C) POLITICAL CONSEQUENCES

C) POLITICAL CONSEQUENCES

The political consequences that arose after the large migrations were of major concern to the Macedonian people. With the Christian colonization of Greek occupied Macedonia the political reality in that country, and in Greece itself, had drastically changed and thus substantially influenced the Macedonian National Question. The replacement of much of the ethnic composition in the Macedonian population contributed to a new political polarization and changed political party attitudes both inside and outside of Greece.

The Greek defeat in the Greek-Turkish war created a national, economic and political crisis. Similar experiences were felt in Germany, Hungary, Austria and Bulgaria; that is in almost all the countries defeated during World War I and subsequently humiliated

by the Versailles, Sen-Germanic, Tririan and Neuilly Peace Accords. No proper territorial benefits were offered for the many lives sacrificed during the First World War, which caused much discord giving birth to strong political tectonic movements in almost all defeated countries. (We are talking about the rise of revolutionary movements in Germany, Hungary, Bulgaria, etc.)

After the signing of the Lausanne Peace Treaty, Greece did not acquire what it considered “historic territories” in Asia Minor, and that created a deep national crisis. However, there was no noticeable left-wing revolutionary movement in Greece as there was one in Germany and Hungary, which would have put the political system into question and accused it of being guilty of creating a “national catastrophe”. After the Greek defeat in Sakaria, despite the apparent unstable political situation that approached the level of political chaos, politicians in Greece acted fairly quickly to politically and economically stabilize the country.

While national frustration was felt in Germany, Hungary and Bulgaria, Greece did not feel such frustration despite external appearances calling their debacle “a great historical catastrophe”. Despite the defeat in Sakaria, the Greeks still had a feeling of being winners, and after the “Great War” they were winners with territorial expansions in Greek occupied Macedonia and in Western Thrace. So-called Greece or Hellas, in its entire history, was never a single state let alone having such a vast territory. This fact alone acted as a stabilizer in the consciousness of the so-called Greek people.

The settlers and colonists also played a great political stabilizing role in Greece. Because the Christian population in Asia Minor played the role of a fifth column working against Turkey during the Greek-Turkish war, it felt like it was its own fault for being evicted from its ancestral hearth. So, from the moment it arrived in Greece it showed keen interest in establishing a stable political situation. It fully cooperated with the Greek authorities so that Greece could become economically stable as quickly as possible. After the settlers and colonists arrived in Greece, they became a serious stabilizing factor. With the internal political situation well-stabilized, the Greek political parties, the Liberal Party in particular, streamlined their

efficiency for faster accommodation of the colonist population. Eleftheros Venizelos, then leader of the Greek Liberal Party, was named “father of the colonists”. If the political centre-right rose in popularity, it awakened the CPG because the communists had an unrealistic and dogmatic political orientation, an orientation that was before its time.

D) ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES

The changes in demography that took place in Greek occupied Macedonia from 1913 to 1928 had major economic consequences which affected almost all spheres of life.

Greek occupied Macedonia was and remained to be an agricultural sector. After its occupation, it became the main economic engine for Greece despite its massive colonization policy with foreign and domestic settlers. The first act that Greece implemented was to expand the agricultural lands intended for growing various agricultural products, especially grains and tobacco. (Jacques Ancel, op. cit, p. 118.) The agricultural land was expanded by converting pastures into arable land, by drying swamps and small lakes, and by dividing monastic lands which were largely unused. (Nicholas Svoronos, Histoire de la Gréce moderne, Paris, 1968, page 20.) Greek occupied Macedonia at the time had 4,216,236 strema (ten strema equal to one hectare) of fertile land good for cultivation. The agricultural sector alone provided jobs for 68% of the total population living in Greek occupied Macedonia, which resided mostly in villages and grew cereals and tobacco. In the period from 1923 to 1924, for example, the lands on which cereals were grown covered 830,930 strema, and in the period from 1927 to 1928 they covered 1,811,855 strema. This massive increase in agricultural land, planted mainly with tobacco, caused a glut when economic conditions in the world were in crisis (1929-1933). As a result, tobacco production in Greek occupied Macedonia entered a serious crisis of its own with a significant fall in prices in the traditional European markets which, at the time, were also facing a financial crisis. If in the period from 1923 to 1924 the land intended for growing tobacco was 93,727 strema, in the period from 1927 to 1928 it grew to 330,460 strema. In other words, tobacco production grew from 25,000 tons in the period 1923-1924, to 80,000 tons in

