From Mudros to The Occupation Italy-Greece Competition in İzmir
Izmir is one of the prominent symbolic cities of World War I, perhaps the first. What makes Izmir so important is not only its economic, commercial and agricultural potential, but also the struggle of two states, Italy and Greece, who were theoretically allies in the war, to dominate the city. The rivalry that began towards the end of the war and continued in Izmir after the armistice and in Paris where the peace conference was held went beyond being a rivalry between the two countries. In the competition between Italy and Greece, with the support of their own communities, the aim is to impress their allies. While Italy highlighted the secret agreements it signed with its allies when entering the war and during the war as the fundamental elements of its struggle, Greece saw the philhellenes in the public opinion of its allied states as the basis of its propaganda policy. The purpose of this study is to examine the competition between Italy and Greece in Izmir after the Armistice of Mudros. For this purpose, Italian sources are mainly used. The subject covers the period from the armistice to the occupation.
Mondros’tan İşgale Kadar İzmir’de İtalya-Yunanistan Rekabeti
İzmir, I. Dünya Savaşı’nda öne çıkan sembol kentlerden birisi, belki de birincisidir. İzmir’i böylesine önemli kılan, sahip olduğu ekonomik, ticari ve zirai potansiyeli olduğu kadar iki devletin, üstelik savaşta teorik olsa da müttefik olan iki devletin İtalya ve Yunanistan’ın şehre hȃkim olmak için verdiği mücadeledir. Savaşın sonlarında başlayan ve mütarekeden sonra İzmir’de ve barış konferansının toplandığı Paris’te yaşanan rekabet iki ülke arasında bir rekabet olmanın ötesine geçmiştir. İzmir’de yaşayan Yunan vatandaşı Rumlarla onlarla iş birliği halinde olan yerli Rumların İtalyan vatandaşlarıyla ilişkileri, kimi zaman şiddete varan bir rekabet şeklinde gelişmiştir. İtalya ve Yunanistan arasında kendi cemaatlerinin de desteğiyle yaşanan rekabette hedef müttefiklerini etkilemektir. Bunun için her iki devlet de hiçbir fırsatı kaçırmamıştır. İtalya, savaşa girerken ve savaş devam ederken müttefikleriyle imzaladığı gizli antlaşmaları mücadelesinin temel unsuru olarak ön plana çıkarırken Yunanistan, müttefik devletlerinin kamuoylarında var olan Yunan severliği propaganda politikasının esası olarak görmüştür. İzmir’de, Paris’le birlikte Londra’da yaşanan mücadelenin galibi Yunanistan olmuştur. Bu çalışmanın amacı İtalya ile Yunanistan arasında İzmir’de Mondros Mütarekesi’nden sonra yaşanan rekabeti incelemektir. Bunun için ağırlıklı olarak İtalyan kaynakları kullanılmıştır. Konu, mütarekeden işgale kadar olan dönemde yaşananları kapsamaktadır.
Izmir is one of the shining cities of Europe in the 19th century. Known as Little Paris, Izmir is a city that European states wanted to dominate. There are reasons that make Izmir so important. First of all, Izmir was an important port city in the Eastern Mediterranean. In addition, the hinterland of Izmir was extremely rich in terms of natural resources and fertile in terms of agricultural areas.
When Italy and Greece won World War I, they started competing. Izmir had historical importance for both countries. Italy claimed to be the heir of the Eastern Roman Empire, and Greece claimed to be the heir of the Western Roman Empire. At the end of World War I, Italy and Greece entered into a fierce competition to dominate Izmir, the pearl of the Eastern Mediterranean. Italy was in an advantageous position in the competition because the city in question was promised to it by secret agreements signed during the war. However, as seen in many examples in history, countries that were allies in a war come into conflict of interests after they win the war. This is also the case with the relationship between Italy and its allies, England, France and the United States. England in particular used the fact that the secret agreements were not signed by Russia because it had left the war early as the basis for its diplomatic arguments. While it is true that Russia did not sign the secret Treaty of St. Jean de Maurienne, England’s real aim was to invalidate the promises made to Italy. The denial of its allies’ signatures put Italy at a disadvantage in its competition with Greece over Izmir. Although Greece entered the war in its final year and had no contribution to the victory, it had the unlimited support of England, or rather of England’s Grecophile Prime Minister David Lloyd George.
The real struggle between Italy and Greece for the possession of Izmir took place in Izmir. Greece had an advantage over Italy in this competition as well. Because the fact that a significant number of local Greeks and Greek citizens lived in Izmir changed the balance significantly. Greece used this power to intimidate the Turks and, more than that, the Italians. The show of force reached such a point that Italian citizens were killed, injured and Italian businesses were damaged. Italian documents showing that there was a large return migration of Greeks and Greek citizens to Izmir after the armistice also reveal another truth. The Greeks used some innocent and legal activities to camouflage their real aims in order to seize Izmir. Extremely humane behaviors such as sending health personnel and health supplies were abused, and Greek agents and military personnel were sent under the guise of health personnel, and weapons and ammunition were sent under the name of health supplies. It was also seen that this material was used not only against the Turks, but also against the Italians. The Greeks’ show of force in Izmir and their violent actions against the Turks and Italians were misrepresented to the European public. The propaganda claiming that “Muslims were massacring Christians” was also effective in Paris. Although Izmir was the center of the Greek-Italian rivalry, the decision on whether Italy or Greece would dominate Izmir would be made at the peace conference in Paris. For this reason, the Greeks in Paris, the center of Italian and Greek propaganda, carried out extremely effective work on this issue. The Greek Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos, aware of the results of multi-faceted work and the support of the European public, took the lead in the race to occupy Izmir. Venizelos, who also made good use of the sympathy of England and Europe for Greece, received permission to land troops in Izmir at the Peace Conference. The Turks launched a struggle for their homeland against Greece, which had landed troops in Western Anatolia in order to make Izmir and its hinterland their homeland. In this struggle, Italy took revenge for the bad and dishonorable treatment it had received from its allies by giving all kinds of support to the Turks. Thus, a spiritual alliance was established between the Turks and the Italians against the Greeks, which strengthened the bonds of friendship between the two seemingly hostile but actually friendly peoples.
