The Asia Minor Holocaust of 1922

The Asia Minor Holocaust of 1992  represents one of the most painful moments in Greek history. The campaign to Asia Minor undertaken by Greece with the aim to gain the most out of the crumbling Ottoman Empire was met with utter disaster. The forces that transpired to this disaster are found in the competitive interests of the Great Powers, their sudden shift in their foreign policies as well as the re-institution of King Constantine contrary to the admonitions of the allies. The results were tragic as Greek communities in Turkey were uprooted from their ancestral land to pour into Greece as refugees. According to the census of 1928, conducted by the Society of Nations, the number of refugees that came to Greece was 1,250,000 counting among them 100,000 dead. Material damage was enormous, particularly for the city of Smyrna, a highly developed and rich city that was set on fire and burnt to the ground. The bleak condition of the refugees in Greece, for the years that followed the holocaust, inspired men of Arts & Letters, e.g. Dido Soteriou, Photis Kontoglou, Elias Venezis, Stratis Myrivelis, a.o. Their artistic skills provided vivid descriptions and illustrations of that Greek tragedy in 1922.

More history from the Greek Ministry of Foreign afairs can be found on the site:

http://www.mfa.gr/english/greece/through_time/history/ottoman.html