Kelly Dramos

10/10/2013

Why did the King of Greece (Constantine I) abdicate twice?

I. Introduction

What makes a man give up the power over a country, not once, but twice? Key terms to look at and analyze would be King of Greece abdicate twice. Will there be sufficient information to tell us the real reason why he left? Or was the real information hidden by the Greek Royal family and government to keep their secrets out of the public eye? This essay will analyze how the pressure of the Entente Forces and Greek government caused The Kings first abdication, and how the results of the Greco-Turkish War caused his second and last resignation from the throne. This essay will analyze the years 1916-1917 when The King of Greece abdicated for the first time, and the year 1922 when Constantine (The King) abdicated again. The King of Greece, Constantine I, abdicated twice because in 1917 the Entente Forces threatened to bombard Athens if they didnt join them in the war, and again in 1922 after Greece lost the Greco-Turkish War. II. Background/Summary

In January 1895, there was political turmoil between the government and the Palace. In 1908, The Young Turk revolt threw the political life of the kingdom in chaos. Greece was unwilling to commit themselves to the Allies, in WWI because Constantine was Pro-German. This was because Constantine married the Kaisers sister(Simpson). Greece had strong reason to join the Entente Forces, but Constantine did everything possible to keep Greece neutral. Constantine forced Venizelos to resign his position in the government twice, even though in May 1915 the Venizelos parliament was brought into power with a crushing majority. By mid1916 Greece was at the brink of civil war, those who were pro-Venizelos and those who were royalists(Melas).

III.

Evaluation of Sources A. Websites

Origins The Minor Powers during World War One Greece, by Matt Simpson 22 August 2009 (http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/minorpowers_greece.htm) Purpose: The purpose of this website post was to inform the readers on the role that Greece played during World War One. It also explains why Greece started out as a neutral country in the war. Value: Its value is that it helps students understand the basic information about WWI without having to go through loads of texts. Limitations: You never know if the things you read on the internet are true or not and since this website has no sources for where it got its information, there might be a chance that the info on it is not 100% accurate, and we dont have a way to check it.

Kelly Dramos

10/10/2013

Origins: Greece and the World War One by South African Greeks (http://sagreeks.tripod.com/id38.html) Purpose: The purpose of this website post is to share information about Greece in WWI. Value: The value of this post is that it explains things clearly and has a wide range of information that helps you better understand the topic. Limitations: This post does not site its sources, so youre never sure if the information is accurate.

B. JSTOR Articles/Archives

Origins: Venizelos and Constantine regimes in Greece by Constantine Melas, World Affairs Institute, May 1922. Purpose: The purpose of this article is to differentiate the Venizelos regime and the Royalist, and how they acted towards the war. Value: This helps us better understand the decisions and events that happened relating to the war in Greece. Limitations: The limitations too this article is that It focuses a lot of the regimes and what they did, but not how or why The King would abdicate. Origins: The Messiah and the Bourgeoisie: Venizelos and Politics in Greece, 1909 -1912 by Mark Mazower, Cambridge University Press, December 1992. Purpose: The purpose of this article was to depict the relationship of Venizelos and Greek politics. Value: This helps us understand how and why Constantine made Venizelos resign his position in the Greek government twice because of political disagreements. Limitations: This article depicts the relationship between Venizelos and Constantine, but it does not go into detail of why Constantine abdicated.

IV.

Analysis Part One/First Abdication

In October 1916, Venizelos he began to lead a new provisional government in Thessaloniki and started anew army to support the Entente Forces. By the end of 1916, The Entente Powers recognized what Venizelos provisional government and placed began a blockade on Greece, to force a response from Constantine. For 106 days no goods were imported or exported from Greek ports. This caused near-famine conditions in most of the areas of Greece. The blockade made Constantines position at the throne untenable. In 1917 when the British and French threatened to bombard Athens, Constantine was forced to abdicate and passed the crown down to his second son Alexander. Although Constantine had not officially abdicated, Venizelos now had the power to join the Entente Forces in the war(South African Greeks).

Kelly Dramos

10/10/2013

V.

Analysis Part Two/Second Abdication

On the 19th of December 1920 Constantine returned to his possession as the King of Greece after his son Alexander was killed. This caused a lot of dissatisfaction among the people of Asia Minor and Entente Forces who opposed the return of Constantine. Constantine put himself in charge of the attack that would supposedly put the Greeks in front of the Greco-Turkish war. The attack failed and the Turkish were able to breech the Greek front. The Greeks lost the war, and all Greeks were forced to move out of the now Turkish controlled areas. In 1924, Greece became a military dictator ship and Constantine was forced to abdicate and go into exile, for the second and last time(Greco-Turkish War (1919-22)).

VI.

Conclusion

King of Greece, Constantine I, stepped down because in 1917 because the Entente Powers were threatening Athens and again after the Greeks lost the Greco-Turk War in 1922. If Constantine caused so much mayhem when he was in power the first time, why did the Greek government allow him to take the crown again? What was he doing when his son was in power? Why did Constantine want to come back? If Constantine hadnt resumed the throne before the Greco-Turkish war, would the outcome have been different? These questions can help us better understand why he abdicated and if he had any hesitations. Also, they could give us a clearer idea as to less obvious reasons he might have abdicated his position as the King of Greece.

Bibliography
JSTOR ARTICLES: Melas, Constantine. "Vennizelist and Constantinist Regimes in Greece." Advocate of Peace through Justice (1922): 179. WEBSITES: Simpson, Matt. The Minor Powers During World War One - Greece. 2009. 10 October 2013 <http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/minorpowers_greece.htm>. South African Greeks. Greece and the World War One. 10 October 2013 <http://sagreeks.tripod.com/id38.html>. Greco-Turkish War (1919-22). 22 July 2004. 13 October 2013 <http://histclo.com/essay/war/w1c/gtw1919.html>.

Kelly Dramos

10/10/2013