Second Greco-Turkish War 1921-1922

Under the terms of the Mudros armistice agreed to by the Ottoman Empire, on October 20, 1918, – ending its participation in World War I – British, French and Italian troops occupied Constantinople; the Entente also acquired the right to occupy any other Ottoman territory. Secret agreements made during the war among the Entente powers (including Greece) provided for the partition of the Ottoman Empire. In accordance with those plans, Greek forces landed at Smyrna on May 15, 1919 and advanced inland. For a long time, the occupations were largely unopposed. Turkish nationalists, however, opposed the de facto partition taking place; their resistance coalesced and their legitimacy grew after the Ottoman parliament is forcibly closed on April 5, 1920. Ottoman representatives then signed the Treaty of Sevres on August 10th, formalizing the partition of the empire. The Turkish nationalists, under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal, established the Grand National Assembly in Ankara on August 23rd which challenged the legitimacy of the Sultan and the government in Constantinople and denounced the terms of the Treaty of Sevres. On November 8th, the assembly decided to establish a Turkish national army to defend its aspirations.

During 1920, the Greeks had occupied eastern Thrace and the district of Smyrna (now Izmir in Anatolia) in accordance with the territories Greece was formally assigned to them by the Treaty of Sevres. There was localized resistance during this occupation as well as Greek reprisals. However, in response to the military and political threat posed by the Turkish nationalists, on January 6, 1921, the Greek army, despite its lack of equipment and its unprotected supply lines, launched an offensive in Anatolia against the nationalist Turks. Although defeated at Inonu in January and, again, in March, the Greeks renewed their offensive in July and advanced toward Ankara. The Turkish army decisively defeated the Greeks at the Battle of the Sakarya River, lasting from August 24th to September 16th, forcing the Greek army to disengage and fall back toward Smyrna in disorder. During their year-long retreat, the Greek army looted, burned, and massacred Turkish settlements in their path. The reinforced Turkish army assaulted Smyrna on September 9, 1922, and occupied it on September 11th, sacking the Greek sections of the city and massacring Greek prisoners and driving the defeated Greek army out of Anatolia. On October 14, 1922, the Greece acceded to the Armistice of Mudanya which was already agreed to by France, Italy and the UK on October 11th.

After a seven-month peace conference, the Treaty of Lausanne was signed by representatives of Turkey (successor to the Ottoman Empire) on one side and by Britain, France, Italy, Japan, Greece, Romania, and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (Yugoslavia) on the other, on July 24, 1923. It obliged Greece to return eastern Thrace and the islands of Imbros and Tenedos to Turkey, as well as to give up its claim to Smyrna. Greece and Turkey also agreed to exchange their Greek and Turkish minority populations. The treaty recognized the boundaries of the modern state of Turkey. Turkey made no claim to its former Arab provinces and recognized British possession of Cyprus and Italian possession of the Dodecanese. The Allies dropped their demands of autonomy for Turkish Kurdistan and Turkish cession of territory to Armenia, abandoned claims to spheres of influence in Turkey, and imposed no controls over Turkish finances or armed forces. The Turkish straits between the Aegean Sea and the Black Sea were declared open to all shipping.

Notes

[1] There is no agreement about the initiation date for this war. Kohn and EB list it as 1921; Clodfelter lists it as 1920. The Correlates of War Project lists the initiation date as May 5, 1919; this date is consistent with the narrative of the Turkish War of Independence, which is more of a nationalistic story of origin than an historical analysis.

[2] Correlates of War lists the end date as October 11, 1922.

References

Clodfelter, 621-2; COW115; EB - Greco-Turkish Wars; Kohn, 196-7.

Category

Inter-State War

Region

West Asia

Belligerents

Greece, Turkey

Dispute

Territory, Governance

Initiation Date

January 6, 1921^[1]

Termination Date

October 14, 1922^[2]

Duration

1 year, 9 months, 9 days
(647 days)

Outcome

Negotiated Settlement
(Turkish victory)

Fatalities

Total: 50,000
Greece: 30,000
Turkey: 20,000

Magnitude

4.7