The Hellenic Literary Society at Constantinople between Ottomanism and Greek Irredentism

"… the Turks, public servants or soldiers, remained in sum what they’ve always been, Barbarians making a life out of plunder and robbery..." The above statement reveals how one finest institutions Ottoman Greek letters sciences, Hellenic Literary Society at Constantinople, described Turks petition to its honorary members, academics, university professors, learned societies Allied countries those that had neutral during Great War, just month into deliberations Paris Peace Conference 1919. picture Turk as barbarian permeates juxtaposes bearer civilization. In this way, society attempted elicit support Western intellectuals favor irredentism. Such an approach was not unique Greeks, Armenians also employed similar distinction between themselves enhance their national aspirations.2 Yet, such snapshot post-Armistice period can be misleading sixty-odd year-long lifetime. remained, for most part, Ottomanism, endorsement irredentism tells us more about why multi-ethnic multi-cultural empires fail rather than providing accurate depiction throughout existence.