Greece and its relationship with the Eurozone
Victor Kasik
International Economics
This paper will provide a brief history of Greece and reviews the modern day problems that may force Greece out of the Eurozone. Indeed, history is being made on a daily basis as the prospect of a Greek exit would steer both the nation and the Eurozone into uncharted territory. This is a cautionary tale about economic and political unification, the advantages and disadvantages of giving up sovereign rights to a common cause, and the impact of cultural differences in trying to solve mutual problems.
Modern day Greece is a nation with 10.8 million people, and is the 15th largest economy in the 28 member European Union. As of 2013, the GDP of Greece was
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With the collapse of the junta the nation returned to its democratic roots and Greece became a Parliamentary Republic.
In the years following WWII, Greece began to identify itself more as a Western European nation than as a Balkan state. The economic integration of the European states began in 1951 with the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community between Germany and France. This agreement helped to bury the hatchet between these two former enemies, and served as a blueprint going forward in lowering trade barriers, implementing common tariffs on imports from outside nations and increasing cooperation among European countries. These efforts resulted in the establishment of the European Economic Community in 1957. As old hostilities faded, Europe began to see itself more as a cohesive unit of interrelated economic and political systems and provided a united front against the economic power of the United States on one side, and the threat of communism on the other side.
For example, France and Germany, once bitter enemies, made the decision to link their currencies in response to what they considered to be the opportunistic economic policies of the United States. By doing this, it hastened the collapse of the Bretton Woods agreement and allowed European countries to float their currencies. This also allowed countries to
Under the new constitution, there is a president and a prime minister. The prime minister has the most power, and is the leader of the party that has the most seats in the parliament. The president selects cabinet ministers who run government departments. The parliament, called the Vouli, has only one house with 300 members who are elected every four years. Greece became part of the European Union in 1981. The politics of Greece takes place in a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Greece is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Hellenic Parliament. Between the restoration of democracy in 1974 and the Greek government-debt crisis the party system was dominated by the liberal-conservative New Democracy and the social-democratic Panhellenic Socialist Movement. The country is a significant agricultural producer within the EU. Greece has the largest economy in the Balkans and is as an important regional investor. Greece was the largest foreign investor in Albania in 2013, the third in Bulgaria, in the top-three in Romania and Serbia and the most important trading partner and largest foreign investor in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The Greek telecommunications company OTE has become a strong investor in former Yugoslavia and in other Balkan countries. The country is a
On January 1st 1981 Greece joined the European Communities ushering in a period of sustained growth. The countries widespread investments on infrastructure coupled with funds from the European Union led to a sharp increase in revenue from tourism and the service sector. This helped the country reach historical highs in their standard of living. By 2001 Greece had adopted the Euro and in the proceeding 7 years the GDP per capita went from $12,400 in 2001 to $31,700 in 2008, an increase of 156%. The Greek government was encouraged by the European Central Bank and other private banking institutions to
In order to be a member of the EU, you must be able to maintain and prove a stable economy. Greece's economic difficulties, it have impacted the EU as a whole. If one country is unable to prove their economy
When Greece had adopted a democratic system of governance, it also carried with it the
Greece has contributed to our history in battle and in mythology. They came up with all sorts of tactics and strategies to help them advance in warfare. They had iron weapons, a phalanx and so much more. People always hear stories about Sparta and Athens battling. There are tales of Persia and the Underdogs. We hear of invasions and wars. But most of all, we hear of victories, and celebration. We hear about economies being rebuilt and jobs being restored.
It is difficult to give specific reasons why Greek democracy ended. For one thing the idea of Greece as a single nation or place is a modern convention. Ancient Greece was made up of individual city states that, while they might occasionally work together, never considered themselves a single nation. For another, democracy in ancient Greece was quite different than what citizens of modern day democracies would view as democracy. Most of the city states in Greece had nothing like
Ancient Greece was a nation settled on the Balkan Peninsula. The first group of Greeks most likely moved in from the north about four thousand years ago. As more arrived the population and city spread in a great amount and after a few hundred years they were the most powerful group in the region. Greece has influenced in many ways to help the western world.
