Nineteenth-Century Greece

The Olympic Games were revived in 1896. At that time, the United States was still sorting out the enormous ramifications of the Civil War. Similarly in Europe, colonial wars drained the participating nations and set back intelletual life.

On 25th of March, 1821 (75 year prior to the first modern Olym­piad), the Greeks re­volt­ed successfully against the Ottoman Empire. From that time until the end of the 19th century, Greece would be con­sumed trying to re­claim her territories and reestablish her cultural identity.

At first glace, the political landscape of the 19th century was prohibitive towards any athletic move­ment of sub­stan­tial mag­ni­tude. For­tun­ately, that was not the case. Tech­no­log­ical advances brought the world closer, and the isolationism prev­alent during the Middle Ages has lost its sway long ago.

The culture of ancient Greece was, for the good part of the 19th century, a focal point for every intellectual movement in the Western world. Science, literature, art, and architecture looked back to the ancient writers for inspiration. Excavations in ancient Olympia were in progress and there were a constant stream of publications as a result of that effort. Coubertin, an educator in France, searching for ways to offset the negative effects of the Franco-Prussian War (1870) found his solution in the ancient Olympic Games.

The Cradle of the First Greek Government
The Greek revolution of independence occurred on March 25, 1821. Slowly, adjacent Greek territories joint the revolt. With the help of Greeks living abroad, the first government was established. The first capitol of Greece was Nafplion in the Peloponnesse. On the 18th of September 1838, Athens was chosen as capital of Greece. When Athens became the new capital, many Greeks moved to the city. In the population registration of 1879, Athens had already reached 63,374 inhabitants.

Athens Hosts the Olympic Games
The first Session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was held in Paris on June 23-24, 1894. It was during the first session that the city of Athens was selected for the Games of the I Olympiad.

In 1896, the state of Greece, a 75-year-old country at the time, relied on the major powers of the day (England, France, and Russia) for political support. With much of the Greek-speaking territories still under foreign rule, the Greek nation was engaged in a perpetual battle in the trenches and the diplomatic salons. The national treasuries were empty and the people were exhausted by war. In the midst of all this, there was the Olympic Movement. Here was an opportunity for self-reflection and a chance to draw strength from the ancient, glorious past. In addition, the Olympic Games, now an international event, would render Greece in a positive light. Although the public relation benefits were obvious, Greece was hesitant to accept the offer, fearing an overwhelming financial commitment. Once the decision was made, the prosperous community of diaspora (Greeks who lived abroad) was asked to contribute.

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