Building a Territory in the Midst of State Crises

Greece’s contemporary existence does not exceed two centuries. The country has been built following a specific agenda with significant influence on public institutions. Over the nineteenth century, national boundaries expand across the provinces of an Ottoman Empire in the process of being dismantled, though no real national unity can be reached. Political power remains weak in Athens while the driving forces of its economy are abroad. It is only in 1922 with the Asia Minor Catastrophe that these two Greek areas merge to become an embryonic state. As early as 1936 and over four decades, the country suffers from the blight of unrest and wars. Profound changes follow – rural depopulation, urban development, and growing inequalities. Valuable lands concentrate on a backbone relating Thessaloniki, Athens, and Patras. Greece’s European integration in 1981 overturns once again the whole territorial pattern while triggering new spatial fragmentation. Greece has become a patchwork of local units. Athens epitomizes the dialogues between history and geography. Beyond an obvious primacy, the logics driving its development are original. This capital city is the paroxysmal expression of an old societal system – enlarged families and clientelism – that proved unsustainable. The 2004 Olympics forced the authorities to promote good governance among public institutions and construction enterprises. All the ingredients are there for the crisis to strike brutally: bad shock absorbers and unachieved state building.