The Greek Revolution: 1821 and the Making of Modern Europe
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- Create Date：2022-01-04 08:50:57
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Mark Mazower
- ISBN：1591847338
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Summary
From one of our great historians， an important new history of the Greek War of Independence--the ultimate worldwide liberal cause c�l�bre of the age of Byron， Europe's first nationalist uprising， and the beginning of the downward spiral of the Ottoman Empire--published in the year of its 200th anniversary
As Mark Mazower shows us in his enthralling and definitive new history， myths about the Greek War of Independence outpaced the facts from the very beginning， and for good reason。 This was an unlikely cause， against long odds， a ragtag collection of Greek patriots up against what was still one of the most formidable empires in the world， the Ottomans。 The revolutionaries needed all the help they could get。 And they got it as Europeans and Americans embraced the idea that the heirs to ancient Greece， the wellspring of Western civilization， were fighting for their freedom against the proverbial Eastern despot， the Turkish sultan。 This was Christianity versus Islam， now given urgency by new ideas about the nation-state， and democracy， that were shaking up the old order。 Lord Byron is only the most famous of the combatants who went to Greece to fight and die--many more followed events passionately and supported the cause through art， music， and humanitarian aid。 To many who did go， it was a rude awakening to find that the Greeks were a far cry from their illustrious forebears， and were often hard to tell apart from the Ottomans。
Mazower does full justice to the realities on the ground as a revolutionary conspiracy triggered outright rebellion， and a shambolic and distracted Ottoman leadership first missed the plot and then overreacted disastrously。 He shows how and why ethnic cleansing commenced almost immediately on both sides。 By the time the dust settled， Greece was free， and Europe was changed forever。 It was a victory for a completely new kind of politics--international in its range and affiliations， popular in its origins， romantic in sentiment， and radical in its goals。 It was here on the very edge of Europe that the first successful revolution took place in which a people claimed liberty for themselves and overthrew an entire empire to attain it， transforming diplomatic norms and the direction of European politics forever。 This new world of nation-states is the world in which we still live。 Mark Mazower's reckoning with its birth pangs in Greece is a masterpiece of the historian's art。
As Mark Mazower shows us in his enthralling and definitive new history， myths about the Greek War of Independence outpaced the facts from the very beginning， and for good reason。 This was an unlikely cause， against long odds， a ragtag collection of Greek patriots up against what was still one of the most formidable empires in the world， the Ottomans。 The revolutionaries needed all the help they could get。 And they got it as Europeans and Americans embraced the idea that the heirs to ancient Greece， the wellspring of Western civilization， were fighting for their freedom against the proverbial Eastern despot， the Turkish sultan。 This was Christianity versus Islam， now given urgency by new ideas about the nation-state， and democracy， that were shaking up the old order。 Lord Byron is only the most famous of the combatants who went to Greece to fight and die--many more followed events passionately and supported the cause through art， music， and humanitarian aid。 To many who did go， it was a rude awakening to find that the Greeks were a far cry from their illustrious forebears， and were often hard to tell apart from the Ottomans。
Mazower does full justice to the realities on the ground as a revolutionary conspiracy triggered outright rebellion， and a shambolic and distracted Ottoman leadership first missed the plot and then overreacted disastrously。 He shows how and why ethnic cleansing commenced almost immediately on both sides。 By the time the dust settled， Greece was free， and Europe was changed forever。 It was a victory for a completely new kind of politics--international in its range and affiliations， popular in its origins， romantic in sentiment， and radical in its goals。 It was here on the very edge of Europe that the first successful revolution took place in which a people claimed liberty for themselves and overthrew an entire empire to attain it， transforming diplomatic norms and the direction of European politics forever。 This new world of nation-states is the world in which we still live。 Mark Mazower's reckoning with its birth pangs in Greece is a masterpiece of the historian's art。
Reviews
Alwynne
，
