The European Union’s history is deeply linked to that of Greece, the land where democracy and philosophy originated. Divided into city-States in Antiquity, and forming the heart of the Byzantine Empire in the Middle Ages it came under Ottoman domination in the 14th century. It recovered its independence in 1830 and became an absolute monarchy. The country suffered badly during the Nazi occupation and in 1967 a coup established a military dictatorship. Having recovered democracy in 1981 Greece then joined the European Union. It enjoyed the benefits provided by the Union’s financial aid. Its membership also helped it consolidate the country’s democracy. Extremely supportive until recently of European integration, it found itself sorely affected by the sovereign debt crisis.