Editorial: the 2021 Greek Bicentennial wager

The 2021 Bicentennial of the start of the Greek Revolution against the Ottoman Turks could have been simply a sterile anniversary.

Yet, the two hundredth anniversary of the Greek Revolution of 1821 appears to have created a huge opportunity for our nation and our country.

One could say that 2021 could be the harbinger of a new era and a new page for the country.

If it will be so if it is the result of deep contemplation, of a review of the top dramatic and other moments of Greek history, of the country’s economic and cultural cycles, ands of its strategic choices and its geopolitical alliances – from its recent adventures to the decisive linkage to the European idea.

If today the objective is a return to normalcy, 2021 can be a great leap forward, a huge national wager.

With the country having shaken off it dysfunctions and structural ills, it can boldly encounter the next day on the basis of historical memory.

The Bicentennial can thus be the start of a reconstruction and a milestone of recovery and progress.

Exploiting the skills of a new competent generation – which now has chosen to work abroad – a serious and effective political leadership can with a deepening of democracy and institutions use the 2021 Bicentennial as a year of fruitful challenges.

The Committee for the Celebtration of the 1821 Bicentennial, which is now headed by Yanna Angelopoulou, will concisely summarise, synthesise, and highlight the many aspects of a great event..All that can be combined with a broader, collective effort for Greeks not to be any longer “the spoiled cildren of history”, as a title chosen by historian Kostas Kostis for his excellent bookstated.