Proclamation of Greek Independence: Primary Source Analysis

Primary Source Analysis: Proclamation of Greek Independence

Greek gained its independence in 1822 from Ottoman Turkish rule, which gave rise to the proclamation of the constitution for an independent Greece. In his book, History of the Greek Revolution, Comstock (1828) produced a culturally significant work, which scholars consider to be part of the knowledge base of civilization as it is known. The work is considered to be a vital primary resource in the sense that it has been reproduced from the original artifacts that have been compiled from official documents of the Greek government. The aim of Comstock in this work is to give an accurate record of the proclamation of Greek Independence and how it is centered on mutual respect and a commitment to democracy, justice, and freedom.

The source by Comstock (1828) provides a thorough examination, which exemplifies why the proclamation of Greek Independence is a document that jump-started the nation. As demonstrated by Comstock (1828), the proclamation is a very thorough and complex document that explains the reasons Greece had to fight the Ottoman Turks, as well as the unjust actions they inflicted upon them. As an illustration, the proclamation begins with the national assembly asserting to the Greek Nation that they are all aware that the degree of their suffering was full. Thus, it was difficult for the citizens to bear it any longer without being charged with stupidity and cowardice due to the cruel scourge of Ottoman rule. Based on the declaration, the Greeks flew to arms with the objective of avenging the injuries that the Turk had heaped upon their country for four centuries.

The writing by Comstock (1828) is detailed and fact-oriented, particularly in describing the significant issues found in the proclamation itself. For example, the declaration emphasizes that the confrontation of the Greeks against the Turks was far from being the pretext of an ambitious faction or the effect of a Jacobinical and seditious movement. The warfare was undertaken with the main goal of reconquering the Greeks’ rights and securing their honor and existence. The Greeks were strong in the principle that their rights were torn from them by violence. Thus, in the paths of civilization, the Greeks combined into one Great War all the secret and partial conflicts they had longed to wage against the Ottoman Empire.

The book by Comstock (1828) offers a thorough examination that reveals some distinctive characteristics of the proclamation of Greek Independence. The author has produced significant results showing that the document represents the range of efforts by the Greeks to form an independent and new society. Based on the declaration, the Greeks swore to conquer and behold the nation ruled by laws that are just or to fade from the face of the earth. The arms by the citizens have been time and again victorious, although often they have experienced resistance. Nonetheless, as soon as circumstances allowed the war on Greek independence to flourish in the country considered the Greek continent of the west and east, the islands and the Peloponnesus prepared the way for the standard constitutional system that was essential in directing the progress of the revolution.

The main point that one can take from the book by Comstock (1828) is that for the purpose of a plan for government, the deputies of the islands and provinces, having met in a national assembly and being duly authorized, decreed the provisional form and basis of the government. The regime was to preside over the future destinies of the nation. Based on the war on Greek Independence, this government, instituted by universal consent and founded on justice, is the only national and legitimate government. The head of administration, in this regard, comprises two august bodies, which are the senate and the executive. The judicial power is to support them and will conduct their obligations quite independently to the two august bodies.

In summary, the book by Comstock is a coherent and trustworthy primary source assembled from formal documents of the Greek government. Arguably, this has enabled the author to explore and accurately depict the proclamation of Greek Independence. The analysis shows that the assertion is centered on mutual respect and a commitment to democracy, justice, and freedom. Thus, during the proclamation, as Comstock has shown, the national assembly asserted that it is the obligation of the nation to submit to the authorities and laws that emanate from the new government.

References

Comstock, J. L. (1828). Compiled from official documents of the Greek Government: Sketches of the War in Greece, by Phillip James Green, (Esq. Late British Consul for Patras, in Greece), and the Recent Publications of Mr. Blaquiere, Mr. Humphrey, Mr. Emerson, Count Pecchio, Rt. Hon. Col. Stanlope, the Modern Traveller, and Other Authentic Sources. William W. Reed & Company.