in 1967 the military took control of the country and restricted democracy. free elections were then held again 7 years later, and the greeks voted to send the king away and declared a republic in 1974. greece became a member of the european union in 1981. greece had seen rapid growth in the 1990s, but some of the country's economic statistics were modified to appear more correct than they were, as the government had lied with the help of banks from the united states. in 2004, greece hosted the olympic games for a second time. since 2009, greece has been in an economic crisis, which is also becoming a political crisis.