Greco-Turkish War

The Greco-Turkish War of 1919-1921 was fought between Greece and the Ottoman Empire immediately following the Great War.

With the Ottoman Empire in disfavor due to widely circulated reports of genocide and massacres perpetrated against Armenians and ethnic Greeks of the Pontus region, Greece declared war on the Turks in 1919. In early 1920 the war went well for Greece as their forces steadily pushed in from the Aegean coast. Istanbul was already essentially occupied by the British. By late 1920 and early 1921 Turkish resistance had stiffened and the Greek forces began to suffer setbacks.

By mid 1921, with the Greek offensives faltering, the British finally stepped in to support Greece militarily and the final Turkish defenses were shattered.

The war was concluded by the Treaty of Rhodes in late 1921. The treaty terms included ceding Istanbul and the Aegean coast to Greece as well as the establishment of a new independent Greco-Armenian state of Trebizond in the region of Pontus.

In Greece, the war gains prompted growth in the 'Megali' or Greater Greece movement. In Turkey, on the other hand, the loss of the war proved to be fatal blow to the Turkish National Movement and the Young Turk Revolution. Though greatly weakened, the Ottoman Sultanate was restored.