GREEK NATIONALISM

Greek nationalism and the Scope of Its Interrelationship with Albania



Greek Nationalism and the Scope of Its Interrelationship with Albania

Introduction

The concept of nationalism is embedded in the everyday lives of citizens of modern nation-states. The pride that people feel for national accomplishments, the appeals of politicians to the domestic interests in justifying policies, and symbols that nations use for self-identification (e.g., flags, national anthems, and monuments) are omnipresent and help create national consciousness and federal identity among diverse individuals. However, when examined in its historical, political, and social context, nationalism takes on a much more sophisticated, controversial, and ambiguous meaning that goes beyond the optimistic view reflected in everyday notions of this concept. Although nationalism was essential to the formation of modern nation-states and can play a crucial role when societies face times of crisis, it can also lead people to view their nation as beyond reproach, justifying the use of force and violence to deal with real or perceived enemies. This entry provides an overview of various approaches to nationalism, giving exceptional attention to potential negative consequences of militant nationalism.

The Greek Nationalism and the Scope of Its Interrelationship with Albania

Greece is both a very old and a very new country. Not until 1829 were Greeks able to end four centuries of Turkish domination and create an independent nation-state. That state and the country's contemporary society and culture bear little resemblance to the ancient Greece that so many people have admired throughout the centuries. The large body of Greek classical literature and the many magnificent ruins reflect the grandeur of the ancient past. But the Modern Greek's approach to life and his understanding of himself have been shaped far more significantly by the Byzantine past (324 A.D. to 1453), the Orthodox Church, and four centuries of Turkish domination than by the Greece of antiquity (Meti, 2010, p.68).

Chronic instability left the Greek political landscape littered with the wreckage of two dynasties. Absence of political stability ultimately resulted in five removals of kings from power (1862, 1917, 1922, 1941, and 1967), seven changes of the constitution, three republics, seven military dictatorships, fifteen revolutions and coups (of which ten succeeded) 155 governments (43 since 1945), twelve wars, and a bitter five-year civil war. Thus, in certain ways, modern Greek politics until 1973 was like a pendulum swinging constantly between the extreme democracy of Athens and the iron military sentiments of Sparta (Korovilas, 1998, p.55).

About the only thing, the Greeks could agree on was that their borders had to be extended until all Greeks were citizens of the Greek state (the “Great Idea”). Thus, where domestic politics divided them, zealous nationalism, which can bubble to the surface of any Greek almost instantly, united them. The settlement of 1832 had not created a natural and mutually acceptable frontier between Greece and Turkey, and every Greek government pursued an ingathering policy of some kind to rectify this. This meant constant friction and occasional war with Turkey, which greatly nourished the hatred that Greeks seem almost ...