Xenocracy : State, Class, and Colonialism in the Ionian Islands, 1815-1864

e many European territorial reconfigurations that followed the wars of the early nineteenth century, the Ionian State remains among the least understood. Xenocracyoffers a much-needed account of the region during its half-century as a Protectorate of Great Britain - a period that embodied all of the contradictions of British colonialism. A middle class of merchants, lawyers and state officials embraced and promoted a liberal modernization project. Yet despite the improvements experienced by many Ionians, the deterioration of state finances led to divisions along class lines and presented a significant threat to social stability. Sakis Gekas shows that the impasse engendered de- pendency upon and ambivalence toward Western Europe, anticipating the 'neocolonial' condition with which the Greek nation struggles even today. [Publisher's text].

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