Book Review
The Greek Revolution 1821 And The Making Of Modern Europe
By
Mark Mazower
Penguin Press.
2021
This excellent new book on the Greek War Of Independence is a must read. This is fine history that recounts the good and the bad. Mazower recounts the founding of the Filiki Etaireia by Greeks who were planning revolution against the Ottoman Empire.
There was no sympathy for Greeks in Europe. Even the Russians believed it was not the time. The Europeans made clear they would not support the breakup of any Empire and there was no room for the formation of new countries.
The Greek uprising becomes more remarkable for the climate in which it occurred. The Greeks fought the Ottoman Turks directly, but indirectly they were fighting the world. In the end they defeated the world.
There are some fascinating new insights here. The Greeks revolted and manage to drive the Turks from territory. After centuries of oppression, the Greeks could not be stopped once the fighting began.
The Greek cause attracted the great powers who had no choice but to intervene. Philhellenes in America and Europe volunteered to fight with the Greeks. Regardless, the war was cruel and vicious and acts of slaughter resulted from Turkish reprisals.
Mazower writes much about the way the Greeks were perceived in America and Europe. The Great Powers had to concede that they could not stop the Greeks. The Great Powers proposed autonomy for Greece, but Turkish intransigence made it inevitable that Greece would become fully independent.
There is great information about the provisional government in Greece. The provisional government in Greece carried on very effectively despite all the hardships and difficulties. When Independence was achieved, a foreign King was imposed on Greeks and Greece has been under foreign influence ever since.
Greek Independence was a magnificent achievement. Greece lives as a result of its heroes and people. The provisional government of Greece should be the basis of what Greece still has the potential to be. There were distinguished leaders such as Alexandros Mavrokordatos, Petros Mavromihalis, and others.
This is a terrific book about the Greek War Of Independence on sale in bookstores and online.