Elefthería i thánatos - A Greece AAR

GulMacet said:

It seems the Turks got trounced pretty hard. Why did you not declare war for your cores, they look like can't really defend themselves, even against you...

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Because the "Declare War" button was greyed out. I`d love to tell you why, but the german translation is so atrocious, that I did not really understand it. But I guess it has something to do with the fact that the Turks have some great power behind them.

Eleftherios Venizelos
(1917 - 1921)​

The second term of Venizelos was characterized by some major societal changes. The main event was the "Electoral Law Reform" of 1918. Until then, the wealth of every male individual decided, whether he was entitled to vote and, if so, if he belonged to the 1st or 2nd class of voters, whereas the votes of the 1st class had two times the "weight" of those of the 2nd class. In 1918 only 12% of the total population were entitled to vote, with 25% of this electorate being in the 1st class and 75% in the 2nd class. But due to the weighted votes, the 1st class had 40% of the votes and the 2nd only 60%. After numerous demonstrations and political initiatives, the government changed the electoral law, so that there would not be two classes anymore and all votes had the same value.

Although this was a success for the progress of the cause of equality, many thought that things still had not progressed far enough yet. As of the late 1910s the feminist movement established itself and one of its demands was universal suffrage for all Greeks, no matter the wealth or gender.

Additionally to this reform the government made a first step toward worker rights, when the "Worker Salary Act" of 1921 was passed, which guaranteed the employees a minimum wage. Although the guaranteed wage was rather low, it was nevertheless an improvement for a decent amount of the working class.

Alongside these reforms Venizelos focused on the Greek navy and invested funds into training of officers, equipment and technologies. Nevertheless the fighting navy of Greece still consisted of some transport vessels and minor combat vehicles. There were several debates concerning the acquisition of large combat vessels, but until the end of Venizelos` term the cabinet could not agree on a specific design.

When the elections of 1921 came, a success of the Modernist Party was almost guaranteed and it received 100% of the votes. While Venizelos retired from public life, Gonatas became new Prime Minister.

Stylianos Gonatas
(1921 - 1925)​

Stylianos Gonatas (1876 - 1966) faced the results of an increasing awareness of the population concerning political issues and the resulting conflict between the masses and the establishment.

From 1923 to 1925 the north of the country was shaken by strikes, lockouts and communist riots. The government needed to act, but had to weigh up the interests of all involved parties. The result was the "Worker Protection Act" of 1925. The working hours per day were reduced to a maximum of 14 and the workers` right to strike acknowledged and lockouts declared unconstitutional. Labor unions remained prohibited since the state deemed itself to be the mediator between people and establishment.

Another conflict in northern Greece was the forced cultural assimilation of minorities especially in the curriculum of the few public schools, which caused unrest among the Turkish population. This policy was eventually abandoned in 1925, in order to restore order and respect the rights of the Turkish and Bulgarian minority. This cultural pluralism should turn Thessaloniki into a meeting place for all kinds of national and international contemporary artists in the following decade.

In the early 1920s the government could eventually agree on the future of the Greek navy. While one faction had advocated to invest funds into the acquisition of battleships, another gained the upper hand and the concept of the navy should be based on light combat vessels. In August 1923 the first cruiser "Themistocles" was commissioned. The state of the second branch of the armed forces, the army, was also reviewed and according to the growth of the Greek population the army size was increased to 42.000 soldiers.

The Foreign Policy during Gonatas` term was rather calm, although new European crises evolved. The "Ankara Crisis" of 1923 was insofar different from similar events, as the Ottoman claim to the region was supported by Imperial Japan, so European politics got influenced by a non-European power for the first time. Nevertheless the Ottoman claim was dismissed.

More successful proved to be the "Hannover Crisis" of 1925. Since the end of World War II the region of East Hannover was occupied by the Scandinavian Union, which experienced frequent civil unrest among the German population. During the London Conference from February to June 1925 it became obvious, that most major powers realized, that a weak and politically instable Germany in the center of Europe was not in their own interest. Although Great Britain had supported Scandinavia, the region was transferred back to the North German Confederation.

During the elections of 1926 the Modernist Party prevailed again and received 100% of the votes, with Zaimis becoming new Prime Minister.

Alexandros Zaimis
(1926 - 1930)​

During the term of Alexandros Zaimis (1855 - 1936) Greece passed through several civilian riots, which clarified the transformation process Greece was going through. Left-leaning movements, who thought that social progress did not happen fast enough, caused unrest as in the "Press Riots" of 1928, while reactionary forces wanted to revoke already existing reforms.

The government basically continued the reform process while trying to maintain social peace. The first of these measures was the "Election Reform" of 1926, when the whole male population got the right to vote. But this reform had two flaws. First of all it still excluded women`s suffrage, much to the disappointment of feminist movements, who did continue to protest. Secondly this new election law was still based on individual wealth. All those people not able to get into the former 1st and 2nd class, now composed the 3rd class. Additionally the votes of the three classes were weighted. Hence the 3rd class, which comprised 88% of the electorate, only had 76% of the votes.

Additionally the "Worker Salary Act" of 1921 was amended in 1928, significantly increasing the guaranteed minimum wage. This happened due to the fact that, although the Greek industry remained small, the first successful corporations in the food industry had been established and made huge profits, while the working class still suffered from inhuman living conditions.

