Greece: Old and New

American education often focuses on the Golden Age of Greece, a period of cultural, political and scientific advancement while neglecting both earlier periods and modern Greece.   This presentation looks first at earlier periods where the Minoans on Crete and the Mycenaeans in western Greece made great contributions to western civilization long before Athens was founded.  We also look at the 19^th and 20^th century where the Greek independence movement and major European powers helped Greece achieve independence from the Ottoman Empire and recover from World War II. The 21^st Century has been an economic roller-coaster for Greece, yet Greeks have an amazing ability to stay calm in a turbulent world.