What Next for Greece?

Abstract

Success in war, including gains in territory and population, left big problems for Greece of reconstruction, economic recovery, refugee settlement, exploitation of the New Lands. The influx of Muslims from Macedonia to Asia Minor led Turkey to respond by dumping Christians from the Asia Minor littoral at Salonika and on the Aegean coast. This seriously further upset Greece's relations with Turkey. The linked problems of Northern Epirus/Albania and the Aegean islands was resolved painfully for Greece by the Great Powers, which obliged Greece to withdraw from Albania. The islands remained in Greek hands, but still claimed by Turkey. In the face of this, a naval arms race developed between Turkey and Greece, both making procurements designed to secure superiority in the Aegean. Thus a series of problems were building up for Venizelos. Direct negotiations with Turkey did not succeed. War seemed probable. Venizelos was travelling to Brussels for direct talks with the Grand Vizier on the range of issues, including a possible exchange of Christian and Muslim populations, when the Grand Duke was assassinated in Sarajevo, and Venizelos felt obliged to return to Athens to deal with the serious issues raised by the July crisis and the outbreak of the Great War.