“Everything has happened before!”

von Heinz Gupta

“There is nothing new under the sun.” This is not a wise aphorism of a modern guru, but more than 2,000 years old, and accredited to preacher Salomo (ch. 1, verse 9f).

If we apply that to Greece and its recent history, we are shocked to see how the country was over and over divided and reunited, that people were driven out, resettled, and exploited by the Germans, English, French, Italians, Russians, and Turks. At that time, it was those countries that presumed to decide on others – today it is perhaps the banks and fund managers.

And, the Greeks already had high debts 180 years ago, that were solved in a highly unconventional way.

As we read on the German Wikipedia website:

“To avoid the spark of republicanism spreading from liberated Greece throughout Europe, but also as a condition for a loan of 472,000 British Pounds and 60 million drachmae by England, Russia, and France to a country that has been overindebted since 1826, the European great powers established a monarchy in Greece from the outside. In the year 1832, the Bavarian Prince Otto, son of King Ludwig I. of Bavaria, became as Otto I. Greece’s first (modern) king. However, this state included only a small part of the present national territory.

[...] The Bavarian King brought many experts, architects, technicians to Greece, who helped to develop the country. And he also endowed the Greeks with the blue-white flag, that is remindful of the colours of his homeland. Many buildings and infrastructures are based on the developments of the Bavarians, that provided the basis for the new Greece. Even the Bavarian purity law for beer was adapted by the Greeks. Otto’s reign was ended in 1862 by a bloodless coup. He was succeeded by Georg I., who was elected the King of Greece on 30 March 1863. [...]”

What if we now also prescribed the Greeks a new king, maybe King Horst (Seehofer) of Bavaria, or King Wolfgang (Schäuble) of Baden-Württemberg?

And, what if we did not put the money into the dilapidated state finances and banks, but strongly invested in the country? For example, we should give low-cost loans to German companies in order for them to invest in Greece and create new jobs.

As I said: “Everything has happened before!”

Your Heinz Gupta