The Asia Minor disaster
communication with eastern Thrace, which had a large Greek population. Following the population exchange, by 1924 the Greek population had increased to 170,000 persons. 43 Furthermore, according to the 1928 census, out of a population of 303,171 inhabitants, 107,607 were refugees. 44
The growth of the Greek population in Macedonia and western Thrace led to the consolidation of Greek national security and of the Greek state’s control in these regions. This was acknowledged as an active aim of the Greek state by Prime Minister Gonatas, who led Greece from 1922 to 1924. In his memoirs, he wrote that ‘ we settled rural refugees particularly around the borders of the state to increase population density so that they could defend themselves against sudden invasions ’ . 45 The success of this policy is demonstrated by unwillingness of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO), a revolutionary society which had fought for the incorporation of Macedonia into Bulgaria since the late nineteenth century, to launch ‘raids into […] Macedonian territory where there were no Slavs ’ . 46 Furthermore, ethnic homogeneity gave Greece ‘ a sense of security which many other eastern European countries with large minorities lacked ’ , which some argue enabled Greece to face Italian aggression as a ‘ united and hopeful nation ’ . 47 In conclusion, due to the population exchange, ‘ the northern provinces were removed from the arena of Balkan power politics ’ 48 and were secured under Greek control, becoming ‘ not only politically but also ethnically Greek lands ’ . 49 The concentration of the Greek population within the frontiers of the Greek state reduced the ability of minority groups to threaten Greece’s territorial integrity, benefitting Greece’s national security.
Conclusion
Overall, the Asia Minor disaster was a traumatic experience for Greece, and the expulsion of Christian and Muslim populations was a humanitarian crisis that caused immense suffering. The population exchange deepened political tensions in Greece, prompting fifteen years of Liberal-dominated governance punctuated by dictatorship, and came at an immense financial cost. However, to call the disaster Greece’s ‘ national catastrophe ’ neglects its role as a modernizing catalyst in almost all aspects of Greek soci ety. First and foremost is the redirection of the Greek state’s energies from pursuing a nationalist, expansionist fantasy to focusing on development within its borders. Politically, the Asia Minor Greeks enabled the establishment of a progressive democratic republic in Greece. Economically, the contributions of the Asia Minor Greeks led to a transformation in Greek agriculture and significantly expanded both Greek industry and commerce. Finally, the consolidation of Hellenism within Greece stabilized t he country’s frontiers, removing it from the chaotic struggles of Balkan politics. 43 Megáli Ellinikí Engiklopaídia/Great Greek Encyclopaedia , op. cit. : p. 408. 44 Statistikí Epetirís tis Elládos 1930 / Statistical Yearbook of Greece 1930 , op. cit. : p. 27, 46. 45 Translated from Greek. Gonatas, S. (1958) Apomnimonévmata Stilianoú Gonatá 1897-1957 / Memoirs of Stylianos Gonatas 1897-1957 , Athens: p. 265. 46 Wolff, R. (1956) The Balkans in our Time . Cambridge, Ma.: p.146. 47 Pentzopoulos op. cit. : p. 138. 48 Ibid ., p. 139. 49 E. Venizelos to Greek Ministry for Foreign Affairs in London, 17/10/1922, Istorikó Arkhío tou Ipouryíou Exoterikón / Greek Foreign Ministry Archives . Cited in Kontogiorgi op. cit. : p. 65.
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