A Decade of War

For Greece, the decade from 1912 to 1922 was a period of almost uninterrupted military campaigning aimed at realising the national vision known as the "Megali Idea". This began with the Balkan Wars in 1912-1913. In the summer of 1914, World War I broke out in Europe; Greece initially remained neutral, but mobilization in face of the tensions was inevitable. Finally, in the summer of 1917, the country became actively involved in the Great War as an ally of the Entente (Britain and France).

World War I ended in the autumn of 1918. Having sided with the victors, Greece endeavoured to settle territorial claims in the Balkans (Thrace) and Asia Minor (in the area around Smyrna). Greek army divisions participated in the somewhat opportunistic Ukraine Campaign organised by the British and French against the Bolshevist regime in southern Russia.

In the wake of failure, in May 1919 the Greek army landed at Smyrna on the orders of the Peace Council, charged with guaranteeing peace and the rule of order in the area. Yet its presence in Asia Minor stirred up national feeling among the Turkish population. Thus began yet another major military misadventure, which was to be most tragic in this period. In August 1922, the Turkish army under Kemal Ataturk launched its counter-offensive. The defeat of the Greeks brought with it the uprooting of Asia Minor Hellenism.