Greece
From Kaiserreich
Revision as of 17:00, 18 May 2009
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| Motto Eleutheria i thanatos (Freedom or Death) | ||||
| Anthem ��mnos eis tīn Eleftherían | ||||
| Official Languages | Greek | |||
| Capital | Athens | |||
| Head of State | Georgios II | |||
| Head of Government | Panagis Tsaldaris | |||
| Establishment - Independence from the Ottoman Empire | 25 March 1821 | |||
| Recognized | 3 February 1830 | |||
| Government | Parliamentary monarchy | |||
| Currency | Greek drachma | |||
| Area | 89 571 km² | |||
| Population | About 6 millions | |||
Greece is a country in Southeast Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the northeast and Albania to the northwest.
Contents |
History
Greece's independence from Ottoman rule was officially declared in 1829/30, with the Peace of Adrianople, ending the 6th Russian-Turkish War, and the London Protocol. However, the country was not stabilized until the Danish Prince Wilhelm climbed the Greek throne as Georg I in 1863. Under his rule the country became a parliamentary monarchy with limited powers for the monarch. In 1863 the Ionian Islands were returned by Britain upon the arrival of the new king and in 1881 the Ottoman Empire ceded Thessaly and parts of Epirus to Greece, following the Treaty of Berlin signed three years before. Despite a defeat against the Ottomans in 1897 when Greece supported the Cretan uprising, the island could - by pressure of the major powers - join the state territory. Macedonia was conquered in the Second Balkans War (1912/13) from Bulgaria, leading to continuously bad relations between the two countries. During the Weltkrieg King Konstantin I saw to it that his country remained neutral at first, but pressure from the Entente and Prime Minister Eleutherios Venizelos forced him to abdicate in 1917, and Greece joined the war against the Central Powers. Unfortunately the defeat of Italy allowed Austrian and Bulgarian troops to overrun Greece in 1919, driving out the British forces at Salonica. King Konstantin was returned to the throne of a defeated Greece by the Austrians and Greece was forced to return the territory taken from Bulgaria in 1913, as well as giving Corfu and Kefalonia to Austria itself and Crete to Germany. Konstantinos was succeeded in 1923 by his son, Georgios II, who had been more pro-British during the war. With the defeat of France and Britain and their later revolutions Greece was left without allies in the west. In the Balkans however it has found friends in the two other defeated nations - Serbia and Romania. All three share a goal - to reverse their losses from the Great War. However as long as Bulgaria is backed by the victorious Central Powers it seems doubtful that Greece or the other nations can achieve their goal.
Politics
King of Greece: H.R.H. Georgios II
Prime Minister: Panagis Tsaldaris
Minister for Foreign Affairs: Constantinos Demertzis
Governor of the Bank of Greece: Georgios Mantzavinos
Minister for the Interior and Public Order: Georgios Logothetis
Head of Military Intelligence: Georgios Logothetis
Minister of Military Affairs: Theodor Pangalos
Chief of the Army General Staff: Alexandros Papagos
Chief of the Hellenic Navy: Anastassio Sakellariou
Chief of Air Force General Staff: Eleftherios Venizelos
Military
Army
The Hellenic Army is quite large, it consists of nine infantry division, with various brigades attached.
Navy and Air Force
While the Hellenic Air Force is almost non-existent, the Hellenic Navy is numerous, even if outdated. It comprises two light cruisers, two destroyers, two submarines and two transport flotilla.
Foreign relations
Friendly relations with Serbia, Romania and Russia.
Unfriendly relations with Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire and Austria-Hungary.