An admirably detailed， considered account of the uprisings that led to the formation of modern Greece after a lengthy， hard-won battle for independence from the Ottoman Empire。 I found the early chapters of Mark Mazower’s book a little dense and difficult to negotiate， simply because of the intricate circumstances he’s outlining and the vast array of key players he introduces。 But once Mazower established his territory， this quickly became incredibly gripping and impressive。 The Greek revolution An admirably detailed， considered account of the uprisings that led to the formation of modern Greece after a lengthy， hard-won battle for independence from the Ottoman Empire。 I found the early chapters of Mark Mazower’s book a little dense and difficult to negotiate， simply because of the intricate circumstances he’s outlining and the vast array of key players he introduces。 But once Mazower established his territory， this quickly became incredibly gripping and impressive。 The Greek revolution began on 21 February 1821。 It’s a history of sudden advances and equally sudden setbacks， harsh sieges， atrocities and massacres， regional and local skirmishes。 An unlikely convergence of forces and political interests that led to a seemingly impossible success。 The Greeks were a minority within the Ottoman Empire approximately three million out of a total population of roughly twenty-three， many scattered across the world。 They were outnumbered and considerably outgunned from the very beginning。 Even though the Ottoman forces were comparatively small， they were still at least ten times what the Greeks could muster。 And yet they prevailed。 Mazower’s meticulously-researched piece covers the plight of Greek communities under Ottoman rule; the rise of secret， pro-independence societies – particularly among the diaspora in Odessa; the varied， often clashing visions of what an independent Greek homeland might be or represent; and the many interest groups involved from wealthy landowners to peasantry to political groupings focused on revolutionary rebirth or the fulfilment of a more religious destiny。 I was particularly engaged by his examination of the wider social and cultural impact of the Greek struggle。 Initially the Philhellenes including famous figures like Byron， in Europe， and beyond， were drawn to the conflict because of a mix of nostalgia and reverence stemming from associations between modern-day Greeks and their ancient past。 This made the Greek fight a fashionable cause for many， rather like the Spanish Civil War over a century later; it was a particularly popular one for younger， European men， steeped in the work of Byron and Shelley， and caught up in growing anti-imperialist sentiments: although among the supporters who flocked to the fight were a number of women and at least one African American。 At a later stage in the insurgency outside interest in the Greeks’ future shifted from radical to mainstream inspiring art， literature， even opera， slowly attracting more powerful sources of support and financing。 Mazower manages to capture both the immediacy of the battles between the Greeks and the Ottoman forces， and the wider， political relevance of these events: challenges to the idea of empire， newly-emerging concepts of national identity and self-determination。 But he also takes time to look beyond prominent figures vying for power to portray the brutal realities of life for the non-combatants， the local farmers， poor families， and increasing numbers of refugees。 I picked this up because I’ve liked Mazower’s writing in the past but was surprised by how interesting this subject turned out to be， or maybe that’s just because of his skilful handling of his material。 It’s a memorable， lucid account that doesn’t shy away from complexities， well-written， carefully-structured， fascinating and informative。 Thanks to Netgalley UK and publisher Allen Lane， imprint of Penguin， for an arc 。。。more
Marks54
，
This is a wonderful history of the first time that nationalism showed its head in Europe following the defeat of Napoleon - the beginning of a much broader disruption that would extend throughout the century and into the two world wars of the 20th century。 The book is by one of the top historians of modern Europe and does a fine job of showing all the different participants and all of the different levels involved in the revolution - which have continued up through the Greek financial crisis fol This is a wonderful history of the first time that nationalism showed its head in Europe following the defeat of Napoleon - the beginning of a much broader disruption that would extend throughout the century and into the two world wars of the 20th century。 The book is by one of the top historians of modern Europe and does a fine job of showing all the different participants and all of the different levels involved in the revolution - which have continued up through the Greek financial crisis following 2008。More to follow after some additional processing。 。。。more
Jean-Luc
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