The Shortest History of Greece. From Myths to Modern Realities (with Dust Jacket)

Philosophy, art, democracy, language, and even computers — many of our achievements have their roots in Greek civilization. As is known, both the empire of Alexander the Great and the Roman Empire were fundamentally Greek. The thinkers of the Renaissance and the philosophers of the European Enlightenment turned to the Greeks for inspiration. Following a clear chronology, James Henidj briefly and broadly outlines the history of Greece. The first part of the book is dedicated to the period from antiquity to 1453 — this time the author refers to as the “reign of half the world.”

In 1453, Greece lost its independence and became part of the Ottoman Empire, so the second part covers a time span of almost four hundred years, which the author calls the “longest sleep” of the nation. The year 1830, the year of complete awakening from this “sleep,” became the date of the proclamation and final recognition of the independence of the Kingdom of Greece. The third part describes the history of modern Greece up to 1949 (the reign of Otto, George I, the revolution and Civil War in Russia, World War I and World War II, and the Civil War in Greece).

The fourth part covers events from 1949 to 2020. The outcome is a concise and informative chronicle of the historical path of the Greeks spanning more than three thousand years.