The importance of History for man and the future, pointed out the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis in his greeting at the presentation of the book by historian Mark Mazauer, “The Greek Revolution”.
As the Prime Minister said, reviewing the origins and preparation of the Revolution, its evolution and its final success, Mazauer serves something familiar to him, but still very much in demand for our historiography: the repositioning of Polygenesis in its international environment, by which is affected and in which it affects. That is why it attaches importance, in addition to military operations, to political processes. In the diplomatic mobilization of the Revolutionaries, as well as in their constant concern to build viable institutions.
“I had the pleasure of reading the English version and going through its impeccable Greek translation. I thus admired the excellent knowledge of the primary sources and the secondary bibliography. But mostly I traveled to the fascinating narrative, which combines facts and personal stories. The big picture, that is, and the infinite microcosms of the Struggle “he said and stressed that the task of History is to illuminate the historical situation. And, paradoxically, to help shape visions of a new future by bringing to life some of the underground forces that remain functional beneath the surface of things – words he used, as the author points out, accepting his honorary doctorate from the University of Athens. , in 2015.
“And this is exactly the project that serves and his new study on the Greek Revolution”, he summed up, among other things.
The greeting of Kyriakos Mitsotakis in detail
“The task of history is to illuminate the historical situation. And, paradoxically, to help shape visions of a new future, bringing to life some of the underground forces that remain functional beneath the surface of things. “
These are the words with which Mark Mazower accepted his nomination as an honorary doctor of the University of Athens, in 2015. And this is exactly the project he serves and his new study on the Greek Revolution.
I had the pleasure to read the English version and to go through its perfect Greek translation. I thus admired the excellent knowledge of the primary sources and the secondary bibliography. But mostly I traveled to the fascinating narrative, which combines facts and personal stories. The big picture, that is, the infinite microcosms of the Struggle.
And of course I rediscovered the two key characteristics of the author: the methodological rigor on the one hand, and on the other the virtue of reconstructing the past in a simple but at the same time deep way.
Overlooking the origins and preparation of the Revolution, its evolution and eventual success, Mazower serves something familiar to him but still much sought after in our historiography: the repositioning of Polygenesis in its international environment, which is also influenced by which affects. That is why it attaches importance, in addition to military operations, to political processes. In the diplomatic mobilization of the Revolutionaries, as well as in their constant concern to build viable institutions.
This line, after all, follows from his first works for our country, in the early 1990s: the view, that is, of Greek History through the prism of a broader synthetic conception of the History of Europe. The “Greek Revolution”, as the English subtitle of the work states, can therefore not be approached in isolation from its modern context. And in such a scientific choice, of course, neither soothing stereotypes nor convenient myths fit.
At the risk of wronging the impressive book in volume and depth, let me isolate from it two constants that run – I think – all its pages, starting with distancing myself from the myth of the “evil and insidious stranger”, who haunts even today. As Mark has pointed out in the past, he has always been interested in researching how well Greek politicians did their job when they could not hide behind the alien of the “foreign finger”.
Reversing this easy and reassuring myth, in his new work he highlights the successful management of the oppositions of the Great Powers by the armed Greeks, in order for them to establish a free state. It was the foundation for the construction of a multidimensional foreign policy which was implemented later, in the centuries that followed. When Greece took full advantage, with a patriotic and equal discourse, of the possibilities that shaped the international system. And always when she did, she won.
And the second observation, the social dynamics that the Struggle had from the beginning, with the desire for national emancipation going hand in hand with the desire for continuous progress. Because no matter how diverse the 21st century fighters were, they all eventually shared the notion that the nascent nation-state had to be viable. And for that to happen it had to be modern, fair and productive. In other words, a Greece with a prosperous society and economic and geopolitical power. Exactly on the path that the country still wants to walk, two centuries later.
I close by pointing to Mazower’s strong refusal to subject its view to political expediency. “History overdose at its worst is confusing,” he said. Indeed, while his books are deeply political they are not politically colored. This is what I believe: that historical events are transformed into knowledge and timeless conclusions only when they stay away from dark targets of the times. For this I thank him for the kind words he addressed to me personally in his preface.
Friends,
Mark Mazower is a historian with a global audience and a completely distinct position. For a few months now, however, he has been our fellow citizen, thanks to his honorary naturalization. With the “Greek Revolution” he offers another example of his scientific zeal but also of his insincere love for his second homeland.
I am sure, therefore, that his new book, contributing to our historiography, will be a turning point in our painstaking effort for national self-knowledge. I sincerely wish you a good trip.
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