Why Is Greece Important

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Greece Research Paper
Most Westerners are at least passingly familiar with the history of ancient Greece. It is a colorful time period- Greek myths and legends about the gods, the Trojan War, and heroic quests, combined with major metaphysical and political thinkers that have influenced all subsequent Western thought, loom large in the cultural consciousness of anyone who has studied Greece. However, the more recent history of the country is much less popular. Despite Greece's prominence in the ancient world, as a modern nation, Greece has experienced greatly reduced national significance and a turbulent modern history. Despite the fact that Greece is no as influential as other European and Mediterranean nations, it still has a role to play …show more content…
The historical significance of Greece is a stark contrast to its current beleaguered state, and that contradiction in itself is interesting. Since it has broken away from the Ottoman Empire and existed as its own independent nation, Greece has failed to secure stability and respect. The mystery of how a nation could go from the world's intellectual wellspring to an international punchline is just one part of the picture of modern Greece. The nation is still struggling to integrate its proud past as a world power, colonizer, and spreader of influential ideas with the current reality of corruption, bankruptcy, and financial failure. It isn't easy to sum up the story of Greece, but a glimpse at Greece's recent history and current situation will provide many people with far more information than they have, considering that the typical experience of Greek history ends well before the dawn of the Christian era. Greece is a country of contradictions, and it takes deep insight to realize …show more content…
It was a collection of loosely-allied city states like Athens and Sparta that often warred among each other. They did unite to fight off two invasions by Persia in the 5th century BC, kicking off the classical Greek renaissance in the arts, philosophy, and politics. Phillip II, the king of Macedon, later united the Greek city states into one nation, and his son Alexander the Great built a large empire that stretched eastwards to India. After his death, the empire fractured. The Greek portion remained one nation, but it often fought with Macedon. Shortly afterward, the Romans took control of Greece. The Romans loved Greek culture and cultivated it. Greece remained in Roman hands past the fall of the Western Roman Empire, because it became part of the power base of the Byzantine Empire. Greece recognized imperial supremacy and enjoyed the Empire's protection. The Empire occasionally lost control of Greece due to Slavic invasions or similar destabilizing events, but always regained both the mainland and the islands. In the 15th century, the Byzantine Empire fell to the Ottomans, and Greece passed into Ottoman control. Greeks were unhappy with foreign rule, especially because the Ottomans tended to discriminate against Greece's largely Christian population. After centuries of upheaval, the Greeks finally won independence with the aid of France, Britain, and Russia in the 19th century. The nation experienced several civil wars,
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