Jack Dulsky's Exploratory Essay- Where will Greece be in five years?
The economic situation that Greece is currently in calls into question where Greece will be in five years. To help me determine what will happen to Greece, I will use the Proletariats revolting against the Czar in Russia, and the Third Estate overthrowing the French monarchy to conclude where Greece will be. The modern issue in Greece centers around their failing economy, and the country’s struggle to get out of the huge debt it has built up since its downturn in 2008. Similar to Greece over two centuries ago, France had an economy that favored the upper class and left the majority of their population impoverished and hungry. Russia, a century later, also had a large gap between the rich and the poor who most likely were working in unfair conditions which did not provide enough money to support their families. The specific events leading up to the Russian and French revolutions will help to clarify the future of Greece in five years after the crisis.
The philosophy of taxing heavily the working and lower classes is making Greece sink deeper into their crisis. Similarly, ne of the major causes of the French revolution is the way the government taxed their people. The taxation system in France was that only the Third Estate had to pay taxes which were incredibly high. The Third Estate was 97% percent of the population and comprised of only the middle and lower classes. Currently, the Greek government has accumulated a $583 billion debt. To help pay off the debt the government has issued high taxes on mainly the wealthier citizens called austerity measures. The austerity measures which are mostly luxury taxes, angered wealthy citizens due to the fact that they have to pay more taxes to clean up a government mistake. In 1789 France, the Third Estate had many members who could not afford to pay the taxes and support their families. While anger was being built up in the Third Estate, the Estates General was called to decide if the nobility should pay taxes. The Third Estate voted yes and the second and first estates voted no. Since the members of the Third Estate were still the only ones who were paying taxes and the nobility should be paying but escaped it because of the unfair voting structure between the estates, the members got even more riled. It was unfair that the Third Estate “paid taxes so that the aristocrats can live a lavish life”(Causes French Rev.). Greece in 2012 closely resembles what happened in France during the late 1700’s. Both societies have to pay unfair taxes, except it’s the wealthy in Greece and the poor in France. The two governments’ clearly instituted taxes which unfairly favored the upper classes in France and angered the upper classes in 2012 Greece. Since the taxes in France led to changes in the government’s taxing system, I believe that Greece will also have dramatic changes to the way the public is taxed. Less taxes on luxuries and more budget cuts to reduce debt will be the most likely changes since they will keep the people calm about high taxes and reduce their debt.
Social conditions in Greece, along with the taxation, are causing the Greece crisis to further develop. The same aspects aided the start of the French revolution. New technologies and innovations allowed for the population of France to have a 50% increase from what they had a century earlier than the revolution which created food shortages and economic instability. Although Greece did not have food shortages, they had a corrupt government and this created the rough economy it has today. In France, as the population was growing, the food supply could not keep up and soon necessary items like bread were becoming very expensive and scarce. Whereas people in Greece could not pay taxes, and still have enough money to live their lives and support their families. In Greece there has already been “cuts to workers` salaries and their retirement, [and] their pensions”(Azuz). Also everyone in France’s rising population was not able to find a job, just like how unemployment in Greece was at a record high at “17%”. People in 1789 France were barely making ends meet, and “historians have estimated that in lean years 90 percent of the peasants lived at or below the subsistence level, earning only enough to feed their families” (Social Causes). Greece’s poor economy forces people to live near or below the poverty line, like France’s economy did to its citizens. Although they are receiving aid, they can not turn the economy around which is causing “17%” of Greek citizens to be jobless, most of these are the young population out of college(CIA World Fact book). The current conditions in Greece’s society relates with what happened in France because they both were in the midst of a bad economy. Many people in both countries were jobless and struggling to get by. The similarity between the two countries in their societies will help me to see where Greece will be in five years since they have similar economic conditions. Because of the economic situation in Greece, I think history will repeat itself through the track of the French revolution and the Greek people will revolt since the current government can not fix the problems in society.
