Business History and SMEs: Insights from the Evolution of the Business Environment in 19th-Century Greece

This chapter aims to highlight the importance of business history in understanding the development of SMEs. It utilises various historical sources to illustrate the role of the business environment in directing SMEs’ growth in 19th-century Greece. More specifically, it shows that state and municipal intervention significantly impacted the operation of small and medium retailers and professionals. The existence of municipal duties and business taxes resulted in price increases while intensifying the unfair competition between peddlers and settled retailers/professionals.