Greece

Greece: 1945-1990 ~Political, Cultural, Social, and Economic Globalization ~

By: Natasha Medvetsky



Greece has had numerous changes during the Cold War era. There have been several economic, social, and political changes which have impacted Greek society in both positive and negative ways.

Globalization in Greece:

//**What is Globalization?**// media type="custom" key="25920596"

[|Globalization] is a movement towards the expansion of economic and social ties between countries through the spread of companies and the capitalist philosophy that leads to the shrinking of the world in economic, political, and social terms. It is a phenomenon that impacts social, economic, and cultural aspects of a nation. Globalization focuses in on interdependence which means that a country will depend on others or they are influenced by them. Globalization is widespread and has impacted Greek society. Throughout 1945-1990 Globalization in Greece has been prevalent. Greece has been influenced and interdependent upon countries across the globe. The government has been changed as well as social movements, cultural elements, and economic development (ie: industry and agriculture) as an effect of Globalization.

Post World War Two Government & Political Changes:

In post World War Two Greece, two competing groups were struggling for the control of Greece. This started the Greek Civil War between the pro-communist and pro-democracy factions. The pro-democracy group was victorious in 1949 as they were turning Greece into a "west-leaning nation" by making them more dependent upon Western ideas and made them resistant of Soviet influence.

Many major political changes have taken place during the Post World War Two era. __**1946**__- Royalist Party wins- Monarchy __**1953**__- New Constitution is formed- Parliamentary Democracy with a Monarch as the leader __**1973**__- Greece was declared a Republic as the Monarchy was abolished People refused to military rule which lead to chaos. [|Papadopoulos] was overthrown in coup by Brigadier-General Dimitrios Ioannidis who was the commander of the military police.

__**1975**__- New Constitution made Greece a Parliamentary Republic //Click ** here ** to read a primary source of the new Greek Constitution of 1975!//

"The //[|KOF Political Globalization Index]// f or Greece and other countries measures the number of embassies and high commissions in Greece; the number of international organizations to which it is a member; and the number of UN peace missions Greece participates in. Also included are the number of treaties signed between Greece and other countries since 1945" (The Global Economy). The indication is from 0-100 and on this scale Greece falls on around 58 in the late 1970s and significantly increased to 69 by the 90s. This reveals how Greece has become more and more globalized among the years. Although globalization and interdependence in Greece is increasing, the country is actually the least politically globalized compared to other nations during 1945-1990. 

Social Movements: The Greek Civil War: media type="custom" key="25920466" width="213" height="184" align="left" //The following video includes information on The Greek Civil War to enhance your knowledge on the topic. It contains real dialog between Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin as well as various photos and video clips of actual situations during the civil war. //

There was massive political instability in Greece during the 20th century, [|General Ioannis Metaxas]came to power with a fascist dictatorship. Once he died Greece was left in shambles and the Communist Party took over and created the "[|National Liberation Front]" (EAM). Another faction was established that was against the Liberation Front and was called the "[|National Republican Greek League]" (EDES). The EAM and EDES then began to fight as the EDES received help from the British since because was worried about communists taking over. "Winston Churchill met with Joseph Stalin in 1944 and Churchill agreed to give Stalin power in Romania if Stalin gave Churchill power in Greece. The Germans, still there from World War II, began to withdraw from Greece because of this and Stalin gave no help to the communists, even though they were the powerful group in Greece. On December 2, 1944, fighting started between the British and the EAM. The nationalists won and the size of the Communist party greatly decreased" (Cold War Museum) Some historians thought that this was the first time that Western democracies had an influence over one party in conflict while the communists backed another party. This sequence continued throughout the 20th century in Greece as well as surrounding countries. The monarchy was eventually put back into place after the royalists had won the civil war.

 As a result of the winning of the nationalists, royalists, and monarchy (Greek King), Greece was aligned with the democracies of the West. Following that, Greece joined Nato and then the relationship with the communist contrives faded. The monarch didn't create equality because the government would have to be staffed with anti-communists and conservatives. These leaders were authoritarian and offered no real benefit to Greece. In 1953, the conservative government ended. The civil war left Greece as a disaster. But, "in the 1950's, Greece went through a growth of development, both socially and economically. From 1960 until 1974, Greece was ruled by Georgios Papandreou. Finally in 1974, Greece was restored as a democracy by [|Konstantinos Karamanlis]" (Cold War Museum).



Cultural Elements: The lifestyle of the people is influenced by diverse traditions and practices, which impacts the culture. The country has been under the occupation of several countries and has also went through several historic phases which have all had an impact upon the culture and society of Greece. Within this nation, Greek is the native language. The Greeks are religious people and there are many important traditions that help form the culture and lifestyle of the Greeks. The influence of Western ideas has ultimately changed Greek culture and society. Traditions, religious practices, music, food are all major parts of their culture. Globalization has impacted their religion. "Greeks were initially known to be orthodox by their nature but this has changed with the increasing western influence" (Maps of World).A majority of Greek now have a different religion by which they follow; Christianity, Muslims, Jewish and Roman Catholicism.

Economic Developments: Globalization caused Greece's economy to grow for the most part. The indicator of the //KOF Economic Globalization Index// measures the economic flow between Greece and the rest of the world in terms of foreign trade and international investment. This all depends on whether or not Greece exchanges a lot of good, services and investments with other countries. It also measures restrictions regarding trade and investment. This includes tariffs and capital controls on foreign investment. Each indication is based on several variables that are combined in one index that is between 0-100. Up until 1984, the economy was poor and had around a 54-55 indicator of it's economic status. 1984 and beyond was when the economy greatly benefited and went from 57 to 61. Similar to the political globalization of Greece, the economic globalization has heavily increased during the years.



Impact of Globalization in the Post World War Two era: To conclude, Globalization both a negative and positive impact on Greece to a great extent. In terms of economy, it was a benefit because the economy globalization was increasing. Culturally, Greece had expanded religion of civilians. Governmental and political aspects were negatively affected because of the outbreaks of war and coups that had occurred that led to an unstable Greece. The post World War Two era had been very impacted due to Globalization and was affected by the evolution of an increasingly interdependent world during the 1945-1990 era.


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