Grece

2005 — Greece's economic history reflects the slings and arrows of outrageous fortunate that have bedevilled the country ever since it became independent in 1832. The road to development has been full of pitfalls such as coups, one fully fledged civil war, several Balkan wars, two World Wars, one devastating occupation, one global crisis, and two outright bankruptcies. These have endowed Greeks with a sense of insecurity of varying intensity. This has led to a deep-rooted conservatism in national economic planning and deep-seated protectionism on the part of industry and workers. The result is an inflexibility in the face of changing market demands that has, for many years, prevented liberalization and reform. Mark Dragoumis has been observing Greek affairs both from inside the government and as a journalist since the 1940s. His informative and compelling account explains economic developments in the light of political ones.111p.illus. Book