The authors chose a thematic approach instead of a chronological narrative of events, in order to better illuminate the institutions that were formed by the newly established Greek state after independence. The political system and its developments, education, the Church, the military, the economy, and society all have their own chapters, while liberation, the limits of the state, and the Hellenism of the Diaspora intersect in the narration of events.
As the authors note, the state was founded on the principles of the Enlightenment, so that the liberal democratic tradition would permeate the majority of its history. The founders of this state, as well as its subsequent leaders, ensured that, despite occasional deviations of internal resistance, populism, and tragic divisions, it would not veer off course towards the rule of law and modernization. The favorable, overall political leadership helped to achieve these goals.