The Greek War of Independence: The Struggle for Freedom from Ottoman Oppression - Hardcover

Brewer, David

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 158567172X ISBN 13: 9781585671724

Publisher: Abrams Press, 2001

Synopsis

A classical scholar reconstructs the Greek war for independence from the Ottoman empire, a conflict that captured the imagination of Romantic-era Europe and spurred thousands of non-Greek volunteers to join the struggle. 10,000 first printing.

About this title

Review:

At the beginning of the 19th century, the Ottoman empire extended far into Central Europe, occupying nearly all of the Balkan Peninsula. Three decades later, it would lie fragmented, thanks to the efforts of Greek patriots who, after a bloody struggle, forced their Turkish rulers to acknowledge Greece's independence. Classics scholar David Brewer tells that story in this comprehensive account, the first on the subject to appear in many years.

The Turkish empire, Brewer writes, was "one of the most impressive that the world has ever seen," the product of generations of conquest and control. By 1800, however, it had declined in power and influence, and, lacking wealthy client states to feed its treasury, the Ottoman government inaugurated a severe program of taxation on such essential Mediterranean goods as sheep, olives, honey, and grapes, compounding the injury by drafting young Greeks to serve in the imperial army. Resistance grew, especially as Ottoman functionaries such as the Ali Pasha (whom Lord Byron, the British poet and champion of Greek freedom, called "a remorseless tyrant, guilty of the most horrible cruelties") carved out bits and pieces of Greece as private fiefdoms. Inspired by the American and French revolutions, the Greeks finally revolted, touching off a terrible war that would cost hundreds of thousands of lives, involve the major European powers (which, as in later troubles in the Balkans, proved ineffectual), and hasten the downfall of the Ottoman empire.

Brewer takes an evenhanded view of the struggle, noting acts of heroism, cruelty, and treachery on both sides. Students of modern European history will find his study of a largely forgotten conflict to be of much interest, especially given recent events in the region. --Gregory McNamee

About the Author:

David Brewer was first a Classics scholar at Oxford and afterwards learned modern Greek. The Greek War of Independence, the result of a lifelong interest in the history and culture of Greece, is his first book. He lives in London, UK.

About this edition

• Publisher: Abrams Press
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 158567172X
• ISBN 13: 9781585671724
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 376