The debt crisis, which constituted a slow-burning "bomb" at the foundations of the Greek state, and which eventually erupted in 2009, has now transformed into a multifaceted economic, social, and political crisis.

In this agonizing whirl, Greece is faced with threats and issues that seem to be returning from the past: bankruptcy, default, external aid, international economic control, economic guardianship.

The book serves as a historical journey through Greece's economic crises and major financial issues. Bankruptcies, desperate attempts to secure external loans, international economic controls, intense party conflicts, external interventions, and a lengthy, almost timeless dialectic about "economic guardianship" compose this journey, which begins with the first loans of "Independence" (1824) and reaches up to the present day, in the era of the IMF and the "disillusionment of expectations."

Through the pages of this journey, perhaps the most significant question arises, unchanged for many decades: can the Greek state truly become economically, and therefore politically, independent?

Back in 1947, American official Paul Porter wrote that "the opposing political parties in Greece, those interested in maintaining Greek independence, should strive to smooth their differences and work for the common good of their country. If internal political tension does not cease, the economy of Greece cannot recover."

Today, in 2012, Porter's observation rings more relevant than ever.