The United States and the Making of Modern Greece - by James Edward Miller (Paperback)

About the Book

United States and the Making of Modern Greece: History and Power, 1950-1974

Book Synopsis

Focusing on one of the most dramatic and controversial periods in modern Greek history and in the history of the Cold War, James Edward Miller provides the first study to employ a wide range of international archives--American, Greek, English, and French--together with foreign language publications to shed light on the role the United States played in Greece between the termination of its civil war in 1949 and Turkey's 1974 invasion of Cyprus.

Miller demonstrates how U.S. officials sought, over a period of twenty-five years, to cultivate Greece as a strategic Cold War ally in order to check the spread of Soviet influence. The United States supported Greece's government through large-scale military aid, major investment of capital, and intermittent efforts to reform the political system. Miller examines the ways in which American and Greek officials cooperated in--and struggled over--the political future and the modernization of the country. Throughout, he evaluates the actions of the key figures involved, from George Papandreou and his son Andreas, to King Constantine, and from John Foster Dulles and Dwight D. Eisenhower to Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger.

Miller's engaging study offers a nuanced and well-balanced assessment of events that still influence Mediterranean politics today.

Review Quotes

[Miller's] comments are judicious, evenhanded, and based squarely on the evidence at hand. . . . An authoritative, detailed, and carefully argued chronicle. . . . The greatest strengths of this book are Miller's lucid prose and his skillful use of archival material from the United States, France, Britain, Italy, and Greece. . . . Miller's important study will set a high standard for future works. In good time, The United States and the Making of Modern Greece will become the authoritative guide on the history of U.S.-Greek relations and modern Greek history for experts, students, and the interested public.--H-Diplo Roundtable Review

A sensitive, sympathetic, evidence-based attempt to understand and lay bare the methods by which American and Greek officials cooperated and struggled over Greece's political future in the early postwar years. . . . Illuminating.--American Historical Review

Miller's research in many international archives gives his work credibility. . . . Recommended.--Choice