Реферат: A War Of Independence Essay Research Paper

have a profound dislike for one another: the stubbornness of the former is at the opposite side of

the progressive activity of the latter.” Furthermore, Isambert states that what Metternich did was

to follow simultaneously two diplomatic paths: the official one using it as a front-window and

the other one the secret, the one that could serve his purposes and for which he had employed +.

de Gentz. (Isambert, 161-162).

On the other side there was the Tsar, who understood that what Canning was doing would

inevitably increase the influence of the British in Greece. So, the Tsar decided to take up action

to cut down Canning’s diplomacy. After all “Russia naturally wished to preserve her position as

protector of the Greeks, and to retain the honor of being the first Christian government that

covered her co-religionaries with her orthodox aegis.” (Finley, 31). Accordingly, Tsar

Alexander +, in January 1824, made a proposal to the Powers. This proposal entailed the

establishment of three, autonomous Greek Principalities similar to those Principalities of

+ ldavia and Wallachia. However, this was a rather clumsy step because it blew away the hopes

of the Greeks that the Tsar would help them to create an independent state, and similarly the

project did not satisfy the Sultan either. Furthermore, the Tsar, instead of intimidating Canning

and cease his influence in Greece, enforced it. “+ll historians studying the Greek Revolution

agree that Foreign Office changed its policy towards the agitated Greece from the moment

Russia (9 January 1824) proposed the division of Greece into semi-independent principalities.”

(Kordatos, 1977, 31). Consequently, the Tsar not only failed to strengthen his position, but he

reached the apposite result.

Naturally, Canning did not waste any time: he saw to the publication of the Russian proposal

–which was not supposed to reach the Greeks– at the French newspaper “Le Constitutionnel”

on the 3lst of May. When the Greeks were informed of the plans that the Tsar had for them, much

to his discontent, started orienting their attention to Great Britain.

However, so far I have referred only to what the Foreign Powers did and, to a lesser extent, to

the reactions of the Turks. What about the Greeks, who, after all, were directly interested? Well,

the Greeks were not only directly interested, but also directly influenced by the Conferences,

decisions and objectives of the Great Powers. Already, at the beginning of this paper +

mentioned the hopes of the Greeks which were directed towards Russia. However, gradually