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Summary: All Christian Americans Must Read This .
Review: A must for people who are interested in Middle East History and more important the history of the Ottoman empire to the birth of the modern Turkish nation. The book also offers the reader a great insight into the political theater of the time. The events that occurred at that time frame have tremendously influenced current politics in the region. For me the great attraction to the book was the inclusion of eyewitness testimonies. The eyewitness accounts are invaluable in describing the horrors that the Christian minorities suffered in the hands of the advancing Turks. The savagery and complete disregard for human suffering gives a great insight into the Turkish character. Although this was one of the saddest moments in modern history it was quickly swept under the rug in order for the great powers to save face. There has not been another instance in modern history when such brutality was recorded. The sad part is that even in our times the tragic events that took place in Smyrna still remain forgotten by all except for those who were there. My eternal gratitude goes to Dr. Dobkin for shedding light to that horrible tragedy.
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Summary: Fascinating Story of Forgotten Genocide
Review: Dobkin's book is brilliant, and should be assigned reading for students of 20th century history. Visitors to the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC learn that Hitler cited the Turkish genocide of the Armenian and Greek populations of Asia Minor from 1915-23 as inspiration for the NAZI genocide. Now, Dobkin captures the last act of the Turkish genocide, the 1923 burning of Smyrna. The US Counsel at Smyrna, George Horton, having witnessed the Turkish atrocities, subsequently wrote that, "One of the keenest impressions which I brought away with me from Smyrna was a feeling of shame that I belonged to the human race." Holocaust revisionists...are now denying that the event took place. Dobkin's book serves as a warning to future regimes planning similar acts that their crimes will never be forgotten.
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Summary: Biased opinion ruins the fine story
Review: Good work, bad lies.. it sure can convince the average American reader, however not those who know a little about history. There is no reason for a victorious army to burn down a city which they had just liberated. Istanbul has more Greek influence than Smyrna, why didn't they burn it down as well? On the other hand, Greeks had many reasons to burn a city that they were preparing to leave for good, not to leave Turks anything of use behind. Just like they did to many smaller towns in Western Anatolia before they retreated.
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Summary: Genocide- pure and simple
Review: I wonder- if the Jews have a documented case of a Holocaust (which I would never dispute!) why is it such a struggle for the world to recognize this Holocaust against Orthodox Christian Greeks and Armenians- total innocents of an historic city that was so savagely destroyed by the Ottoman Army. I do not necessarily point fingers at "Turks" per se as that country did not exist during the time frame of this atrocity. I do feel an injustice occured and it should be recognized.
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Summary: A story to tell.
Review: I would like to reply to the reader who commented on Smyrna 1922
"Biased View Ruins Fine History" Well, it just goes to show your biased view. If you don't believe in the massacre of Smyrna and the massacre of Constantinople why should anyone believe in the Jewsih Holocaust? If you offer a rational explanation for Smyrna then why should I not offer a rational explanation as to why the Nazis murdered the Jews? History is not to be rationalized and offered different versions and views by people who read it. History is history. Take it or leave it. Don't offer your sick version of what you believe or don't believe. Don't call me a fool, don't tell me I am blind, or deaf, when I know I am not. Don't call me a liar, when I know I have all my faculties. This country has a passion for changing historical facts. We re-write history because . . . oh yes, because we have the military might to do anything we want, including the transformation of facts in order to suit out purpose. The American Indians were not massacred, mistreated, had their lands taken away from them; the blacks were not brought to this country in chains, they were not slaves, they were not discriminated against and killed and murdered and tortured simply because God created their skin black. We don't have a history that is written in blood in this country, because you, and people like you say so. Because, you and your cronies give your opinion about historical facts you know nothing about. Ms. Dobkin did extensive research in order to write this book. This book is not her opinion. This book is a historical fact. Did you do any research on this topic before you uttered a statement that is an insult to the writer and to the memory of those who were massacred in the Smyrna Catastrophe? Did you have grandparents who might have had their heads chopped while buried in the sand? And that wasn't all. The rape and the vilenss of it all was even worse than dying. Death is a release and relief. If only death would come sooner under those circumstances. On that note, I would like to advise you to read what the wife of the American Ambassador in Smyrna reiterated at the time. Find that part of history and research it. It might help educate and help you comprehend the magnitude of the Smyrna tragedy. It might also help you not to make irresponsible statements that are offensive to the writer who worked so hard and poured her soul into writing this book. I don't know what you are and who you are, but my advice to you is to go back to the drawing board and start studying history, the European version mind you. Not the American one, because like our Contemporary News, and Contemporary Newscasters, it will surely be distorted!! You see 2004 is not any different to 1922 when the interests of the mighty were at stake, consequently the Smyrna massacre and human tragedy. If you are able to understand and comprehend what really happened you will stop spreading your Mega-ignorance. It might be catching. God only knows, we have enough diseases in this country without the spread of another! In closing I would like to congratulate Ms. Housepian Dobkin for her excellent work. This book is a literary historical gem and one that will never be put on the shelf and forgotten. Human suffering must never be rationalized and put away, for history written in blood has a tendency to repeat itself quite often!
