Searching for Oil Deposits in Greece During the Inter-War Years, 1920-1940 (Christos Karampatsos)
2017-2020
The scientific and public discourse concerning oil and fossil fuels deposits in Greece is older than usually thought; it surfaced in the 1920s and went on until the Second World War. It gave rise to expectations for ‘prosperity and fiscal reconstitution’, as well as to fears -or aspirations- concerning the involvement of the ‘Great Powers’ into Greek affairs. It was accompanied by the emergence of relevant scientific and state institutions and was connected to state priorities as such priorities formed and evolved during a turbulent period of Greek history. Interestingly though, the much discussed Greek fossil fuel deposits of the inter-war period eventually remained buried under the earth’s crust.