Population exchange between Greece and Turkey

Quick Facts: Who was Population exchange between Greece and Turkey?

Subject:

Population exchange between Greece and Turkey

Known for:

The 1923 agreement formalizing the mutual displacement of Greek Orthodox Christians and Muslims.

Verified Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey was the formal displacement of approximately 1,221,489 Greek Orthodox Christians from Asia Minor, Eastern Thrace, the Pontic Alps and the Caucasus, and 355,000–400,000 Muslims from Greece. Most of these people were forcibly made refugees and de jure denaturalized from their homelands. It stemmed from the "Convention Concerning the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations" signed at Lausanne, Switzerland, on 30 January 1923, by the governments of Greece and Turkey. Most of the Greeks covered by the agreement had already been ethnically cleansed from Turkey by late 1922, before the exchange agreement, whereas most of the Muslim population transferred from Greece departed in 1923–1924, after the exchange agreement. On 16 March 1922, Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Kemal Bey (later Yusuf Kemal Tengirşek), stated that "[t]he Ankara Government was strongly in favour of a solution that would satisfy world opinion and ensure tranquillity in its own country", and that "[i]t was ready to accept the idea of an exchange of populations between the Greeks in Asia Minor and the Muslims in Greece".

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Eventually, the initial request for an exchange of population came from Eleftherios Venizelos in a letter he submitted to the League of Nations on 16 October 1922, following Greece's defeat in the Greco-Turkish War and two days after their accession of the Armistice of Mudanya. The request intended to normalize relations de jure, since the majority of surviving Greek inhabitants of Turkey had fled from recent genocidal massacres to Greece by that time already. Venizelos proposed a "compulsory exchange of Greek and Turkish populations", and asked Fridtjof Nansen to make the necessary arrangements. The new state of Turkey also envisioned the population exchange as a way to formalize and make permanent the flight of its native Greek Orthodox peoples while initiating a new exodus of a smaller number (400,000) of Muslims from Greece as a way to provide settlers for the newly depopulated Orthodox villages of Turkey. Norman M. Naimark claimed that this treaty was the last part of an ethnic cleansing campaign to create an ethnically pure homeland for the Turks.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Historian Dinah Shelton similarly wrote that "the Lausanne Treaty of 1923 completed the process of the forcible transfer of the Greeks". This compulsory population exchange, or agreed mutual expulsion, was based primarily on religious identity. It encompassed nearly all the indigenous Greek Orthodox Christians of Turkey (the Rûm or "Roman/Byzantine" millet), including Armenian-speaking Hayhurum and Turkish-speaking Karamanlides. It also included most of the native Muslim population of Greece, among them Greek-speaking Muslims such as the Vallahades and Cretan Muslims, as well as Muslim Roma groups such as the Sepečides, who were relocated to Turkey. Some scholars have criticized the exchange, describing it as a legalized form of mutual ethnic cleansing, while others have defended it, stating that despite its negative aspects, the exchange had an overall positive outcome since it successfully prevented another potential genocide of Greek Orthodox Christians in Turkey.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1922: 1922 Milestone — Most of the Greeks covered by the agreement had already been ethnically cleansed from Turkey by late 1922, before the exchange agreement, whereas most of the Muslim population transferred from Greece departed in 1923–1924, after the exchange agreement.
2. 1923: 1923 Milestone — The 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey was the formal displacement of approximately 1,221,489 Greek Orthodox Christians from Asia Minor, Eastern Thrace, the Pontic Alps and the Caucasus, and 355,000–400,000 Muslims from Greece.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Population exchange between Greece and Turkey

True or False: “The population exchange agreement primarily focused on exchanging populations based solely on economic status rather than religious identity.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): The compulsory exchange was based primarily on religious identity, encompassing Greek Orthodox Christians and native Muslim populations.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Aaron Spelling — Historical peer (Born in 1923) (1923): Pioneering American producer of hit TV series like Dynasty and Beverly Hills, 90210.
• Ahmet Ertegun — Historical peer (Born in 1923) (1923): Pioneering Turkish-American music executive, co-founder of Atlantic Records.
• Aage Bohr — Historical peer (Born in 1922) (1922): Pioneering Danish nuclear physicist, Nobel laureate for atomic structure theory.
• Agnes Nixon — Historical peer (Born in 1922) (1922): Pioneering soap opera writer and producer, creator of 'One Life to Live' and 'All My Children'.
• Abdullah of Saudi Arabia — Historical peer (Born in 1924) (1924): King of Saudi Arabia, known for his role in modernizing the kingdom's governance.
• Ahmadou Ahidjo — Historical peer (Born in 1924) (1924): Cameroonian politician and first President of Cameroon (1960-1982).

Frequently Asked Questions about Population exchange between Greece and Turkey