The destructive riots that happened in Greece about how the government were conducting itself mimics Bloody Sunday, which was a violent event in Russian history. Average citizens in Russian society were not benefiting from the conditions they were in and the low paying jobs they were holding, While in Greece today, people are feeling the affects of the bad economy through rising goods prices and wage cuts. As an act of trying to amend their lives in 1800‘s Russia, the working class started a petition with changes they wanted. Instead of the unsatisfied people in Greece starting a petition, they resort to rioting in the streets and creating havoc. When the supporters of the petition, in Russia, went to give it to the Czar peacefully, the army outside the palace gunned them down because the Czar was fearful that a riot would break out. The peaceful protest that eventually turned violent, killing about a hundred people, is known to the world today as Bloody Sunday and this event shook Russia. Similarly, the current protests in Greece are not always peaceful and sometimes turn violent as did the Bloody Sunday protest in Russia. The root of all the riots in Greece are about the economy and the way the government is deciding to reduce their debt through the austerity measures. If the government is trying to reduce debt, why are people protesting? More protests are occurring because wages are being reduced, jobs cut, and food prices are rising. This is also the case why the working class in Russia started the petition. If more bailout money is going to be given to Greece, they must make huge spending cuts which could affect more people. An anthropologist doing field work in modern Greek political culture says “If a person hasn't lost their job or had their pension cut, then one of their family members has--or more accurately several family members and friends have” (Protesting Bailout). This is angering citizens and they do not realize that it is reducing government debt and allowing the government to receive more bailout money to sustain the economy. Either way the public wants change, except in Russia it was the government turning violent and in Greece its the public starting the violence and the government trying to keep order. The Greek people do not see the upside of the actions taken by the government and only see the bad side. Russia and Greece, both have had violent protest such as Bloody Sunday and one against the proposed bailout measures. If these protests leave any intimation to the future Greece then the protester will lose support and people will back up the government. I believe in this because where in Russia, the government killed innocent protesters who were using peaceful methods, opposed to Greece where the rioters are causing problems and the government is trying to keep peace.
Austerity measures meant to raise the lower class and decrease the number in poverty for Greece, resembles how Czar Alexander II wanted to help the lower class in Russia by taking from the rich and giving to the poor. Because of the huge gap between the classes, Alexander II took half of all the land owned by the rich and gave it to the poor in hope that it would create a more perfect society where everyone had what they needed and was not in need or poverty. Measures were also taken in Greece to help the Greek economy and mainly the lower member of society so that they will not be impoverished. Back in March, the government in Athens “unveiled details of the extra budget and public sector wage cuts worth 325 million euros to euro zone partners”(Austerity Measures). The extra budget will help to expand the government public works sector and put money back into the economy to help it stop failing. This will aid the lower classes, even though some might lose their jobs, since they might get new jobs or be given aid with the extra spending budget. Russia also helped the poor by giving them land but also took from the rich, which was the land for the peasants. In Greece austerity measures taxed more heavily on the luxuries of its citizens which greatly affects the rich in Greek society. Efforts can be seen in the Russian and the Greek government to aid the lower classes and take from the upper classes, thereby trying to level out the classes in society. This attempt to create a classless society where everyone is equal leads one to ponder if Greece could turn socialist or communist is this were their primary philosophy.
Will there even be a Greece in five years? Is their economy that bad to where nothing can help it? That may be so, and if conditions do not improve in Greece, for the benefit of the European Union(EU), Greece should leave the EU. From what has been told through events in the French revolution, unfair taxation and an economy not being able to support itself will lead to government reforms in Greece since these elements of that revolution are present in Greece. The Russian revolution has also taught us that when protests turn violent and the lower class needs aid to be more like the middle and amenities are taken from the wealthy, as such is happening in Greece, then Greece could turn socialist to benefit and stabilize the economy. Because of the similarities between events in the current crisis in Greece and in past revolutions, I believe that in five years from now, Greece will be either communist or socialist with a newly reformed constitution and government.
Works Cited
Azuz, Carl. “US Budget Presented; Greek Economic Crisis.” CNN Student News. CNN. 14 Feb. 2012. CNN. Web. Transcript. 27 Apr. 2012. <http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1202/14/sn.01.html>.
“Causes of French Revolution.” History Tuition. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2012. <http://www.historytuition.com/world_history/french-revolution/causes-of-french-revolution.html>.
“Greece.” CIA World Factbook. CIA, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2012. <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gr.html>.
