Einladung zu einem Gastvortrag von Prof. Dr. Roderick Beaton

Prof. Dr. Roderick Beaton

(Koraes Professor of Modern Greek and Byzantine History, Language and Literature, King’s College London)

„Why did the Greek Revolution break out in 1821?“

Mittwoch, 09. Mai, 18:00 Uhr c.t.

Amalienstr. 73A, Hörsaal A 112

The Greek Revolution (1821-1830) was the first successful liberal-national revolution in modern Europe. International recognition of Greece as a sovereign independent state in 1830 marked the beginning of the slow transformation of the European continent from the dominance of multi-ethnic, autocratic empires to that of self-governing nation-states. But why did the Revolution happen at all? And why in March-April 1821, rather than at some other time? This talk re-assesses the evidence we have for political ideas and actions among Greek-speaking communities during the quarter-century before 1821, in the light of these questions. It explores the influence of the French Revolution, particularly as embodied in the contrasting political ideologies of Rigas Velestinlis and Adamantios Korais. It ends by considering the role of educational initiatives and particularly of the clandestine Philiki Etairia, and the interplay between these and purely contingent factors in the run-up to 1821.