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Inter-War Macedonia Yiannis D. Stefa I. Macedonia and Greek Polities between the Two World Wars Political Instability and Military Intervention, 922-1926 “Theimter-war prion Greece, with the exception ‘of Elestherios Venizelos” fryers in power (928- 1932, was characterized by ait polital instability and recurrent min interventions. In Macedonia and nothem Grease geera the presence of the bulk of the Gres army was a key factor or the snecess of any dynamic aerpt a seizing power. fae, during the frst years after the Asia Minor di aster, state authority in Macedonia was in the hands ‘the mutary, This was largely devo the abrona ondiions ereatd by the coatinuing tension it ‘Thrace, whete the Gresk and Turkish aries stood facing eachother vel nto 1923, the uneasy Grek Bulgarian fone, a well asthe activity of various “unlawl”elemen's inthe re ofthe army. The Ueeyear venture in Asia Minor had distracted the stenton of Gree sate authority fom Macedonia ‘nd penited veining ofthe alonomist activity ofthe Bulgaria-haed Ineral Macedonian Revol ‘ionary Organizatien (MRO). In aditon to omit incursions and esrionage, Muslim bands appeared and bigandage was rampant. The situation event: |y came under contol ater the signing ofthe Treaty of Lausanne and the ensuing exchange of popla- Following tbe 1922 revolution, nonhem Greece vas declared in sate of emergency. The extaori- rary conditions span, the peesence of Ceneral ‘Theodoros Pangals, commander of the “Evos Army’, n Thessaloniki tended o encourage teint. ‘vention ofthe miliary in the civil domain, Papgalos Fimeelf attempted, not always succesfully, to deat ‘with economic ad ober Toca sues, His many a= tivities outside the scope of his ofice 35 well as his ‘obvious bid for leadership, soon put him at odds with the leaders of the evolutionary repime in Ans, Colonels Nikolaos Patras and Silanes Gomtas, {ndledobisemoval ftom he commando he Eos ‘Amy in June 1923, Yet the goverament did not asia to employ anny units ia oder subdue arly sens of socal unrest, such as 4 communist a lemplata general skein August 1923 Aer extemal security was restored, militar in tereenes in polities remained a tumbling Block in the way of normal politcal conditions. Only thee faye afer the proclamation of general election, 00 the night of 2122 October 1923, a revolt broke out guna the Gonata goverment it was oreanize by 2 motley combination of royalist elements and di rumled Venizlistoficer represented by men ike General Panagiotis Gargalidis, who bad jst been replaced in the command of the Thessalonik-bsed ‘Third Army Corps. in Thessaloniki the government uthois had known of the pot fr sometime and ‘hey were able to res those involved without delay. Inthe et of Macedonia, despite the suppor of nos ofthemajorunits the rebels failed acter fve ays, thus providing the government wih precious time 10 ‘organize it faction, Colonel Georgios Kondts ‘who wasto makes name fr himsel both as suppres sor and succesfl rganigs of miliary coups, as sent by the government to del with the sation, Taking advantage ofthe rebels’ ination, Kondylis was ablto restore contol ote army in Wester and Central Macedonia and, after skirmish on 28 Oc- tober 1923, he free thee ores east othe Sinton tosuendr Therebels failure to gin contol che Macedonian capital proved fata simular Cale would ost the Venizais side dea twelve years ter. ‘The so-called. countersevoltion of Oewber played ito the hands of the hardliners in the Ve zeit camp, A wave of purges in he armed forces helped consolidate the nuence of the Miliary League, a network of predominantly republican of fiers which had been setup in 1923 n Thess, Cerin of is members, suchas Evipdis Baris and Stephans Saraphis, woud ltr play asignifcant role in developments aecting Macedonia, What was ‘more, General Pangals was able to lage a come ils Pastis der fe 1922 Ren, ening rdf knee mle a lath Gree buck othe command of the Army andthe polite! forefont. There follow elections forthe Fourth CConsiuent Assembly, from which the ant-Veni- alist patiesabsttned. In Macedonia, Venizelos’ Liberal Party headed the ols, Despite strong protests fiom within and without Greece, the Jewish voters of Thessaloniki, like the Muslims in Thrace, ad 10 ‘exercize their righ as prt of separate electoral college electing fied mamber of represanatives. A Socialist candidate from Ponts, loamisPasslids, fue leader