Merchant shipping in the context of the war economy: Rearrangements and new opportunities
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Title
Merchant shipping in the context of the war economy: Rearrangements and new opportunities
List Of Authors
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Spatial Coverage
Date
2 October 2021
Abstract
The century before the Greek Revolution, as modern research has documented, was characterised by the rapid growth of Greek-owned shipping, as ships in the Ionian and Aegean had formed a large fleet and emerged as the most dynamic maritime transport provider in the eastern Mediterranean. Maritime routes led the merchant fleet to international markets: in the western Mediterranean, the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, but also beyond Gibraltar, to the ports of Western Europe and the Atlantic. With the outbreak of the revolution, trade and shipping in the eastern Mediterranean were inevitably disrupted. On the one hand, the seaports of the Aegean joined the ranks of the revolutionaries directly. In the absence of a coordinated navy, merchant ships were called upon to take responsibility for naval warfare. But what exactly happened to their business? Was it interrupted or transformed in the conditions of the revolution? Also, how did shipping and trade contributed to the war economy and what were economic pressures on both the administration and the shipowners? On the other hand, the declaration of neutrality by the Ionian Islands in 1822 created completely different conditions for the Ionian fleet, as it allowed it to move between wars, offering new opportunities in trade and shipping. With this presentation, we first tried to trace the course of Greek-owned merchant ships in international markets during the revolution. Through the archives of western Mediterranean (Livorno, Trieste, Genoa) but also Black Sea (Odessa, Taganrog) ports, the continuation of the shipping activity in time of war is investigated, while at the same time the shipping movement in the area under revolt is examined through customs records (e.g. Nafplio, Tinos, Syros) highlighting the discontinuities and the new centres that emerged. Finally, utilising the rich and diverse archival material of the Ministry of the Navy (General State Archives) the presentation examines the multiple uses of the ship (commercial, cruiser, pirate, transport) during the war, focusing on its economic operation, while attempting to highlight the connection of the merchant fleet with local communities and ports. The presentation is based on the results of a four-year research programme, conducted at the Ionian University and the Institute for Mediterranean Studies, Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas with the kind support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, from 2016 to 2019. The aim of the programme was to highlight the role of the merchant and military fleet in the outcome of the Greek Revolution, examining for the first time its economic and military dimension.
(Edited and translated abstract from the conference organisers)
(Edited and translated abstract from the conference organisers)
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Text
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Bibliographic Citation
https://www.protovoulia21.gr/draseis/i-oikonomia-sta-chronia-tis-epanastasis/
https://www.protovoulia21.gr/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Program_Economy1821.pdf
https://www.protovoulia21.gr/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Abstracts_Economy1821.pdf
Number Of Pages - Duration
00:20:00
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BY-NC-SA Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
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