Greece wins the Greco-Turkish war in 1922

So let`s assume Greece somehow manages to win the Greco-Turkish war (e.g. Great Britain intervenes on behalf of the Greeks)
Greece actually gets Constantinopolis and parts of Anatolia. How will that change Greek society and Greek politics in the 20th/21th century? Will king Constantine I be crowned emperor of eastern rome?

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I've got my doubts it'll give birth to a new Roman identity, but the whole "True Roman Empire" thing might become even more important to the modern greek identity. While Greeks under the Ottoman empire retained some sense of being Rhomanoi, they had been presenting themselves as "Hellenes" for some time, and had even used it to capitalize on western sympathies during their struggle for independence. At this point, there was already a new sense of the Greek nation and Greek nationalism, with Byzantium as an important part of its past, and the Megali Idea as it's destiny to take back it's rightful lands. Actually! there's a lovely little story; on the Island of Lemnos in 1912, when the Turkish garrison occupying it were dispelled by Greek soldiers, Children came out to examine them. When asked why they were so curious, they said they wanted to see what "Hellenes" looked like, the soldiers responded "are you not Hellenes?" and they responded in turn "No, we are Romans". I found that quite interesting, that on one isolated island the Roman national identity managed to last up to 1912.

In any case, I often find myself wondering HOW the Greeks managed to botch this war up so bad, but it's not my point of expertise. One things for sure, I can't see them holding onto that much of the pontic coast, I imagine if they do very well they might be able to keep a reduced section of the Aegean coast (the Greek majority areas), Thrace and Constantinople, but other then that it's biting off way more then they can chew.
 
What land in they do get in anatolia at least will underpopulated from the ethnic cleaning of Muslims
 
What land in they do get in anatolia at least will underpopulated from the ethnic cleaning of Muslims
In that context I`m really interested about the fate of Constantinopolis, because in 1920 it had already 1 million inhabitants (mostly muslims). Would there really be an ethnic cleansing? I doubt it. That would be an humanitarian desaster.
 
In that context I`m really interested about the fate of Constantinopolis, because in 1920 it had already 1 million inhabitants (mostly muslims). Would there really be an ethnic cleansing? I doubt it. That would be an humanitarian desaster.

Probably more a forced exodus, with Greeks evicting Turks from the nicer/older quarters of the city. Perhaps even a forced migration Eastwards, which would lead to inflated populations in OTL pretty small cities in Eastern Turkey.
 
The turks would savour a taste of the medicine they were so eager to administer to the armenians.

The interesting effect is later: this Greece controls the Dardanelles and therefore is a big asset for Germany. I imagine Hitler telling Mussolini to calm down and entice Greece into the Axis.

Baku comes into Axis bomber range and, at the same time, the turks would be more than willing to help RAF and USAAF attack Ploesti from Anatolia airfields.

Huge butterflies.
 
The interesting effect is later: this Greece controls the Dardanelles and therefore is a big asset for Germany. I imagine Hitler telling Mussolini to calm down and entice Greece into the Axis.
Greece actually became some kind of proto-fascist state in the 1930s and many Greeks even admired the Nazis.

On the other hand Greece had an alliance with Great Britain in order to protect itself from Italy.

If a Greece which wins the Greco-Turkish war is strong enough to be considered a worthy ally by Italy+Germany, I can see them allying with the axis too though (at least if the axis promises them even more territory).

I doubt that would change the outome of world war II though. Most likely Greece would even lose some territory in Anatolia to Turkey again after WWII. And it would probably just become a communist puppet state after WWII because Stalin would surely like to keep Constantinopolis in his sphere of control. Greece a part of the Warsaw pact...I can see that.
 
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Greece actually became some kind of proto-fascist state in the 1930s and many Greeks even admired the Nazis.

On the other hand Greece had an alliance with Great Britain in order to protect itself from Italy.

If a Greece which wins the Greco-Turkish war is strong enough to be considered a worthy ally by Italy+Germany, I can see them allying with the axis too though (at least if the axis promises them even more territory).

I doubt that would change the outome of world war II though. Most likely Greece would even lose some territory in Anatolia to Turkey again after WWII. And it would probably just become a communist puppet state after WWII because Stalin would surely like to keep Constantinopolis in his sphere of control. Greece a part of the Warsaw pact...I can see that.


Metaxas opposed the Greco Turkish war because he thought it was too risky and it wouldn't succeed. He was a dictator and there were aspects of fascist regimes he liked and emulated, but he was also a gifted general and a lot more risk averse than the likes of Hitler and Musolini. He wasn't an imperialistic headless chicken, rather he thought more about the greater strategic picture, especially after Greece lessons from WW1. I don't really see the behavior you are describing as fitting him.

If Greece wins the greco-turkish war in 1922, I find it unlikely that there wont be another war between the Greeks and the Turks. Either way, preferred policy of Greece would be as in our timeline, to try to avoid getting mixed in a world war. It's possible for Greece to be friendlier to axis powers though Italy has rival claims, and as Metaxas noted, British power in the seas was very important for sea faring Greece. That being said, a stronger Greece that Italy won't invade, might have more incentives to keep British at a distance, so as to keep the Germans out, and calm fears of Germans that the British will use Greece as a foothold. But then, angering the British is also a big threat to Greece, militarily and economically. A look at Greece's map in the OP, strongly reinforces this. The sensible policy for Greece is to try to protect it self from Germany, Italy, Britain and try to juggle not angering sufficiently these powers. Even more so, if Greece has a bigger and more exposed border to defend and territory in Turkey to control.
 
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The turks would savour a taste of the medicine they were so eager to administer to the armenians.

The interesting effect is later: this Greece controls the Dardanelles and therefore is a big asset for Germany. I imagine Hitler telling Mussolini to calm down and entice Greece into the Axis.

Baku comes into Axis bomber range and, at the same time, the turks would be more than willing to help RAF and USAAF attack Ploesti from Anatolia airfields.

Huge butterflies.
So the Turks were racially responsible for all crimes committed against Armenians?
 
Turkey might be very revanchist.

Plus, if Turks are beaten by the Greeks, Italy might manage to keep/retake Antalya, and Kurds and Armenians to remain independent, completing the disaster.

Also, WWII and Interwar will be different. Different alliances, different rulers and so on.
 
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