The Greek Debt Crisis : Greece

This credit was available until 2008, when the U.S. housing market crashed, and the global economy tightened up everywhere (“The European Debt Crisis Visualized”). Greece suffered terribly from this because their economy relied on borrowing and deficit spending. Without being able to borrow that money, not only their economy, but all of Europe’s economy suffered.

The Golden Age of Greece is well known for its sculptures, buildings, rulers, and philosophies. Today, modern Greece is known for having economic crisis's as well as political turmoils. Greece's problems began when they joined the European Union. Greek drachma was officially replaced by the euro when they joined. Greece approved the euro in 2001, not knowing what they were getting in to. When the Prime Minister Konstantinos Karamanlis came to power he realized that the budget deficit was not 1.5%, but 8.3%. That outstanding amount greatly hurt the economy. By 2008, Greece's tax collection crumpled and unemployment was at an all time high. Unfortunately, by 2014, 30% of Greek's population did not have a job (Greece Debt Crisis). In contrast, today's Greece is a complete different from the Golden Age. Greek unemployment soared as austerity took its toll.

History tends to repeat itself and Greece is no exception. Greece’s current economic crisis can be partly blamed on Greek mythology. It can be seen with Greece’s prime minister Alexis Tsipras decisions in policy which have resulted in similar repercussions as the myths. For example,

political scientists have argued that the root of Greece’s economic crisis is political. Greece has a

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

A country who’s economy was devastated by the monetary exports demanded of them by the second world war, Greece has shown great financial fluctuation and vulnerability within the last 80 years, resulting in one of the most disputed economic records in the history of the European Union. Dubbed the ‘Greek Economic Miracle’, Greece showed great resilience throughout the 1950’s and 1960’s, with credit to their superior food trade and shipping industry, continuing to produce high levels of economic growth in contrast to others that had also been affected by the war. With the Treaty of Accession (1979) entering into force on 1st January 1981, Greek’s commitment to the European Communities (European Union) proved pivotal regarding it’s controversial qualification into the Eurozone in 2000. Owing to this, in an attempt to recover the unstable foundations of its economy, Greece has since been subject to various regulations and measures of austerity, leaving what was once a highly commended country both financially and socially, in a deplorable state of desperation.

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

Greece’s financial crisis has been in existence for almost two decades, and unfortunately is still widely unknown what has caused this prolonged catastrophe. The general population does not necessarily know that this economic crisis originates to a mistake made years ago, not due to the recession in 2008 that an abundance of countries around the world suffered. Greece intended to join the Eurozone, a group of European Union nations whose currency is the euro, in 1999. Initially, Greece was denied admittance due to its poor economic standing. After approximately three years, Greece was able to pose a fabrication of its own economic success, constituting a healthy economy, and meeting all financial goals that existed (Hahn). Once admitted into the Eurozone, Greece maintained the lie they initially had created in order to keep the euro as its currency. As anticipated, Greece’s budget deficit increased exponentially and soon led Greece into a recession, in which promulgated the truth of its economic stability. Greece is at fault for its own economic crisis and if it did not join the Eurozone, there is a large probability Greece would be an economically stable country.

Greece has faced many economic challenges in the past few years. The EU discovered Greece had an 8.3% budget deficit in 2004, which worsened with the financial crisis in the US in 2007. Unable to devalue their currency or circulate more money (Because it is controlled by the ECB), Greece continued to spend money carelessly, even though they were not bringing much money in. When Troika imposed austerity measures, Greece’s public sector (and eventually private) had to make job cuts that only worsened the problem. Unemployment and decreased tax revenue caused Greece to sink even deeper into a recession. Bailouts in 2010 and 2012 did not work, and the citizens began to protest the harsh cuts on

In addition, some economists believe that there is a low risk of economic contagion from Greece and some of the other “Crisis nations” on the periphery of the EU have also been bouncing back (Porter, 2015). Based off of these factors, it seems that the likelihood of Greece experiencing a bounce back after such a debt forgiveness agreement is far better than through previously attempted methods, most notably the previously imposed austerity measures that largely worsened Greece’s recession. However Porter even goes so far as to state that, “The cost to Europe’s creditors would be minuscule,” by taking such a route and brings up an important issue, as there will be costs to the creditors and it will be also be an exceptionally costly political action to take in northern European nations. Yet in comparison to the costs of other potential routes, such as Greece leaving the EU altogether. Greece may also run the risk of defaulting yet again, as it had in 2012 with one hundred billion euros wiped from its debt via the private sector (“The Wait,” 2012). It is very possible that another default on their debt, could be much more serious and not just impact private investors, but also Greece’s creditor nations. By following such a method, they are essentially able to take charge over the circumstances and establish their own terms in the process to

In examining the economic crisis Greece has faced over many years, it is interesting to focus on the time period from 2012 leading up to present day. Many aspects brought the economy to its current day situation. Focusing somewhat on the past could offer information about the causes of the dire situation and what has not worked in improving the conditions the country is facing. This introspection could offer information and provide options moving forward to enable the country to function in a healthier capacity.

Although a commonly accepted view is that the hidden budget deficit in Greece is the beginning of the European sovereign debt crisis, the real causes of this economic crisis can be various. To reveal the whole event, a comprehensive review of the background is

Against this background of widely divergent views, a reality check of the Greek economy is in order and may be helpful, without rehashing old issues regarding the crisis and the euro (Calamitsis, 2014). Clearly, after six years of deepening economic recession, the state of the Greek economy is dire. Greece’s real gross domestic product (GDP) has shrunk by more than one quarter since its peak in 2007; and in October 2013 the unemployment rate was 27.8 percent (59.2 percent for the country’s youth), the highest rate in the European Union. But in recent months there have been signs of a likely end of the recession that has so seriously affected the Greek population (Robbins,

With the collapse of the Wall street financial market in 2008, Greece become the center of Europe’s economic crisis. With employment rates more than 25 percent, Greece is suffering from a financial crisis equivalent to if not greater than the U.S. Great Depression. The source of the crisis originated in the inefficient management of the Greece’s economy and government finances. Additionally, Greece’s involvement in the euro zone reflected a monetary policy that was at odds with its fiscal policy. The crisis resulted in troika providing emergency funds to pay off Greece international loans.