The British and the Hellenes: Struggles for Mastery in the Eastern Mediterranean 1850-1960

The Greek revolt against Turkish rule in the 1820s, and the ensuing establishment of an independent Hellenic Kingdom, was the principal precursor of an age of nationalism in the eastern Mediterranean world. Amongst the Great Powers, Great Britain thereafter played the most critical role in struggles to expand the frontiers of Greece beyond their initially confined extent. Through a focus on events leading to the cession of the Ionian Islands to Greece in 1864, the often bloody process of Cretan unification climaxing in 1913, the adhesion of the Dodecanese to Greece in 1948, and the travails of British colonial rule in Cyprus through to independence in 1960, the book develops a comparative overview of Great Britain's engagements with the modern Hellenic experience. At the heart of the various themes covered by this volume is the interaction between internal and external forces shaping the futures of divided island societies. In exploring the resulting patterns the authors provide an original insight into the political and social morphology of the eastern Mediterranean. Although the principal context is provided by Anglo-Hellenic relations, the nature of the struggles necessitate a close attention to Ottoman decline and post-Ottoman succession, Great Power rivalries, ethnic and communal disintegration, the early history of international peace-keeping, and decolonization after 1945. In tracing these preoccupations, the often neglected significance of the eastern Mediterranean is more accurately situated in relation to British authority overseas and its limits. Although the policy process is carefully charted, the essential concern is with struggles of mastery within islands where Britons and Greeks, amongst others, found themselves frequently at odds. In evoking the engagement between British power and Hellenic nationalism, a fresh perspective is given to the modern history of the eastern Mediterranean, and the Balkan and Near Eastern worlds to which they were intimately connected.

Table of Contents:
1: The British and the Hellenes 2: Gladstone and the Greeks: The Extraordinary Mission to the Ionian Islands 1858-1859 3: The Abandonment of the Ionian Protectorate 1859-1864 4: The End of Ottoman Power in Crete 1894-1898 5: An Unfortunate Regime: The Experiment of Cretan Autonomy 1898-1906 6: Britain, the Balkans, and the Climax of Cretan Union 1906-1913 7: The Peculiarity of Cyprus 1878-1931 8: The Dodecanese Experience 1939-1948 9: Mastery and Despair: Cyprus 1931-1960 10: Love, Deception, and Anglo-Hellenic Politics Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Robert Holland is Professor of Imperial and Commonwealth History, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London. Diana Markides is Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London.

Review :
`Review from previous edition [a] subtle and splendid book. ' Sir Michael Llewellyn Smith, The Anglo-Hellenic Review `Crisp, lucid, enjoyable... a joy to read. ' Keith Kyle, The Cyprus Review `The intricate story of these 110 years is handled with elegance and insight....this book is surely the definitive work on British-Greek relations before 1960. ' David Barchard, Cornucopia `All in all, this is a highly impressive volume based on extensive primary research and secondary reading. In chronicling British reactions to Hellenic nationalist movements, Robert Holland and Diana Markides have produced a superb nuanced study that deserves to be added to any university library with an interest in the history of modern Greece. ' Steven Morewood, Journal of Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies `'Holland and Markides make a major contribution to the study of Anglo-Greek relations in a book full of arresting insights.'' Richard Clogg, TLS