“More austerity measures for Greece.” Stuff.co. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2012. <http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/world/6445343/More-austerity-measures-for-Greece>.
“Why Greeks Are Protesting Bailouts Designed To Help Them.” The Atlantic: n. pag. Web. 23 Apr. 2012. <http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/10/why-greeks-are-protesting-bailouts-designed-to-help-them/246823/>.
The philosophy of taxing heavily the working and lower classes is making Greece sink deeper into their crisis. Similarly, ne of the major causes of the French revolution is the way the government taxed their people. The taxation system in France was that only the Third Estate had to pay taxes which were incredibly high. The Third Estate was 97% percent of the population and comprised of only the middle and lower classes. Currently, the Greek government has accumulated a $583 billion debt. To help pay off the debt the government has issued high taxes on mainly the wealthier citizens called austerity measures. The austerity measures which are mostly luxury taxes, angered wealthy citizens due to the fact that they have to pay more taxes to clean up a government mistake. In 1789 France, the Third Estate had many members who could not afford to pay the taxes and support their families. While anger was being built up in the Third Estate, the Estates General was called to decide if the nobility should pay taxes. The Third Estate voted yes and the second and first estates voted no. Since the members of the Third Estate were still the only ones who were paying taxes and the nobility should be paying but escaped it because of the unfair voting structure between the estates, the members got even more riled. It was unfair that the Third Estate “paid taxes so that the aristocrats can live a lavish life”(Causes French Rev.). Greece in 2012 closely resembles what happened in France during the late 1700’s. Both societies have to pay unfair taxes, except it’s the wealthy in Greece and the poor in France. The two governments’ clearly instituted taxes which unfairly favored the upper classes in France and angered the upper classes in 2012 Greece. Since the taxes in France led to changes in the government’s taxing system, I believe that Greece will also have dramatic changes to the way the public is taxed. Less taxes on luxuries and more budget cuts to reduce debt will be the most likely changes since they will keep the people calm about high taxes and reduce their debt.
Social conditions in Greece, along with the taxation, are causing the Greece crisis to further develop. The same aspects aided the start of the French revolution. New technologies and innovations allowed for the population of France to have a 50% increase from what they had a century earlier than the revolution which created food shortages and economic instability. Although Greece did not have food shortages, they had a corrupt government and this created the rough economy it has today. In France, as the population was growing, the food supply could not keep up and soon necessary items like bread were becoming very expensive and scarce. Whereas people in Greece could not pay taxes, and still have enough money to live their lives and support their families. In Greece there has already been “cuts to workers` salaries and their retirement, [and] their pensions”(Azuz). Also everyone in France’s rising population was not able to find a job, just like how unemployment in Greece was at a record high at “17%”. People in 1789 France were barely making ends meet, and “historians have estimated that in lean years 90 percent of the peasants lived at or below the subsistence level, earning only enough to feed their families” (Social Causes). Greece’s poor economy forces people to live near or below the poverty line, like France’s economy did to its citizens. Although they are receiving aid, they can not turn the economy around which is causing “17%” of Greek citizens to be jobless, most of these are the young population out of college(CIA World Fact book). The current conditions in Greece’s society relates with what happened in France because they both were in the midst of a bad economy. Many people in both countries were jobless and struggling to get by. The similarity between the two countries in their societies will help me to see where Greece will be in five years since they have similar economic conditions. Because of the economic situation in Greece, I think history will repeat itself through the track of the French revolution and the Greek people will revolt since the current government can not fix the problems in society.