of the postwar Left in Greoe, was ‘returned in Thessaloni, Th Communist Party til named the Socialist Labeur Party» contested al the ‘constituencies but failed return «canddae* Although Greece was poclimed a Republic by ‘he Papanastsiow governnenton25 March 1924, the activity of the Miltary League and the antagonism between ts fictions intersted. The inability of su cessive govemments to deat effectively with the situation in the armed frses encouraged phenomena ‘finsubordination and dance of political authority. “Meanie, folowing the massive infu of refuges andthe concomitant decline of wage levels snd ving standards, Macedonia faced unprecedented social ur- "est In autumn 1924 idl ation spread om the Intativeof the tobaceo workers unions and bloody General Tenors Panga commander of he reo Gch syd fe dae ‘leans Paani prominn pti of caret nh cd tenn te “Scop he Macedo spa “ping by Pare. incidents occumedin Kavala, These evens provided ‘Kondylis then minster ofthe Interior, with an oppor- tung to aise the question ofthe protection ofthe ‘prevailing social order against the ‘communist smnace’* The same "menace was employed by Pa- ‘als to jos the imposition of his dictatorship in Sane 1925, Pangabs owed the succes of his coup most emizely to he support e had secured among {he units in northem Greece. The Military League of ‘Thesaloniki, whit comprised 500 to 600 officers, ‘backed him inthe bli that the orgnize of the Eros Army should be able to restore stability and effective government. On 25 June 1925, Pangalos’ associates pu the Sd Comps and th Cops, in Thes- soni and Kaval respectively, under thei contol ‘The coup succeeded, although in Athens it had secure the suppor: of only one regiment Pangalos’ austrian repime soon degenerated amidst series of sandals and mismanagement ofthe county's economicand foreign affairs. Atleast some ofthe military factions that had originally supported him began o distance themselves, and, before long, to challenge the regime, On 8-9 Api 1926 an abor- {ve atom against the dictatorship took place in ‘Thessaloniki, in which leading par was played by ‘IANNIS STEFANDIS the dictator's former supporters, Lt Colnels Karakouphas and Babirzs, The allerpt file be cause the aril and airforce units backed out tthe last mo- men. Eventually, the oficesepanizaions shado-ted. Pangalos who was easly topple in ‘August 1926." “The Period of Normalization: the Beumenical CCabloet and Venizelog’ Four Years Greece entered on amore normal politcal cease ater the elections of November 1926, held with txemplary onder and feedom of expression. Este, {he prospect ofthe refugees abstaining from the vote In been averd al the last moment thelr orgatza- ‘ons hd threatened to boyot the election ifatlest ato their claims for compensation was not inme- Giaely satisfied. ‘The refugee vote secured the ‘Venilit patie «comfortable edge ove ther op- ‘ponents in Macedonia although they fl short a Absolute majority matioawide In contrast tothe 1923 lection, there were no separate clctoral colleges for ‘etmicelgious communities. The application or the fist time, ofthe proportional representations tem fciliied the election “of ten Communist, ‘epi, of whom were returned by Macedeian scien! ‘The term ofthe soled Feumenical Cabin, set ‘up withthe participation ofboth Venizlist and an Verizalist pares in December 1925, is geacally regan asa petiod of postive achievement. Aer the dslusionment caused by the authoritarian ex periment of Pangals, the military appeared inc'ined to desist frm furor interventions Macaconia sonsierable progres was made in the fell of refugee setlement. In Thessaloniki the cous Second university was founded, onthe iniaive of ‘Alexandros Papanastasiou. From the outset, this in- Sttution developed a distinct progressive charac as ‘frum fornew ideas and modernizing trends as also period of lative social peace. Only at the lst ‘tage in Jone 1926, a ske was started by tobacco ‘workers and soon spread to othe aes, There were clashes withthe gendarmerie resulting inthe Kling ‘fsx workers in Kavala, The situation was defied ‘only fer strong pressure inpartiament, which Ito ‘theseuing up of acommiteeto deal withthe worsers! ‘gicvances. The communist movement also sent ‘rough a evo of desine: despite its success ithe 1026 lectons, the Communist Party of Greece (KKE suffered fom successive crises of leadership. a ese

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