In the autumn of 1915 the difference of opinion between the prime minister Eleftherios Venizelos and the king Constantine I regarding Greece’s participation in the Great War on the side of the Entente forces intensified, developing into a state crisis. The glorious days of Balkan Wars of 1912-1913, when the climate of national harmony was dominant, had passed irretrievably. While the rest of the Balkan states were choosing one camp after another, the Greek side was still retreating, maintaining a stance of neutrality.
In the meantime, the fears of losing Macedonia and Thessaloniki. Influential people from the Venizelian faction expressed their concern about the fate of Macedonia, as the reluctance on the part of the Greek side, regarding the participation of the country in the war, gave the opportunity to the Bulgarians and Serbs to promote the diplomats and their military plans in the region. Concerns were heightened by the invasion of Bulgarian and German troops into Eastern Macedonia at the end of May 1916.
In two large rallies, the people of Thessaloniki expressed their opposition to the anti-Venezuelan government policy regarding Macedonia.
The reaction to Macedonia’s plan by its population Thessaloniki was immediate. In two large rallies, in May and early August, the people of Thessaloniki expressed their opposition to the anti-Venezuelan government policy regarding Macedonia. The spread of a rumor that the commander of the Entente troops in Macedonia, Maurice Sarai, was going to hand over the administration of the Macedonian capital to the Serbs, was the occasion for the event of National Defense Movementon the night of August 16 to 17, 1916. Immediately, a Revolutionary Committee was formed in the city consisting of prominent Thessalonian and Venizelian officials.
After the occupation of Kavala by the Bulgarians and the surrender of the 4th Army Corps to the Germans, Venizelos and Pavlos Kountouriotis formed a “Provisional Government”. The famous “Triandria” of the leading group was completed in the following days by Panagiotis Daglis. Greece was officially divided into the state of Constantine and the state of Venizelos, a fact which was also reflected in the geographical division of the country, when Venizelos installed his government on September 26 in Thessaloniki, assuming the leadership of the National Defense Movement.
After their victory over the foreign forces, the Epistratos engaged in pogroms against the supporters of Venizelos.
After the formation of the Provisional Government, the insecurity of Constantine’s regime intensified. About two months later, on November 18, Allied forces from the British, French, and Italians landed in Athens and clashed with regular army and paramilitary forces. After their victory over the foreign forces, the Epistratos engaged in pogroms against the supporters of Venizelos. The dramatic events of the Novembers exacerbated the hatred that had built up between the two factions.
On November 24, the Provisional Government declared Constantine deposed. Reacting to this development, the king’s supporters called the people to a gathering in the Field of Ares in Athens on December 12, in order to cast “a curse stone against the wretched traitor and murderer of our country and our King” Venizelos (Nicholas Emm. Papadakis, Eleftherios Venizelos: The man, the leader, vol. Kathimerini, Athens 2020, p. 318).
A statue of the Cretan politician roamed the streets of the capital.
Indeed, that day a large crowd gathered in the area condemning Venizelos. An effigy of the Cretan politician roamed the streets of the capital, shouts and profanities were uttered by the people against him. The Metropolitan of Athens Theoklitos also participated in the events, who was the first to throw the stone of anathema against Venizelos. The same “ritual” was repeated in the following days in various cities and villages of Greece. The National Divide had entered its darkest period.
Column editor: Myrto Katsigera, Vassilis Minakakis, Antigoni-Despina Poimenidou, Athanasios Syroplakis