Ever since the end of 2009, Greece has been involved in a financial and economic crisis that has been record breaking and shattered world records in terms of its severity and worldwide effects. The Greek government, since the beginning of the crisis, has attempted to take several governmental measures to try and “stop the bleeding,” including economy policy changes, dramatic government spending and budget cuts and the implementation of new taxes for citizens. In addition to this, the government has tried to alter the perceptions of Greek government and economy by the rest of the world in an effort to appear both more liberal and more democratic. Greece has also been working to privatize many previous
Under the Bretton Woods system, members of the EEC did not need to worry about converting their currency into gold. EEC members were also able to take advantage of using unconvertible currencies and devaluing their currencies to correct for problems with their balance of payments.
The roots of Greece’s economic problems extend deep down into the recesses of history. After the government dropped the drachma for the euro in 2001, the economy started to grow by an average of 4% annually, almost twice the European Union average. Interest rates were low, unemployment was dropping, and trade was at an all-time high. However, these promising indicators masked horrible fiscal governance, growing government debt and declining current account balances. Greece was banking on the rapid economic growth to build upwards on highly unstable foundations. In 2008, the inevitable happened – the Greek debt crisis.
In 1999, ten European nations joined together to create an economic and monetary union known as the Eurozone. Countries, such as Germany, have thrived with the euro but nations, like Greece, have deteriorated since its adoption of the euro in 2001. The Eurozone was created in 1999 and currently consists of eighteen European nations united under the European Central Bank and all use the euro. The Eurozone has a one point six percent inflation rate and an eleven point six percent unemployment rate in 2014. Greece joined the Eurozone in 2001 and was the poorest European Union member at the time with a two point six percent inflation rate3 (James, 2000). Greece had a long economic history before joining the Eurozone. The economy flourished from 1960 to 1970 with low inflation and modernization and industrialization occurring. The market crash in the late 1970’s led Greece into a state of recession that the nation is still struggling with. Military failures, the PASOK party and the introduction of the euro have further tarnished Greece’s economic stability. The nation struggles with lack of competitiveness, high deficit, and inflation. Greece has many options like bailouts, rescue packages, and PPP to help dig it out of this recession. The best option is to abandon the Eurozone and go back to the drachma. Greece’s inflation and deficit are increasing more and more and loans and bailouts have not worked in the past. Leaving the Eurozone will allow Greece to restructure and rebuild
The economic crisis of 2008 in New York had ripple effects around the world, causing deep structural problems within the European Union to crumble the economies of several countries. These countries, known as the PIGS, are made up of Portugal, Ireland, Greece, and Spain, and collectively hold most of the sovereign debt problems of the European Union. After fast growth early in the decade, these countries were spending too much money and not securing their own banking sectors with enough capital. Soon, the debt the PIGS owed caused massive problems throughout the EU, and Germany and France had to come to the rescue of these poorly managed countries. (Greek Crisis Timeline, 1) Now, in 2012, the issue has yet to be fully resolved. Greece is still sinking, and a massive bailout for Greece's banks is required. The debate is whether Germany should continue bailing out Greece and collecting interest on its loans, or whether Greece should try to separate itself from the broader European Union, in an attempt to manage its own finances and declare bankruptcy in order to save itself from crippling interest payments. Each path offers an escape from the present situation that Greece finds itself in, but only the path of bailout results in a harmonious European Union. If Greece fragments off from the EU, then the entire union is weakened as a result. I believe that Greece should accept the terms of the bailout that Germany has provided, and should undergo several years
Specifically, they cannot devalue their currency to gain the export advantages as what they did before. In addition, without common fiscal policies, the countries tend to over rely on the adjustment of fiscal policies to solve their problems, leading bigger budget deficits.
European countries began to collaborate after the events of the World Wars in Europe. The economy and the
After the two World Wars the European countries started to unite themselves, the main aim being to end the frequent wars and secure peace between the nations. In 1950 the European Coal and Steam community started to unify politically and economically the European countries for the purpose of bringing lasting peace.