A Concise History of Greece

Cambridge Concise Histories

by Richard Clogg

Now re-issued in a third, updated edition, this book provides a concise, illustrated introduction to the modern history of Greece, from the first stirrings of the national movement in the late eighteenth century to the present day. The current economic crisis has marked a turning point in the country's history. This third edition includes a new final chapter, which analyses contemporary political, economic and social developments. It includes additional illustrations together with updated tables and suggestions for further reading. Designed to provide a basic introduction, the first edition of this hugely successful Concise History won the Runciman Award for the best book on an Hellenic topic published in 1992 and has been translated into twelve languages.

Genres: History, Greece, Nonfiction, Politics, Ancient History, European History, Academic

337 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 29, 1979

Reviews

[Caterina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction to modern Greek History by an author who is considered an authority on the subject. It covers the adventurous history of Greece from the pre-revolution years in late 18th century up to 2013 and the culmination of the economic crisis. The chapters are equally divided and each covers one or two major events, no footnotes to disrupt your reading, just some carefully chosen photographs to highlight the text. Some of the photos are actually very entertaining, like the staged photograph of the royal couple greeted by super-happy political prisoners in some island of exile or the three generations of Papandreou prime ministers and the text below explaining how family ties in Greece are strong even in Parliament by mentioning other famous political families as well.
In fact this is exactly how a history book should be written and read, with accuracy, truthfulness, boldness and of course a great deal of self-command. The author does not hide his admiration for certain political figures, such as Venizelos, but his argumentation proves him right. Also, his critical observations about the foul elements of Greek political life are very accurate, mentions nearly every single financial scandal committed in the past decades, criticizes nepotism as a ruling characteristic of the political machinations, the rise of the extreme right etc.
However, the ending lines are full of hope (consider this a spoiler!) with the author expecting the Greek people to exit the terrible current situation as they did so many times in the past.

[Maria Dimitriou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Μια ακριβής και αντικειμενική εξιστόρηση της ιστορίας της χώρας. Η απόδοση των γεγονότων γίνεται με τρόπο που διευκολύνει τον αναγνώστη να διεισδύσει σε αυτά χωρίς να απαιτεί κάποια προεργασία από μέρους του. Μοιάζει με μυθιστόρημα, μόνο που όσα εκτυλίσσονται, συνέβησαν πραγματικά. Η αναδρομή σταματά στο 2013 με την ελπίδα του συγγραφέα πως η Ελλάδα θα ξεπεράσει την κρίση στην οποία βρίσκεται, όπως τα κατάφερε και στο παρελθόν. Κι αν δεχθούμε πως η ιστορία του τόπου χαρακτηρίζεται από συστηματικές επαναλήψεις, η αισιοδοξία του συγγραφέα δεν μοιάζει τόσο ανεδαφική. Για το καλό μας τουλάχιστον.

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok I guess, feels outdated (duh, history book, but you get what I'm trying to say) and the info is all too crammed up together with everything hitting you all at once. You'd be safer with Franco Montanari's Ancient Greece's History, I know it's too big (that's what she said) but trust me, it's everything you want/need to know about Ancient Greece and then some.

This one you can do without.

[Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cloggs history is a Good detailed overview of Modern Greek history. Its a great place to begin and provides detail in its summary of the various periods. If you’re looking for a general review of greek history this is a good place to start.

Good-read, would advice,

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of my prep for our first visit to Greece.

Interesting, fast-moving history of Greek politics from the late 1700s and the tail end of Ottoman rule through the 1990s. Not much room for anything aside from headline politics, however.

Struck by the history of exploitation by the Ottomans, British, Bulgarians, Italians, French, Russians and Americans. We’ve all buggered Greece in one way or other. The Germans worst of all during their brutal occupation and most recently in their role of EU overlords, though of course this book pre-dates the latter atrocity.