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Summary: Read about the truth
Review: Many Turks continue to deny that Greeks and Armenians were murdered in cold blood, but at age 13, my father and his family almost did not survive the holocaust of 1922. Some Turks may say that it was the Greeks who burned Smyrna, but that simply is not true according to eye witnesses. Read Smyrna 1922 to find out the truth.
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Summary: Does not take the full fact of the time into account
Review: Smyrna 1922 is a flawed and incomplete historical work. It doesn't take into account some facts:
The Greek Army had occupied Anatolia for almost 2 years before this incident. It also invaded and occupied areas in Anatolia where there were no Greeks Again I emphasize this fact, WHERE THERE WERE NO GREEKS. What was the motivation for this? The motivation was to clear out these areas of Muslims for Greeks. I'm sure thte local Muslim population was well treated by the troops. Greece had done this type od ethnic cleansing during the Balkan wars also.
Also another fact is the Smyrna (or it's current name Izmir) was not primarily a "Christian" city. According to Ottoman census records, Christians were a large minority.
Also some things are not addressed in this book. Why were Jews in the city left alone. Why didn't the Turks kill all the Jews?
Also why would the Turkish Army torch the city? This defies common sense, you don't trash a city that you are re-entering in war. IT WOULD HOWEVER MAKE SENSE FOR AN ARMY THAT WAS DRIVEN INTO THE SEA to torch the city so Turkish troops would have nothing left.
I guess the Turkish troops entering Smyrna (Izmir) should have offered sweets & candy to the local population that had aided and abetted a invading army.
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Summary: A book that is must reading
Review: When archeologists excavate in Greece they discover ancient Greek civilization. Similarly, when they excavate in Turkey they still discover ancient Greek civilization. Also, during my studies in the US and Canada I met young Turkish intellectuals who by searching for their roots they traced an old Greek background. Based on the above and on what I read in the international press about the current situation in Turkey it seems to me that the current Turkish regime, whose backbone is the Turkish military, cannot comply with historical truth for if they did so they would collapse in a blink of an eye not because of any foreign intervention but because of the cry of the Turkish people for the implementation of the fundamental human rights. I just wonder how long a fascist regime can resist progress springing from a world that gradually turns to a global village. Therefore, I really understand the agony and insecurity of the detractors of the author of this book but I feel tempted in a humorous manner to add another "fact" to the ones a reviewer listed above: "The Christian population of Smyrna was not massacred by the Turks of Kemal Ataturk, perhaps they committed mass suicide!"
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Summary: Question for the Turkish revisionists of history.
Review: Why is it that whenever a Muslim people commits an atrocity that the whole world looks away and claims that Islam is a religion of peace?
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Summary: answer to my Greek friend Kallya Georgiades, Hellas
Review: You sound so overwhelmingly sure about your position. It's good to see. It's always better to live a blind and deaf life, better to say a biased life. Of course, Greeks will always say that the Turks burned down Izmir. And when American scholars go research history, they dont knock to their friends who have Turkish connections, they rather visit their Greek friends or go to Greek to learn about it.
How do they say... if you dont like a part in history just keep on telling the lie until it becomes the truth or better just write it from your own view and dont look the other side.
Everything good and fine, maybe the Turks maybe the Greeks burned down Izmir (yes I am refereing to the actual name, not the historical one, welcome to the 21st century).
You as Greek love it to hear that the Turks were savage/barbarian people and did all the bad things to your fellow countrymen, you are not to blame for that.
Greeks did their bad part in history, too. There are a lot of facts. In the eastern part of Greek Turks were always discriminated. There was the genocide in Cyprus on the Turks, which was lead by Greeks. Greeks went home to home to take out the kids and men to exectue them. The whole Northern Cyprus part and Turkey was crying out loud to the UN and Nato to stop the madness, of course, nothing happened. National TV's in Turkey showed the cases were Turks were killed in their own bathing tubs, full of blood, young children with their moms or dads lying in the tub. This event occured in the 1970's.
Until now Greeks living in Cyprus didnt pay a penny or even were send to a trial for their animal like beahvior, killing human beings on a cruel way, nothing happened.
And you want to tell me that I am blind or deaf???
I know history, thats why I spend so much time on it.
I urge you to look from both sides, not only from the Greek side or the Turks side, both.
By the way, coming back to Izmir. The Greeks say the Turks did it, ok thats their point. The Turks say the Greeks did it, thats their point. Who's wrong???
Yes, Greeks tortured Turks. Yes, Greeks destroyed homes. Yes, Greeks tried to erase the Turks living in Izmir and all of West Anatolia so they could claim it (to make it Greece).
Turks wanted their own coutry sides back. They wanted to make sure that no other war will start again. The Turks wanted to eliminate more killing on Turkish and Greek side. The best solution was to bring all the Turks living in Greece back to Turkey (majority came) and escort the Greek back to Greece as a safety measurement. Both governments agreed on that policy so they exchanged their citizens.
Oh by the way, research a little bit how Turks lived in east Greek up to the 80's (90's), you will be astonished, just check for the sake of joy.
keep an open mind, my brother!
by the way, a phony book!
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