Greece
achieved independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1830, becoming the Kingdom of
Greece. During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the
20th century, it gradually added neighboring islands and territories, most with
Greek-speaking populations. In 1967, a group of military officers seized power,
establishing a military dictatorship that suspended many political liberties and
forced the king to flee the country. In 1974, democratic elections and a
referendum created a parliamentary republic. In 1981, Greece joined the EC (now
the EU) and became the 12th member of the European Economic and Monetary Union
(EMU) in 2001. Since 2010, the Hellenic Republic entered into an economic
recession.
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