that share the single policy of drawing blood out of stone from the private sector of the economy and will miraculously lead us to greater things, because all previous six times we somehow came out the other side smelling of roses…

In summary, I found the history exceptionally well written, but the conclusion indefensible. Already, Kalyvas’ prediction is not doing too well, with the years since 2015 bearing witness to the least qualified government the country has seen in a century losing a referendum on EU membership, only to see its majority increase, while the outflow of talent from the country goes on unabated.

On the plus side, my reading of the book has allowed me to develop my own, alternative theory regarding the success so far of the modern Greek state: at its birth, Greece represented, a lot like Israel did for Jews, a small minority of the world’s Hellenism. For its first 180 years as a state, therefore, Greece has been able to count on either (i) steady flows of support from Greeks around the globe -be it in the form of Grand Donors’ grants that set up the Polytechnic School of Athens, the Kallimarmaro Stadium where the 1896 Olympics were hosted, the purchase of the Averof battleship etc., Greek Americans who returned in their thousands to fight the Balkan Wars, remittances from Greek immigrants or alternatively (ii) diaspora Greeks immigrating back and infusing their new home country with energy, not only after disasters such as 1922 or regime changes such as 1990, but steadily through time. My dad’s village was moved from Epirus to Thessaly around 1870, for example.

To the extent that we’ve run out of diaspora Greeks, therefore, I think the main support the state has enjoyed over its first couple centuries of existence is now gone and the time has come for our country to modernize.

At the very least, I would have wanted Kalyvas to list what this modernization will entail.

In the absence of any proposals from him, I’ll have a go myself:

1. Laws regarding private employment that are not observed in practice must be abolished
2. The tax wedge on private business employing private employees must be slashed by some 80%
3. Wages and pensions offered to public employees must suffer for any shortfall
4. Private higher education must be legalized
5. Public higher education must be fused with that of either France or Germany
6. Party affiliation in education and the state must be made illegal
7. Healthcare provision must be fused with that of either France or Germany
8. Closed professions must be opened completely
9. Draconian laws to protect the environment, arguably the country's #1 resource
10. A land registry would not hurt

Yes, rather radical. I’m happy to entertain any disagreements.

As for the book itself, overall I gained from reading it.

If you are not Greek, however, and if you don’t have any views about the present, get up to 1974 and then stop reading. Up to there this is a tremendous history of the country. After that it’s a (justified IMHO) dump on PASOK with a dash of unjustified cheerleading about the future.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
APPENDIX
I’m thankful to Kalyvas for listing
(i) law 1268 of 1982 that moved party politics into academia,
(ii) law 1285 of 1982 that recognized communist EAM/ELAS fighters as resistance fighters and showered them with benefits,
(iii) law 1320 of 1983 that abolished the post of ministry general directors
(iv) law 1505 of 1984 that introduced uniform wage structure
(v) law 1586 of 1986 that introduced uniform hierarchical structure
As discussed, I lived those times, but this is a tremendous summary of how the Greek state was gutted by Papandreou, whether his actions were popular (democratically-mandated, even) or not.
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William Gianopulos
5.0 out of 5 stars "How do you solve a problem like Maria? " Substitute Greece for Maria and you'll ...
Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2015
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This book brings to mind Roger and Hammerstein's hit song from The Sound of Music, "How do you solve a problem like Maria?" Substitute Greece for Maria and you'll have some answers once you've read this book. The Kalyvas approach is enlivening, deliberate, and a surprisingly easy read on a complicated topic. He lays out the dots and asks the readers to connect them. Politically neutral and exhaustive, the book doesn't force a world view, but informs the reader's understanding.
2 people found this helpful
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James F Ledbetter
3.0 out of 5 stars in an easy to read and easy to understand format
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2017
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Well written. It delivers on it's title, in an easy to read and easy to understand format.
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Jimmy the Greek
5.0 out of 5 stars This is a really well written book. It provides ...
Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2017
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This is a really well written book. It provides a quick yet detailed account of the making of Modern Greece. For someone that is VERY interested in learning how Greece ended up in the position it is in today, this book is required reading.
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Top reviews from other countries

Alan Haines
4.0 out of 5 stars Evolving understanding
Reviewed in Australia on March 22, 2017
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Concise clear articulation that provides an understanding of contemporary circumstances based on solid historical ground
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Michael Piplakis
5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting and educational!!
Reviewed in Canada on July 22, 2015
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Very interesting and educational book, about the creation of the modern Greek state and the causes the led to today's crisis.
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C. E. Giartosio
5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating read
Reviewed in Italy on June 7, 2016
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The ups and downs of modern Greece, explained intelligibly to non economists. A must to understand the current historical phase.
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Angelos Ypsilantis
5.0 out of 5 stars A LIRE ET A RELIRE
Reviewed in France on February 8, 2016
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UNE ETUDE COURTE, PROFONDE ET DCUMENTEE SUR LA GRECE MODERNE PAR QUELQU'UN QUI CONNAIT BIEN LE SUJET. A CONSEILLER POUR CEUX QUI S'INTERESSENT A LA GRECE MODERNE.
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Julian P Killingley
5.0 out of 5 stars Much to admire in all the chaos
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 7, 2015
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A clear and illuminating account of how Greece got to its present state. This reads as a well-balanced account that is neither a hagiography nor a hatchet job on the country. It is full of lots of interesting insights into why it has been so difficult for Greek politicians to effect reforms. Whilst the Greeks have a lot to blame themselves for, Kalyvas also shows that there is a surprising amount to admire - Greece could so easily have been another Bosnia or Serbia but has, by its own efforts, risen far above those states in its development.
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