Greece’s debt crisis
Witness History16 Juli 2025

Greece’s debt crisis

It was a week that brought the future of Greece and the Eurozone to the brink. Ten years ago, on 6 July the Greek people voted against the terms of a financial bailout which included raising taxes and slashing welfare spending.

Greece owed €323bn to various countries and banks within Europe. Its banks were closed. A quarter of the population and half of Greece’s young people were unemployed.

The morning after the vote, Euclid Tsakalotos was brought in to replace Yanis Varoufakis as finance minister. His predecessor had accused European leaders of “terrorism” in their handling of the crisis. Parachuted in to last-ditch talks with angry European leaders, Euclid Tsakalotos describes to Josephine McDermott the make-or-break 17-hour summit in Brussels.

He reveals that when Angela Merkel, the leader of Greece’s biggest lender Germany, said she was leaving the room because she could not accept what was on the table, Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, actually locked the door to stop her leaving and force an agreement to be reached.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: A queue outside a bank in Greece in 2015. Credit: Getty Images)

Avsnitt(2000)

The murder that shocked Brazil

The murder that shocked Brazil

In 2002, an investigative journalist called Tim Lopes was brutally killed by a drug gang in Rio de Janeiro. The murder sent shockwaves throughout Brazil. His son, Bruno Quintella, spoke to Mike Lanchin in 2014. This programme contains descriptions of violence and some listeners may find parts of it distressing. (Photo: Tim Lopes and his son, Bruno, courtesy of the family)

6 Sep 20229min

Doomed hero of Brazilian democracy

Doomed hero of Brazilian democracy

In March 1985, Brazil experienced the most traumatic moment in its transition to democracy when the first civilian president-elect in more than 20 years was rushed to hospital on the eve of his inauguration. Tancredo Neves, who had led political opposition to military rule in Brazil, eventually died 38 days later. He is now regarded as a hero in Brazil. In 2018, Simon Watts spoke to Tancredo Neves' press secretary, Antonio Britto.(Photo: Tancredo Neves, centre, on a visit to Spain. Credit: Getty Images)

5 Sep 20228min

Mikhail Gorbachev: Release of Irina Ratushinskaya

Mikhail Gorbachev: Release of Irina Ratushinskaya

Mikhail Gorbachev - the last leader of the Soviet Union - has died aged 91. On the eve of an important summit on nuclear disarmament between the Soviet Union and America in October 1986, Gorbachev ordered the release of a dissident poet called Irina Ratushinskaya.In 2012, Louise Hidalgo spoke to Irina about her imprisonment, her poetry, and the day she was set free.(Photo: Irina and her husband Igor, arriving in London in December 1986. Credit: Topfoto)

2 Sep 202210min

Mikhail Gorbachev: Perestroika

Mikhail Gorbachev: Perestroika

Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, has died aged 91. Gorbachev came to power in 1985 at a time when the Soviet economy was on the brink of collapse. He introduced a radical reform programme called Perestroika. 25 years on from Perestroika, in 2012, Louise Hidalgo spoke to three people who remembered those exciting days in Moscow.(Photo: Mikhail Gorbachev (centre right) meets with participants of the Warsaw Pact Foreign Ministers' Committee in Moscow on March 25, 1987 Credit: AFP / Getty Images)

1 Sep 202210min

Princess Diana dances with John Travolta

Princess Diana dances with John Travolta

It's the 25th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana, who was killed in a car crash in an underground tunnel in central Paris on the 31st August 1997.She was one of the most famous and glamorous women in the world - a mega star. In 1985, Princess Diana and Prince Charles made their first joint visit to the US. The highlight of the tour was a gala dinner at the White House where the young princess danced with the star of Saturday Night Fever John Travolta. Speaking in 2011, the Daily Mirror’s royal correspondent James Whitaker told Kirsty Reid about the glamorous night.Image: John Travolta dances with Princess Diana at a White House dinner, November 9th 1985 (Credit: Reuters/File photo)

31 Aug 20229min

The 'Last Indian'

The 'Last Indian'

In 1911, a mysterious Native American man called Ishi emerged from the North Californian forest after more than three decades in hiding. He is thought to be the last survivor from the Yahi tribe. Ishi became a tourist attraction in San Francisco and many recordings were made of his stories and music.In 2012, Louise Hidalgo retraced his story. She spoke to the author Ursula Le Guin and filmmaker Jed Riffe. (Photo: Ishi. Credit: Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology, University of California)

30 Aug 20229min

Marikana Massacre

Marikana Massacre

On 16 August 2012, police shot dead 34 striking miners at a platinum mine in Marikana, South Africa. It was one of the bloodiest police operations since apartheid. Rachel Naylor speaks to one of the survivors, Mzoxolo Magidiwana, who was shot nine times.(Photo: Miners on strike in Marikana, demanding a pay rise, on 16 August 2012. Credit: AFP/GettyImages)

29 Aug 20228min

India's onion election

India's onion election

In January 1980, Indira Gandhi's Congress (I) party was voted into power in India. Before the election, inflation meant that onions were unaffordable for many Indians and became a big election issue. Indira Gandhi used the issue to appeal to voters during her campaign which would help to secure her victory that year. Reena Stanton-Sharma speaks to Suda Pai, a former professor of political science at Jawaharlal Nehru University.Image: Vendor Pushing Cart With Onions On Road. Credit: Venkataramana Allam / EyeEm

26 Aug 202210min

Populärt inom Samhälle & Kultur

podme-dokumentar
p3-dokumentar
mardromsgasten
en-mork-historia
creepypodden-med-jack-werner
skaringer-nessvold
killradet
nemo-moter-en-van
svenska-fall
flashback-forever
rattsfallen
vad-blir-det-for-mord
hor-har
rss-brottsutredarna
sanna-berattelser
aftonbladet-daily
rss-mer-an-bara-morsa
badfluence
rss-verkligheten
aftonbladet-krim