New Book: Modern Greece: A History since 1821

Modern Greece: A History since 1821 provides an in-depth narrative history of modern Greece by two leading authorities. The authors bring together their knowledge of primary Greek sources and their first hand experience of Greek culture to explore the political, economic, social, and cultural history of this fascinating country from ’within’. In addition, they set the country’s development within the wider geo-political framework of Europe, the Balkans, and the Middle East, allowing the reader an understanding of Greek history within the context of its surrounding geographical area.

The book traces the history of Greece from the creation of the Greek state in 1821 and early conflicts over former Ottoman lands, through to Greece’s instability between the wars, and as a battleground between the Allied forces and Axis powers in WWII. The authors pay particular attention to contemporary events, including the return to democracy in 1974 and the profound economic and social changes which have arisen as a result of EU membership.

Incorporating the latest Greek scholarship on the subject, this book provides a pioneering survey and brings the story of modern Greece up-to-date.

John S. Koliopoulos is Professor of Modern Greek History at the University of Thessaloniki. He has written widely on nineteenth and twentieth-century Greece, including Brigands with a Cause: Brigandage and Irredentism in Modern Greece, 1881-1912 (1987) and Plundered Loyalties (1999).

Thanos M. Veremis is Professor of Political History at the University of Athens, and is President of the Greek National Council for Education. His previous publications include Greece's Balkan Entanglement (1994), The Military in Greek Politics (1997), and Action without Foresight: Western Intervention in Yugoslavia (2002).

The authors have collaborated on Greece: A Modern Sequel (2002), a thematic overview of scholarly debates concerning the history of modern Greece.

Jacket image: The bronze statue of Theodoros Kolokotronis (1770-1843), General of the Greek insurgents in the Peloponnese (Southern Greece) throughout the War of Independence (1821-1830) was placed outside the building of the First Greek Parliament (now Hellenic Historical & Ethnological Society and museum). Photograph: Maria Konstantaki

"This is an immensely readable, comprehensive and elegant overview of the history of Greece since 1821 by two of the finest Greek historians of their generation."
Robert Holland, University of London

"A lucid, authoritative and comprehensive guide to the historical development of modern Greece. Its insightful – and at times pungent – interpretation will stimulate both old and new readers of Greek history."
Kevin Featherstone, London School of Economics

"Two distinguished historians have combined their deep knowledge and remarkable talents to produce the best comprehensive history of modern Greece in print today. Impressively researched, it offers an up-to-date, thorough, and carefully balanced historical narrative, sprinkled with fresh interpretations and new insights, presented in a crisp but highly readable prose. It is certain to become required reading and the standard reference work for specialists, students, and anyone seriously interested in contemporary Greece."
John O. Iatrides, Southern Connecticut State University