The Americans’ most damaging blow was likely the same game they played everywhere in the 50s and 60s in outlawing the Communist Party and sponsoring a brutal dictatorship. The Greeks being a nation that appear to have a particularly strong predilection for mutual aid and democracy, they naturally lean left. During the takeover by the fascist military junta and decade of dictatorship, it was of course the outlaw communists that were the sole defenders of democracy while the U.S. sponsored the fascists and Europe looked on. So it goes.

[Catherine Mustread · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not very current (1992) but still a good overview of the History of Greece focusing on the 18-1900s. The Key Dates section covers 1453-1990 and includes a bit more than the basic facts.

[alfred · Rating 4 out of 5]

did exactly what the title said it would

[Zachary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clogg offers a captivating historical narrative of the modern history of Greece from its earliest years as a fledging state to the beginning of the twenty-first century. His history, while by no means exhaustive, provides readers with a stable foundation upon which to learn more about the modern history of Greece. Clogg makes Greek political heavyweights like King Otto, Eleftherios Venizelos, Andreas Papandreou, and Konstantinos Karamanlis come alive, with all of their merits and flaws. The biographies, timelines, and family trees following his narrative are also extraordinarily helpful to understanding the details in his text. Ultimately, Clogg's concise history is most valuable because of its objective tone, making for an incredibly informative account.

[Gren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ein lesenswerter Überblick der neugriechischen Geschichte. Es trägt ungemein zum Verständnis der Situation im heutigen Griechenland bei, und erklärt nebenbei warum die grichische Politik so ist, wie sie ist.

[Elena Sala · Rating 4 out of 5]

A concise, accessible, illustrated history of Greece which will provide the basic knowledge you need to be able to understand Greece. It starts with the period of Ottoman rule and the emergence of the Greek state and ends with the political modernization of the 1990s.

[Elif Köker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anlatım olarak akıcı ve düzenli ilerleyen bir yapıya sahip olmasına rağmen yazarın çok fazla öznel yorumu vardı. Bu yüzden birçok kez kitabı yarım bırakmanın eşiğinden döndüm. Yine de kesinlikle yüzeysel olarak politikacılar ve yaşadıkları olaylar hakkında bilgi edinmeye yardımcı oluyor.

[Emma · Rating 1 out of 5]

hated it 0/10

[Gary Rigby · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent introduction to Greece from Ottoman rule to the present economic crisis.

[Aitor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es una historia de la Grecia independiente que arranca hundiéndose en las raíces otomanas hasta finales del siglo XX. Es un análisis muy resumido que se centra principalmente en aspectos políticos y rozando solo en superficie los sociales o económicos. Por otra parte, la lectura va acompañada de numerosos mapas e ilustraciones cuyos pies de foto abordan temas adyacentes que enriquecen la lectura. Muy interesantes también los anexos (genealogía de casas reales, eje cronológico, tablas de demografía o economía e índice onomástico). Es una obra perfecta para introducirse e. La historia contemporánea de Grecia.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clear and informative history of Greece from the 18th to the 20th centuries, providing insightful economic and political perspectives on the countries internal divisions, and the struggles of straddling European and Mediterranean identities. Particularly good are the sections on the Phanariots in the 18th century, and the good use of visual materials.

The only aspect which I found lacking was direct cultural history, which often only appeared in service to a broader party-political or economic point.

[Grete Howland · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're as curious about modern Greek history as I am, this book might prove an interesting, mostly clear distillation of some convoluted events into a relatively digestible story. If you're not, it's probably pretty dry. It is fun, though, how the author's personal appraisals of the situations he describes sneak in now and then through his choice of adjectives. My main complaints are with his awkwardly organized syntax and his apparent aversion to clarifying commas. Otherwise, I'm very appreciative for the education I received from this book!

[Skylar · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a means of understanding Theo Angelopoulos's body of films, I ventured through Clogg's "Concise History" to form a basic picture of what made modern Greece the independent, separate from Ancient Greece, country which inspired such a filmmaker to detail the struggles of its citizens and emigrants. Clogg can be rather repetitive in his regurgitation of election statistics, but he manages to present a thorough timeline of events and individuals/groups to fully inform the creation and maintenance of this barely 200 year old country.