The destructive riots that happened in Greece about how the government were conducting itself mimics Bloody Sunday, which was a violent event in Russian history. Average citizens in Russian society were not benefiting from the conditions they were in and the low paying jobs they were holding, While in Greece today, people are feeling the affects of the bad economy through rising goods prices and wage cuts. As an act of trying to amend their lives in 1800‘s Russia, the working class started a petition with changes they wanted. Instead of the unsatisfied people in Greece starting a petition, they resort to rioting in the streets and creating havoc. When the supporters of the petition, in Russia, went to give it to the Czar peacefully, the army outside the palace gunned them down because the Czar was fearful that a riot would break out. The peaceful protest that eventually turned violent, killing about a hundred people, is known to the world today as Bloody Sunday and this event shook Russia. Similarly, the current protests in Greece are not always peaceful and sometimes turn violent as did the Bloody Sunday protest in Russia. The root of all the riots in Greece are about the economy and the way the government is deciding to reduce their debt through the austerity measures. If the government is trying to reduce debt, why are people protesting? More protests are occurring because wages are being reduced, jobs cut, and food prices are rising. This is also the case why the working class in Russia started the petition. If more bailout money is going to be given to Greece, they must make huge spending cuts which could affect more people. An anthropologist doing field work in modern Greek political culture says “If a person hasn't lost their job or had their pension cut, then one of their family members has--or more accurately several family members and friends have” (Protesting Bailout). This is angering citizens and they do not realize that it is reducing government debt and allowing the government to receive more bailout money to sustain the economy. Either way the public wants change, except in Russia it was the government turning violent and in Greece its the public starting the violence and the government trying to keep order. The Greek people do not see the upside of the actions taken by the government and only see the bad side. Russia and Greece, both have had violent protest such as Bloody Sunday and one against the proposed bailout measures. If these protests leave any intimation to the future Greece then the protester will lose support and people will back up the government. I believe in this because where in Russia, the government killed innocent protesters who were using peaceful methods, opposed to Greece where the rioters are causing problems and the government is trying to keep peace.
Austerity measures meant to raise the lower class and decrease the number in poverty for Greece, resembles how Czar Alexander II wanted to help the lower class in Russia by taking from the rich and giving to the poor. Because of the huge gap between the classes, Alexander II took half of all the land owned by the rich and gave it to the poor in hope that it would create a more perfect society where everyone had what they needed and was not in need or poverty. Measures were also taken in Greece to help the Greek economy and mainly the lower member of society so that they will not be impoverished. Back in March, the government in Athens “unveiled details of the extra budget and public sector wage cuts worth 325 million euros to euro zone partners”(Austerity Measures). The extra budget will help to expand the government public works sector and put money back into the economy to help it stop failing. This will aid the lower classes, even though some might lose their jobs, since they might get new jobs or be given aid with the extra spending budget. Russia also helped the poor by giving them land but also took from the rich, which was the land for the peasants. In Greece austerity measures taxed more heavily on the luxuries of its citizens which greatly affects the rich in Greek society. Efforts can be seen in the Russian and the Greek government to aid the lower classes and take from the upper classes, thereby trying to level out the classes in society. This attempt to create a classless society where everyone is equal leads one to ponder if Greece could turn socialist or communist is this were their primary philosophy.
Will there even be a Greece in five years? Is their economy that bad to where nothing can help it? That may be so, and if conditions do not improve in Greece, for the benefit of the European Union(EU), Greece should leave the EU. From what has been told through events in the French revolution, unfair taxation and an economy not being able to support itself will lead to government reforms in Greece since these elements of that revolution are present in Greece. The Russian revolution has also taught us that when protests turn violent and the lower class needs aid to be more like the middle and amenities are taken from the wealthy, as such is happening in Greece, then Greece could turn socialist to benefit and stabilize the economy. Because of the similarities between events in the current crisis in Greece and in past revolutions, I believe that in five years from now, Greece will be either communist or socialist with a newly reformed constitution and government.
Works Cited
Azuz, Carl. “US Budget Presented; Greek Economic Crisis.” CNN Student News. CNN. 14 Feb. 2012. CNN. Web. Transcript. 27 Apr. 2012. <http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1202/14/sn.01.html>.
“Causes of French Revolution.” History Tuition. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2012. <http://www.historytuition.com/world_history/french-revolution/causes-of-french-revolution.html>.
“Greece.” CIA World Factbook. CIA, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2012. <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gr.html>.
“More austerity measures for Greece.” Stuff.co. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2012. <http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/world/6445343/More-austerity-measures-for-Greece>.
“Why Greeks Are Protesting Bailouts Designed To Help Them.” The Atlantic: n. pag. Web. 23 Apr. 2012. <http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/10/why-greeks-are-protesting-bailouts-designed-to-help-them/246823/>.