Finally, in 1929, the "Press Law" was passed. Until then, all newspapers in the country were state-controlled. But the government was willing to allow a "free" press, which had to abide to specific regulations concerning the content of the new papers. These regulations aimed especially at news concerning the King and the Church.

Despite these reforms, the Zaimis-administration was not popular due to its failed foreign policy. In late 1928 the "3rd Macedonia Crisis" evolved, when Zaimis convinced the Austrian government of Greek`s claim to West Macedonia. As of December 1928 the major powers negotiated on the Copenhagen Conference concerning the issue, with Zaimis being personally present to gain support. But in spring 1929 it became obvious, that no country besides Austria would agree to a further weakened Ottoman Empire.

Zaimis had linked himself and his political career to the result of the Copenhagen-Conference and the negative outcome sealed his political fate. Although the Modernist Party still gained 100% of the votes, Zaimis had lost all support and had to resign, with Othoneos being his successor.

Alexandros Othoneos
(1930 - 1935)​

During the term of Alexandros Othoneos (1879 - 1970) the process of democratization continued. In 1932, just six years after the last Election Reform, the government passed a new law which introduced full Universal Suffrage. This included the abolition of the three-class franchise as well as the introduction of women`s suffrage. Eventually, in 1934, the regulations for the foundation and operation of political parties were loosened and several political movements, which had operated illegally in the underground so far, could now work openly, although they were still closely monitored by the authorities.

Othoneos, having served in the army for many years, initiated a new Army Reform, which led to another modernization especially of the used equipment and an increase of the army size to 48.000 soldiers. In 1933 there were several debates concerning the question, whether tank units should be established, but in the end he decided against it, probably for budgetary reasons. The Greek navy, although not being expanded, also experienced numerous technological upgrades as well as an improved training for non-commissioned officers.

In 1932 Greece hosted the X. Olympic Games and for the second time after 1904 the world could witness the progress of the country, which found appreciatory remarks in the correspondence of many high-ranking visitors.

Othoneos, just like his predecessors, had a vital interest in the Macedonia-issue. But he had to realize, that at the current time the major powers had no interest in matters which could potentially spark a new great war. In late 1930 and early 1931 the "Galicia Crisis" was silently shelved again with no changes of the status quo. In 1934 Othoneos visited Great Britain and although the British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald could get convinced for the Greek cause, a planned London Conference concerning Macedonia was never held due to a lack of participation of the other major powers.

Epilog​

The period from the 1830s to the 1930s, from its independence to World War III, is often called Greek`s "long 19th century".

In some ways Greek did not change during this time. At the end of Othoneos` term Greece was still an agrarian country with 75% of the people working in the agricultural sector. Although there was a thin class of industrial workers, it is believed that no more than 100.000 people out of a total population of 4.5 million belonged to it in 1935.

It is an often debated question, whether the industrialization could have been more successful. But one has to keep in mind, that the initial conditions were unfavorable. Greece was a newly founded country with a small, poor and uneducated population. It took until the early 20th century, until a class of entrepreneurs had accumulated enough capital to start establishing an industrial sector. And even then the domestic demand for industrial goods was low, while large industrial powers like Great Britain could export high quality industrial goods, which were mass produced at low price, making the establishment of an own industrial capacity in minor countries even more difficult.

In other ways, Greece passed through significant changes during this time period. Technologically it had to catch up with the major powers and in the 1930s it was almost on par with countries like Great Britain or France. The same was true concerning cultural matters, since Greece did not only adopt western cultural influences, but eventually brought forth own impulses in culture and art.

But the most important change occurred in the country`s political landscape. During the London Conference of 1832 it had been decided to turn Greece into a monarchy and Otto I had been wise enough to establish a first parliament in 1836 already. Since then a constant and, more important, peaceful liberalization took place within the Greek society, leading to serious advances concerning civil and worker rights. In 1935 Greece stood at the edge of a republican constitution and it is believed, that such a state had been reached within the next 30 years.

International Politics did accelerate this process. World War III (1938 - 1943) dramatically changed the maps and political realities in Europe. New countries were born and all remaining monarchies swept away. Greece, which had suffered from Austrian as well as Russian occupation, experienced a civil war in the mid 1940s which led to the deposition of King Georg II and the proclamation of the Greek Republic in 1947 under a social-liberal government.

Thereafter Greece returned to a state of peaceful progress within its current borders, since the dissolution of the remnants of the Ottoman Empire and the Egypt of Kingdom led to an annexation of West Macedonia and Crete as a result of the Potsdam Conference of 1944.

So, that`s it. The end result was not as good as I wanted it to be, but such is life.


Hope you enjoyed this a bit.

DensleyBlair said:

I'm looking forward to seeing what you do next.

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The next thing I`ll do is a decent break, for I will have a lot of work to do the next weeks. And then I will finally have to put that CK2 AAR to an end that is on hold for 4 or 5 months already.

hmy:

Reqinald said:

Also, I have to ask: Uruguay... a secondary power that's higher than both Brazil AND Canada? Can you post the world map and possibly explain how that happened?

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The world map is not necessary, for Uruguay is still within its RL borders. The thing is that its military is on steroids. Uruguay has a population of 6.8 M (Brazil 5.x M) and a unit cap of 500+ regiments of which 136 are actually active. Maybe a bug.

Oh, and it is severely indebted. I see 11 loans worth 8.700 bucks each, plus a dozen others between 1.000 and 5.000 bucks.