Douglas Dakin

Douglas Dakin (13 July 1907 – 20 July 1995) was a British historian, academic and professor emeritus of Birkbeck College, University of London (1935–1974). He is especially known for his work in the Neohellenic Studies field, in which he devoted the greatest part of his study and research, especially focusing on the Greek Revolution through the mid-20th century period.

Biography

Early life and studies Dakin was born in Gloucestershire, England, the son of a village schoolmaster. In 1945 he returned to the UK from the Middle East and was posted in the Allied/Foreign Liaison Section of the British Air Ministry.

Neohellenic studies After the end of the war, Dakin returned to Birkbeck College where additional duties as an archivist were assigned to him. He faced bureaucracy with humour and parallel to his popular night classes on the post-Napoleonic Congress system and his supervisory duties of postgraduate students, acquiring for both the fame of an enlightened and respected teacher. His main work centered on modern Greek history