50 of 62 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
In line with "The Imperial Legacy", September 16, 2001
This review is from: The Ottoman Peoples and the End of Empire (Historical Endings) (Paperback)
Justin McCarthy added an excellent work of an area of interest that was neglected by so many for such a long time. The other works of him that I am referring to are his book, "Death and Exile" and the "Palestine" related statistical historical study. Despite funny claims that he works with Turkish Republic (as if Turkish Republic can 'afford' anything like this!), in fact, his writings are objective, empirical, well-founded, and well-detailed. In fact, I find his work to be in line with the "Imperial Legacy," another work by many scholars on the imperial influence left by the rule of the Ottoman (Osmanli) Empire. This is a great book and I was one of the luckiest people to have it now! (It will be some time before you can own it because of the troubles of new releases!) I strongly recommend it to anyone to understand the political and historical implications of hate and humiliation against Turks. On the other hand, Mr. McCarthy can be brutally honest when and if it comes to shocking findings about stupid, unplanned, and arrogant acts of Ottomans, especially in their last times. It is a great read, wonderful book!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
42 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Let's play a game: Which of the reviewers read this book?, October 25, 2004
This review is from: The Ottoman Peoples and the End of Empire (Historical Endings) (Paperback)
.
Prof. Justin McCarthy is an amazing historian. Objective, thorough, with a writing style that sweeps you along. He must also be credited for being one of the few western historians who applied himself to this much neglected arena of history: the story of the Turks. There are some groups who thrive on hating the Turks, and that makes the handful of western historians who write in a balanced (and not bigoted) way prime targets.
This book is about the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire, covering the conditions why the Sick Man of Europe was "wounded by its enemies, and finally murdered." With so many enemies, Dr. McCarthy asks, how could the constantly attacked empire have survived for as long as it did?
The focus of this book is not about the Armenians and Greeks. These peoples constituted only part of the Ottoman populace. Yet, some among these groups make a hobby of denigrating anything Turkish. And one unfortunate offshoot of Amazon's wonderful policy in allowing members of the public to speak their mind is inviting those with ulterior motives to spread their propaganda.
One of these ethnic Turcophobes gave himself the name of "François De Couture," and his purpose is to try and discredit the reputation of Justin McCarthy. The non-review this zealot has composed has nothing to do with the book.
The hypocritical "genocide industry" has banded together with the Armenians, adopting their awful smear tactics instead of sticking to the historical facts. The cited "Holocaust and Genocide Studies" represents a partisan agenda, and the particular paper this fraud has mentioned ("Professional Ethics and the Denial of Armenian Genocide," written by three ethics-challenged "genocide scholars") has nothing to do with Justin McCarthy. The fraud throws a name of a so-called "Holocaust denier," immorally trying to link McCarthy with one who has issues with a proven genocide.
Furthermore, we are given names that supposedly know better, such as Frédéric Paulin and Daniel Panzac; unfortunately, their claims are not instantly available, but the Armenian chapter of McCarthy's "Muslim and Minorities" may be found(...) and the reader may confirm exactly how immaculate, thorough and fair Prof. McCarthy's demographic methodology is. If these cited fellows are anywhere in the same league as another the fraud tells us about, Hilmar Kaiser, then their work can be trusted no further than can be thrown. The agenda-ridden latter is far from what we would call an unbiased scholar.
Dr. McCarthy agrees with the high end of figures of Armenian mortality, 600,000... since every "European" estimate of the period gave a pre-war population figure ranging from one million to 1.6 million. Simply subtract the one million survivors the Armenians themselves concede.
The fraud calls Prof. McCarthy "pro-Turkish." That is exactly how Admiral Mark Bristol was painted, but such is the fate of anyone who is "pro-truth" in the hands of these slanderers. Prof. McCarthy also called it on the money during hearings on H. Res. 398: the Turks carried on the mature policy of putting past ills behind them and to move forward... since harping on the over half-million Turks/Muslims/Jews who were murdered by the Armenians would have bred hatred. Thus, if the Turks did not speak for themselves in the wholly biased west, the professor's statement could not have been truer: "no one spoke for the Turks." No further comment is needed in the fraud's ironic statement: "Claming the genocide as being a lie is like saying that Armenians are liars."
An insidious charge is made that Prof. McCarthy may have received grants from Turkish associations. It is common practice for professors to get grants from various sources; the fact of the matter is McCarthy has been earning his salary from the American University of Louisville, and he doesn't need grants to compromise his integrity. Armenian "scholars" such as UCLA's AEF-sponsored Hovannisian and the Zoryan Institute's Dadrian have been getting plenty of money from Armenian organizations, and ultimately it is the quality of the research that must be considered... not the source of financing.
I'm not familiar with the "Turks and Armenians" book the fraud tells us about, but what we must consider within this page is "The Ottoman Peoples and the End of Empire"; Amazon has provided an inside glimpse, and the publishing houses are a British firm and Oxford University Press ... neither of which have nothing to do with Turkish financing.
And let's not forget it is the job of any responsible and professional historian to "correct" poor history that has been presented in a purposely maligned way for many years. Should we still read in American textbooks of the savagery of the American Indian?
As far as another non-reviewer who defamatorily labels Prof. McCarthy as a "Hired Lobbyist at Work" let us correct his statement, "the author has spoken to the U.S. Congress on behalf of Turkish Embassy front organizations." There is no shortage of "genocide nuts" who speak during these hearings; meanwhile, there are only a handful of experts in the area of non-biased Turkish history, operating from the United States. (A contemporary example of "no one [speaks] for the Turks.") Despite what this slanderer claims, Prof. McCarthy does not get a nickel for his participation in such hearings. The only motivation for this great academician of integrity is to perform his own admirable part in allowing for the truth to prevail.
.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