[Andreas Stamatopoulos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Εξαιρετικό βιβλίο για τον αναγνώστη που επιθυμεί να μάθει τη βασική ιστορία της Ελλάδας από το 1204 μέχρι το 1985. Με απλότητα αλλά και σαφήνεια ο ιστορικός εξηγεί τα γεγονότα χωρίς να κουράζει τον αναγνώστη. Ο μέσος αναγνώστης θα βρει παραπάνω από ικανοποιητικό το βιβλίο του Glogg. Από κει και πέρα αν θέλει περισσότερες λεπτομέρειες θα αναζητήσει άλλα βιβλία. Αξίζει να σημειωθεί η αντικειμενικότητα με την οποία ο Βρετανός καθηγητής προσεγγίζει τα ιστορικά γεγονότα.

[Jorge Carrio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un análisis de la Grecia moderna, desde su independencia hasta los años 90, que aún sin ser brillante resulta interesante. Tengo la impresión de estar ante un libro un tanto confuso en determinadas partes, aunque por lo general se puede decir que su hilo conductor es correcto y no parece tener lagunas. En bastantes páginas podemos observar una imagen con una larga descripción, ante lo cual no sabría decir si me ha gustado o me ha distraído.

[Johan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Essential history from the roots of the war of Independence up to 1990's. It's not a bad book, but it's dry with all it's namedropping.

Clearly the most interesting part here is the background to and the Independence war itself.

Modern Hostory of Greece after WWII is not fun to read about, to many useless ideas, foolish politicians and military idiots.

[Cat Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not so much a history of Greece as a political history of Greece, which I suppose to some historians is the same thing. Interesting, and definitely entertaining, but somewhat lacking in the cultural and social department; the lack of any treatment of civil rights in Greece was particularly notable.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent, concise history book about the modern Greek state. Attention, it is not meant for Greeks, they might be unhappy about some events or aspects of our history. But it is an honest, compelling and sympathetic account of our history. It is meant for our European partners so that they can understand „how we, Greeks, tick“. Highly recommended!

[Stratos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Η Ιστορία έχει πολλές οπτικές αναγνώσεις μία εκ των οποίων καταγράφεται στο βιβλίο. Παρά την διαφαινόμενή ψυχρή αποτύπωση της Ιστορίας, ο συγγραφέας δεν αποφεύγει ορισμένες παρεκκλίσεις (π.χ. στο θέμα της Εκκλησίας και των ιερέων). Αλλά είπαμε. Η Ιστορία έχει διαφορές οπτικές αναγνώσεις

[Dando Cingoloni · Rating 3 out of 5]

La storia della Grecia dalla fine del dominio ottomano al 2000. Forse va troppo nel dettaglio dei governi post dittatura del '67 ed è troppo schematico per quanto riguarda l'indipendenza e la fine dell'800. Nel complesso un buon libro.

[Berkay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Modern Yunanistan ulusunun geçirdiği süreçleri, 1821’den itibaren kısa ancak net bir şekilde açıklayan harikulade bir kitap. 2013’e kadar tüm süreci takip edebilirsiniz dolayısıyla güncelliğini tam anlamıyla kaybettiğini de düşünmüyorum.

[Mihalis Davlantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book about the history of modern Greece. As the title says, it's not heavy on the details and an exceptionally easy read, without sacrificing any academic rigor. Good stuff.

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good and thorough guide through the turbulent histories of Greece. I especially appreciated the honest details and easy to read writing style by Clogg.

[İsmail Karasoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Serideki 3. kitabım. Asistanken Fransa ve Almanya'yı okumuştum. Serinin diğer kitaplarını da okumayı planlıyorum. Benim gibi amatör okuyucular için yeterliler bence.

[Markos Kyritsis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ο συγγραφέας κάνει ένα φλας μπακ εξιστορωντας τά γεγονότα χωρίς νά πάρει θέση η να χειραχωγει.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a difficult time with names and dates, so this history was a bit confusing to me. I did, however, learn some things and was particularly interested in the WWII occupation.