Greece After World War II

As if Greece had not suffered enough during World War II, a civil war started thereafter between the royalists and communists. The royalists had significant financial assistance from the United States in order to prevent a communism taking control of Greece. The United States implemented a document known as the “Certificate of Political Reliability” which declared that the holder did not have left-wing sympathies. It became obligatory to have this certificate otherwise Greek people were hampered in gaining employment. This civil war lasted until 1949 when the royalists claimed victory.

The right-wing Greek Rally party was elected with Konstantinos Karamanlis as head of it. Karamanlis, after the assassination of a communist official, resigned 10 years later. Then, the left-wing Georges Papandreou came to power. A group of army colonels staged a coup d’état on April 21, 1967 that resulted to a Junta which was characterized by repression, brutality upon the people, censorship and political incompetence. The Junta enjoyed the support and investments on the part of the United States which continued to operate in a sphere characterized by extreme fear of communism. It is no coincidence that the military Junta in Greece coincided with the failed efforts of the United States to prevent the spread of communism in Vietnam.

The Junta collapsed in 1974 after the government killed 20 students who were lodging protests. The collapse also occurred after the Junta attempted to assassinate the leader of Cyprus, Archbishop Makarios, in order to try to unite Cyprus with Greece. This directly led to Turkey's invasion and occupation of Northern Cyprus in 1974.

Konstantinos Karamanlis returned to power organizing parliamentary elections and a referendum on the future direction of the Greek government. The monarchy was subsequently defeated by a two-third vote and a new constitution was established the 11th June of 1975. A parliamentary republic was organized, with a president at the head of the state, appointed by the legislature.

On January 1, 1981, Greece became a member of the European Community and Andreas Papadreou and his socialist party, PASOK, won the elections. The government of Papadreou was subsequently replaced by a coalition of conservatives and communists. Elections in 1990 brought the conservatives to power, however in 1993, a general election brought Papadreou back to power. Kostas Simitis was appointed Prime Minister in 1996 and again in April 2000. In 2004, it was the turn of the right wing Kostas Karamanlis to be elected.

In the summer of 2004, Greece again hosted the modern Olympic Summer games , officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international sporting event hosted by Athens from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto “Welcome Home”. More than ten thousand athletes competed, accompanied by 5,501 team officials from 201 countries. There were 301 medal events in 28 different sports . Athens 2004 marked the first time since the 1996 Summer Olympics that all countries with a National Olympic Committee were in attendance. It was also the first time since 1896 that the Olympics were held in Greece.

The Derivation of the Name “Greece”
The name Greece comes from the Latin geographical description of Magna Gracia – a region of southern Italy so called for its expansive and transformation Greek settlements, monuments and culture. Greece is also referred to as "Hellas" or “Ellatha.” Its official language is Modern Greek, although many other languages are spoken there rendering the Greece of today extremely tourist friendly. Its capital and largest city is the vibrant and growing metropolis of Athens. The government of Greece is organized as a Parliamentary republic. The country is currently operating under its constitution dating to 1975, reffered to as the "Third Republic."

The actual name of the Greek nation is the Hellenic Republic or Ελληνική Δημοκρατία [Ellīnikī́ Dīmokratía]. The motto of the Greece of today is Ελευθερία ή θάνατος [Eleftheria i thanatos] which translates to "Freedom or Death." This motto has allowed Greece to persevere through centuries of occupation, poverty and other difficult times. Greece now is a democracy again and thrives as a beacon of light to the world throughout the ages.