Greece

Greece gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1830 and became a kingdom. Over the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it expanded by incorporating nearby territories with Greek-speaking populations. In World War II, Greece was invaded by Italy in 1940 and occupied by Germany from 1941 to 1944, followed by a civil war between royalists, anti-communists, and communists. The communist forces were defeated in 1949, and Greece joined NATO in 1952. A 1967 military coup ousted the king, leading to a dictatorship that collapsed in 1974. Greece then became a parliamentary republic, joined the EC in 1981, and entered the eurozone in 2001. Government of Greece