Just a few years ago, Greece seemed to be a politically safe country with a healthy economy. Today, Greece is at the center of economic upheaval in Europe. Beginning in late 2008, the Greek economy entered a downturn that would transform it into the European country with the most severe and thorny fiscal problems. The fiscal collapse and unemployment rate skyrocketed. Quickly, Greece led to a pre-revolutionary state, as mass protests against austerity, accompanied by violence and vandalism, spread throughout the country. Although Greece was not the only country severely affected by the recession, the whole world turned to it due to the possibility of its exit from the European Monetary Union, with the consequences this would have for the unity of the Union. Greece's fate is inextricably linked to the global politics surrounding austerity. Is austerity a harsh but necessary medicine, or is it a morally bankrupt approach that causes destruction? Amidst all this, Greece has been forced to face crisis after crisis, while the periodic efforts of the European Central Bank to support its economy do not pay off.

The catalysts for Greece's current economic crises lie in the conditions and events of recent years, but understanding the factors that transformed these crises into a frightening political and social disaster requires a historical approach. In "Greece: What Everyone Needs to Know", Stathis Kalyvas, a distinguished scholar of conflicts, Europe, and Greece, initially examines the impact of the crisis on modern Greek society. He then focuses on modern Greek history, tracing the country's development from the 19th century to the present day. Key episodes include the 19th-century independence movement, the aftermath of World War I, German occupation, the civil war, the post-war conflict with Turkey over Cyprus, the 1967 military coup, and finally, democracy and entry into the European Union. The final part of the book covers the recent crisis in detail. Authored by one of the most distinguished political scientists of the era, the book is the most reliable source for understanding the current turmoil and deeper past that led the country to its current impasses.