I. George I (1863-1913)

1. After the Revolution of 1862 it became clear that the Powers were going to choose a new king.
2. The choice fell on Prince Christian Glücksburg, son of the heir to the Danish throne, who ruled as King George I

1. The Powers could not at first agree on a candidate.
2. In 1864 Britain ceded the Ioanian Islands to Greece.

                C. New constitution of 1864.

1. More democratic than the Constitution of 1844.
2. Power was said to derive from the people, and the monarch was to have only those powers specifically given to him.
3. The legislature was a single house of Parliament, elected by all adult males.
4. But the powers granted to the king were considerable--he could dissolve parliament, appoint and dismiss ministers, declare war, and make treaties.
5. Politics, however, were very much as before, with office-seeking and political instability characteristic.

                D. Revolt in Crete

1. There had been a revolt in Crete in 1858 and a more serious uprising in 1866.
2. Greece prepared for war and made an alliance with Serbia.
3. British pressure prevented Greek intervention and the revolt collapsed.

                E. Greek interests in the North

1. Until this time Greece had had good relations with its Slavic neighbors to the north.
2. Greek ambitions in the north, however, brought them into potential conflict with Bulgaria.
3. At the same time the Russians developed their policy of Pan-Slavism, which made the Greeks nervous, since there was danger that the Russians would side with the Slavs against Greek interests.
4. During the Russo-Turkish war of 1877 Greece invaded Thessaly, but the war was soon over.
5. In the Treaty of 1881 the Ottoman Empire ceded Thessaly and the Arta region of Epiros to Greece.
6. In 1878 Britain assumed the administration of Cyprus.

                F. Internal Greek Politics

1. Politics were stabilized by the dominant personality of Harilaos Trikoupis, who worked for continuity and internal reform.

1. There was substantial economic development and public works.
2. Development of some industry and the foundation for the Greek merchant marine was laid.
3. Trikoupis was a western-style reformer who sought to strengthen Greece internally before allowing it to become involved in external adventures.

                            2. Trikoupis was opposed by Theodore Deliyannis.

1. Deliyannis, as opposed to Trikoupis, supported expansion of Greek frontiers (i.e., an ambitious and aggressive foreign policy).
2. He was a demagogue who proposed lower taxes and greater political patronage.

                            3. For many years, during the 1880's and 1890's Trikoupis and Deliyiannis alternated in office--which led to                                   a   certain degree of stability, but no real two-party system emerged, since each man built up a personal                                  following, without the institutional structure of political parties.

                    G. War with Turkey

1. Deliyiannis encouraged another Cretan rebellion in 1897.
2. Greek troops were soundly defeated by the Ottomans in Thessaly, and the king and his son Constantine were made scapegoats; George considered abdicating.
3. Despite the Greek defeat, the terms imposed on Greece were rather lenient.
4. The Powers established a commission to oversee payment of Greece's debt, supported by income from state monopolies (on items such as salt, playing cards, tobacco).
5. Nevertheless, Crete was granted autonomy under Prince George, second son of King George.

                    H. Macedonia

1. The weakness of the Ottoman Empire created a power vacuum in greater Macedonia (a large area now divided up between the states of Bulgaria, Greece, and Macedonia, including a very mixed population).
2. The Greek side organized the Ethnike Etaireia (National Society) to promote the Hellnization of Macedonia.
3. The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO, founded 1893) and the Supreme Macedonian Committee represented the Slavic-speaking inhabitants of the region.
4. The Supreme Macedonian Committee advocated the annexation of Macedonia by Bulgaria.
5. There were armed battles among these various ethnic groups.

                    I. Union of Crete

1. In 1908 the Cretan legislature proclaimed the union (enosis) of Crete with Greece.
2. This came as a bit of a surprise to the government in Athens, but it was accepted.

                    J. Military Revolt of 1909

1. Military officers were dissatisfied with the government, particularly the position of Crown Prince Constantine.
2. The "Stratiotikos Syndesmos" -- revolutionary movement similar to the Young Turks -- sought to modernize the Greek political situation and to remove the politicians from the army.

                    K. Eleftherios Venezelos

1. Venezelos was a Cretan who had studied in Athens and participated in the uprisings in Crete and in the Cretan legislature.
2. He came to power in 1910 as a result of the military unrest.
3. The military officers supported him because he had not been involved in the political intrigues in Athens.
4. The king was willing to promote Venezelos because he hoped that this might reduce anti-dynastic sentiment.
5. An assembly was summoned in 1910 to forge a new constitution and, when there was a deadlock, new elections were called and Venezelos won an overwhelming majority (almost 300 out of 362 seats).
6. In 1911 50 items were added to the 1864 constitution:

1. The state could confiscate land--this gave Venezelos the legal standing to carry out land reform (especially in Thessaly).
2. Reorganization of the state bureaucracy and education.
3. Tax system was reorganized and made more progressive.
4. Unions were permitted.

                        7.   Economic reform.

1. Break up of the large Thessalian chiftliks (Turkish estates) and land distribution to peasants.
2. Industrial development.
3. Venezelos' liberal measures may (ironically) have hindered the development of socialism in Greece.

            L. Balkan Wars

1. In 1912 Greece, Serbia, and Bulgaria declared war against the Ottoman Empire.

1. The Greeks liberated Chios, Mytilene, and Samos.
2. The Greek army liberated Thessaloniki.

                           2.   In 1913 the alliance fell apart when Greece and Serbia agreed to partition Macedonia between them                                    (and  leave Bulgaria out).

1. Bulgaria was defeated.
2. Treaty of Bucharest, August 1913: Greece's land area was increased almost 70% and the population was increased from 2,800,000 to 4,800,000.

                            3.   King George was assassinated in Thessaloniki by a madman in March 1913.

II. Constantine I (1913-1917)

1. World War I

1. King Constantine wanted Greece to be neutral in the war.

1. He had been trained at the Prussian Military Academy and he married Sophia, the sister of Kaiser Wilhelm II.
2. He was impressed with the military strength of the Central Powers.

                           2. Venezelos wanted Greece to ally with the Entente.

1. He was a traditional ally of Britain and its liberal politicians.
2. Venezelos was impressed with British naval power.

                            3. Britain sought Greek support in the war and offered Greece unspecified territory in Asia Minor.

1. This was in part to compensate for Greek land in the north that was to be given to Bulgaria to gain its neutrality.
2. Venezelos wanted to agree.
3. Constantine was hesitant and nothing came of the offer, but this was the beginning of Greece's Asia Minor adventure.

                            4. Venezelos wanted Greece to take part in the Dardanelles campaign; the king at first agreed and then                                    refused.

                            5. Venezelos resigned as prime minister, March 1915.

            B. The "Ethnikos Dichasmos" (National Split)

1. Venezelos finally withdrew from the political process and formed a rival government in Thessaloniki in October 1916.

1. Venezelos claimed that the king was thwarting the popular will.
2. Here was no doubt that Venezelos and his policies were popular in Greece.

                           2. Entente troops occupied Athens in December 1916 in an attempt to force Greek support of the war effort.

1. There was fierce fighting.
2. The allies instituted a blockage to force the government to cooperate.

                            3. In June 1917 Constantine went into exile, leaving his second son Alexander as king.

                C. The Greek War Effort

1. Venezelos reunified the country.
2. He purged the army of his opponents.
3. He committed nine Greek divisions to the Macedonian front, which made a substantial contribution to the victory of the Entente.

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