Greek Dbq

During the eighteenth century, ideas of a revolution were spreading through Turkish-controlled Greece. Nationalism fueled the Greeks to take action and led them to rise against the dominant reign of the Turkish Empire. Other European countries viewed the Greek movement for independence in different ways. Many supported Greece, claiming that the Ottoman Empire's rule had only done harm to Greek society. Among these supporting countries were England and France. On the other hand, there were nations that sided with the Turks, such as Germany. As various countries became involved in the situation, it became a continental conflict.

For decades, the Ottoman Empire occupied Greece and ruled over it entirely. However, this did not mean that the Greeks appreciated the Turks. In fact, the Greeks were displeased with the Turkish rule. This is shown in Document 1, where it reads, "Upon the mount where once muses sung, sits the gruff Turkish captain". This quotation is from a poem written by Sneyd Davis, of England. He is describing Turkish interference with Greek society and he negatively mentions a Turkish captain. It is clear that Mr. Davis is not fond of the Turks when he calls the captain "gruff". This man can represent the attitude of the majority of England at the time- most English people felt the same way, supporting Greece and opposing the Turks. Furthermore, Document 5 reveals the harm done to the Greeks by the Turkish Empire. In 1797, James Dallaway, chaplain to the English community in Constantinople, wrote that, "they have in no degree recovered their former energy." He is discussing the effects of Turkish rule of the Greeks. Despite fairly tolerant reign, James Dallaway believes that the Greeks are not fully themselves under the Ottoman Empire. He says that they lost some of their 'energy' when the Turks came to power and that this is a destructive change. Evidently, foreign people observed the results of Turkish reign over Greece, and they perceive it as detrimental to Greek society.

Another man who wrote against the Ottoman Empire's rule of Greece is Claude Etienne Savary, a French scholar. In a letter dated 1788, he states, "I have traveled through their empire and have seen the injuries of every kind which they have done..." (Document 3). He is referring to the damage that the Turks have done to Greece through their reign. He expresses his anti-Turk feelings, and a man like this would have encouraged Greek independence. Although the French supported Greece, not all of the Greeks reciprocated kindly. Some Greeks did not like French support, so they criticized the French. In Document 4, it says, "They boast of being the pupils of Rousseau". This excerpt is from a poem written by Alexandros Kalphoglou, a conservative Greek Christian. In his poem, he insults the French and mocks their 'enlightened' ways. There is some obvious bias at hand. This man, being a conservative Christian, would certainly not respect the French because they are almost the opposite of himself- liberal and not very religious (that is, post-Enlightenment). After the spread of new ideas throughout France, many of them stopped attending church as often and lost their faith. For this reason, the conservative point-of-view brought forth by Alexandros is biased against the French. The attitudes of these men from various countries proves the point that this movement affected not only Greece and the Turks, but many foreign nations as well.

Around the 19th century, Greece drew widespread support from many other nations in Europe. A group known as the Philhellenes (which translates to "lovers of Greece", formed with the aim to increase Greek support and to promote Greek independence. These people spread ideas of Greek culture and life throughout the continent of Europe so that their influence could reach out further. They also brought in money and built up funds for Greek independence movements. This large-scale support for Greece all over Europe is emphasized in Document 7, part of a poem written by Englishman Percy Bysshe Shelley, 1821. The poem reads, "We are all Greeks. Our laws, our literature, our religion, our arts have their roots in Greece." These words show how many European nations unified to support Greece. They traced back their roots and realized how everything in their own culture derived from 'Mother Greece'.