If similar measures had been taken in France…

When Athens' Syntagma Square was the center of violent mass protests at the height of Greece's debt crisis, many European journalists, officials and analysts were visiting the city. We had become, literally and figuratively, the "hottest" spot in Europe. They wondered, "How much resilience will Greek society show?" Some Central and Northern Europeans did not have such sensitivities and took for granted the need for a raise in the retirement age, the salary cuts etc. Sometimes they could not even understand why Greek society reacted the way it did.

I would explain to them that if similar measures had been taken in France, Paris would have relived chaos similar to that during the Storming of the Bastille. Ten years later, France is facing a major crisis after President Emmanuel Macron decided to increase the retirement age for most workers from 62 to 64. In Greece, the...