Le bienfaiteur de la France

Napoléon a réussi à exporter la révolution française en Europe ainsi que certaines de ses admirables réalisations. A Aboukir, à Austerlitz, à Iéna, à Borodino il a vaincu l’hégémonie du vieil ordre européen, parfois de façon retentissante, parfois avec des pertes considérables. Certains de ces souverains ont modifié leur mode de pensée et ont adopté les idées et principes français, ils ont également relancé un coup crucial à Leipzig le 19 octobre 1813. Lors de la conférence de la paix qui a fait suite à cet événement, les vainqueurs n’ont pas choisi d’écraser la France: ils ont envoyé Bonaparte en exil. Cependant tout a changé quand ce corse s’est évadé de l’île d’Elbe et que le 18juin 1815 il a dirigé une nouvelle armée contre ses ennemis unis. Il s’agit des cent jours des dernières actions du destructeur de notre continent.   Le général Blücher et Talleyrand Au cours de l’été 1815, les Prusses et leurs alliés sont entrés dans Paris. Le général Von Blücher a provoqué l’explosion du pont Iéna sur la Seine, qui avait été construit afin de rappeler au monde la défaite humiliante des Prusses par les français en 1806. Le premier ministre de France, Talleyrand, qui … Continue reading

Does Greece stand for Democracy?

The coming to office of the new Greek government has inspired a new rhetoric of democracy and Philhellenism intriguingly similar to the Philhellenism that accompanied the establishment of the modern Greek state in the 1820s, in an international environment of post-Napoleonic reaction analogous in a number of ways to today’s reactionary environment of post-Soviet-collapse. To take a characteristic example of this rhetoric, let us quote Paul Craig Roberts, dissident former assistant secretary of the Treasury under the Reagan administration in the US: “The Greeks, who were once to be contended with, who were able with 300 Spartans, supplemented with a few thousand Corinthians, Thebans, and other warriors, to stop a one hundred thousand man Persian army at Thermopylae, with the final outcome being the defeat of the Persian fleet in the Battle of Salamis and the defeat of the Persian army in the Battle of Plataea, are no more. The Greeks of history have become a people of legend. Not even the Romans were able to conquer Persia, but little more than a handful of Greeks stopped the attempted Persian conquest of Greece. But the Greeks, despite their glorious history, could not stop their conquest by the EU and a … Continue reading

AEGINA (introduction to the 3-volume history by Georgia Koulikourdi)

As is well-known, the island of Aegina has been an enduring historical presence in the Greek lands. This can be attributed both to the nature of its soils and to its geographical location. The composition of the soil, the climate, the water reserves, the configuration of the coastline, all create the conditions for support of a permanent population of between five and six thousand inhabitants. Its geographical position, virtually at the centre of the Saronic Gulf, makes possible a great increase in this demographic potential. As a result, Aegina, unlike the rest of islands of the Saronic Gulf, has been continuously inhabited since 3500 B.C. and so possesses important monuments from all historical periods. It could therefore be an ideal centre for studying Greek civilization as a whole. The mythical tradition of Aeacus and the Aeacidae reflects the political, economic and cultural significance of Aegina at its zenith. Particularly emphasized is the notion that the Aeginetans were descended from the island’s ants, making them a people indigenous to the island. In its long history, Aegina has gone through periods of great prosperity. Especially during the Archaic age (734 B.C. – 459 B.C.) it became an important naval and mercantile power … Continue reading

International Conference: “Capodistrias – Spinelli – Europe”

Sunday, 23rd November 2008 17.55 From Aegina Portal (translated) An international conference whose style and content provide a glimpse of the importance of the island and its history was held in Aegina, with proceedings opening yesterday Saturday at the Hotel Danae. The international conference took place in the context of the celebration of the 180th anniversary of the swearing-in of Ioannis Capodistrias and forms part of the commemorative celebrations programmed for this year by the Municipality of Aegina. The promotion of the Capodistrias – Spinelli activities in relation to the European integration project began to be promoted approximately two years ago by Mr. Wayne Hall, both from within an informal group around the subject in question, and through the exchange of relevant correspondence and personal contacts with the Municipality of Aegina and other groups on the island with the potential for involvement. Yesterday’s conference emerged from an initiative by Messrs. Alexis Krauss and Wayne Hall, implemented by the Association of Active Citizens under the auspices of the Municipality of Aegina. The potential of this international conference was obvious from the moment it was announced, i.e. that it could significantly strengthen promotion of the content of Ioannis Capodistrias’ politics, which – … Continue reading