Course Content (Syllabus)
Topics in Modern Greek History. Institutions, Society, Economy, Ideological Currents
Pontus in the 19th and the 20th centuries.
The economic, social and political changes in the Ottοman Empire, which, under the relentless European pressure, especially after the second half of the 18th century, necessitated the need for reforms, decisively affected the life of the residents in the area of Pontus. The freedom of navigation in the Black sea revitalized the shipping traffic to the local ports. Amisos (Samsun) became the most important export hub for the inland products, while Trebizond transformed into the largest retailing centre for exported goods coming from Persia, as well as for the import of manufactured products from Western Europe.
Apart from the demographic changes and turbulences, that is to say the forced resettlement of hundreds of thousands of Muslims from Caucasus, caused by the military conflicts between the bordering Orthodox Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire during the same period, the vicinity of the Russian state constituted a continuous challenge and invitation for the Greeks and the Armenians of Pontus to migrate. Moreover, the activities of Catholic and Protestant missionaries in the land of Pontus occasionally caused further upheavals among the local Orthodox and Armenian communities.
The presence of foreigners in the region, their economic and political competitions, the decline of the central authority, and the strengthening of the national identity of the Christian population, foreboded the forthcoming developments.
The objective of the Postgraduate Course is the scientific approach to issues associated with the multiple effects and aftereffects of the aforementioned changes.
Keywords
Pontus, Greeks of Pontus, Ottoman Empire, Great Powers, Black Sea, Consulates, Eastern Question, Missionaries