the period from 1927 to 1928. But, agricultural production was subject to various factors including land fertility, climatic conditions and the ability to properly manage it. Even though the colonists were forced to occupy agricultural lands and depended on agricultural production for their survival, they did not have the agricultural knowledge and the necessary skills to properly cultivate the kind of soil in existence in Greek occupied Macedonia. The difference in agricultural productivity between the indigenous Macedonian population and the newly arrived colonists was enormous and obvious. The indigenous Macedonian population had greater agricultural results due to its vast knowledge and experience with the soil and climatic conditions, a kind of experience the colonists lacked. For these reasons, out of the 11 crops grown in Greek occupied Macedonia in this period, the smaller number of indigenous Macedonians achieved more results in 6 crops than the newly arrived colonists, even though their numbers were greater and they possessed the best and most fertile lands. (Jacques Ancel, op. cit., p. 160). When it was found out that the colonists did not have the necessary agricultural experience to work the lands, they began to hire Macedonians to cultivate them. “In the early years, the colonists in Lerin paid Macedonians to cultivate their fields and to familiarize them with the basic elements of agriculture.” (Comment made by A.T., originally from the village Leskoets, Lerin Region, now a resident of Skopje.)

But over time the colonists gained enough relevant knowledge to affect productivity and increase agricultural production. In 1937, for example, tobacco production in Greek occupied Macedonia and in Western Thrace amounted to 44,465 tons, representing more than half of Greece’s total tobacco production. This increase in agricultural production did not mean that it was a matter of intensive farming; on the contrary, this was due to experience gained by the colonists over the years on how to manage the Macedonian soil they were given for free by the Greek state.

Another economic consequence in Greek occupied Macedonia was the decline in livestock and the liquidation of nomadic life practiced by the Vlach population. This was a natural consequence of the various wars (1912-1913, 1914-1918 and 1920-1923) and of the expansion of agricultural lands converted from pastoral lands. The

expansion of agricultural lands at the expense of pastoral lands also had severe consequences for the indigenous Macedonian population. The newly deposited colonists and settlers not only replaced the large number of forcibly evicted Macedonians, but their economic expansion took place at the expense of the Macedonians still living there. With the Greek imposed land re-distribution programs of Macedonian lands, the Macedonian people lost more and more of their fertile land to a point where they could no longer support themselves. As a result much of the Macedonian population was forced to leave and seek employment elsewhere including overseas to countries like the USA, Australia and Canada.

Several branches also developed in industry, although it was not a significant pillar of the main economy in Greek occupied Macedonia. One of those branches was the tobacco industry which processed quality tobacco harvested in Macedonia and Thrace. Another branch, which saw apparent growth, was the textile industry, which was mainly concentrated in Solun. But the most developed branch was the novelty industry which handled the manufacturing of oriental carpets and textiles. Many of the colonists were highly skilled in producing quality rugs. These people were well-known for their capability of producing quality Turkish rugs, which were much sought after in the European and non-European markets. The process for making carpets, however, was not automated and did not develop into a real industry. It continued with traditional practices of making rugs by hand with low productivity and expensive labour, only producing enough rugs for the domestic market.

There was also some innovation in the pottery industry. The famous potters from Kiutahia brought their skills and techniques with them when they were settled in Greek occupied Macedonia. These potters made quality products which were exported abroad.

This industrial progress was not a reflection of the internal economic development; it was not even the result of a strong and dynamic economy. But due to the character of this industry (textile, tobacco), even the simplest economic production was not possible mainly because the techniques were old, the machines were antiquated and the labour was unskilled. Whatever production was done, it was not

a result of high productivity but of simple economic needs, realized with imported capital.

Despite the difficulties experienced in the development of the economy in Greek occupied Macedonia, the new historical and ethnic changes, due to the forced eviction of a large number of Macedonians and the importation of a large number colonists, the new and subsequently created economic conditions made a more efficient economic existence for the people, especially for the colonists. In 1923 for example, 205,365 tons of goods were imported into Solun and 15,803 tons were exported, in 1926 the import was 253,432 tons and the export was 18,294 tons.