The Relationship Between Armed Forces-Economy in Greece and Cyprus Problem During The Early Periods of The Cold War: General Aleksandros Papagos

Ünsal Başak

Article Details

The Relationship Between Armed Forces-Economy in Greece and Cyprus Problem During The Early Periods of The Cold War: General Aleksandros Papagos

Authors:

Ünsal Başak

Publisher:

Istanbul University

Main Topics:

Modern Türk Tarihi

Journal:

Türkiyat Mecmuası Vol.35 Issue 1, pp.45-68

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001356056

pISSN:

2651-3188

Keywords:

Abstract:

 Following its defeat in the Turkish War of Independence, Greece entered a period of political and economic chaos, compounded by the challenge of resettling and integrating the returning Greeks, the result of population exchane, and the subsequent bankruptcy in 1932 due to the economic repercussions of the 1929 global depression. The eruption of the Greek Civil War after the German occupation, precipitated the exhaustion of Greeces economic resources. Greece was included in the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Aid plans against the growing threat of communism during the civil war. However, due to Greeces different state traditions and social structure from the West, the US began to direct this aid to the top commanders of the Greek army rather than to Greek politicians, and General Alexander Papagos, one of the most influential soldiers of the period, came to the fore. During this period, Greece initiated a more proactive approach towards the Cyprus problem. In this context, the study aims to analyse the military-economy relationship in Greece and the development of Greek policy on the Cyprus problem as a result of this relationship, with the process of General Papagos coming to power with the support of the US, by using mainly Greek literature.

 Following its defeat in the Turkish War of Independence, Greece entered a period of political and economic chaos, compounded by the challenge of resettling and integrating the returning Greeks, the result of population exchane, and the subsequent bankruptcy in 1932 due to the economic repercussions of the 1929 global depression. The eruption of the Greek Civil War after the German occupation, precipitated the exhaustion of Greeces economic resources. Greece was included in the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Aid plans against the growing threat of communism during the civil war. However, due to Greeces different state traditions and social structure from the West, the US began to direct this aid to the top commanders of the Greek army rather than to Greek politicians, and General Alexander Papagos, one of the most influential soldiers of the period, came to the fore. During this period, Greece initiated a more proactive approach towards the Cyprus problem. In this context, the study aims to analyse the military-economy relationship in Greece and the development of Greek policy on the Cyprus problem as a result of this relationship, with the process of General Papagos coming to power with the support of the US, by using mainly Greek literature.

 Following its defeat in the Turkish War of Independence, Greece entered a period of political and economic chaos, compounded by the challenge of resettling and integrating the returning Greeks, the result of population exchane, and the subsequent bankruptcy in 1932 due to the economic repercussions of the 1929 global depression. The eruption of the Greek Civil War after the German occupation, precipitated the exhaustion of Greeces economic resources. Greece was included in the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Aid plans against the growing threat of communism during the civil war. However, due to Greeces different state traditions and social structure from the West, the US began to direct this aid to the top commanders of the Greek army rather than to Greek politicians, and General Alexander Papagos, one of the most influential soldiers of the period, came to the fore. During this period, Greece initiated a more proactive approach towards the Cyprus problem. In this context, the study aims to analyse the military-economy relationship in Greece and the development of Greek policy on the Cyprus problem as a result of this relationship, with the process of General Papagos coming to power with the support of the US, by using mainly Greek literature.

 Yunanistan, Türk Kurtuluş Savaşında yaşadığı yenilgi sonrası siyasi ve ekonomik bir kaosa girmiştir. Bu kaosa ek olarak nüfus mübadelesiyle gelen Rumların iskanı ve topluma entegrasyonu sorunuyla da yüzleşen Yunanistan, 1929 ekonomik buhranının da etkisiyle 1932 yılında iflas etmiştir. İkinci Dünya Savaşı ise Yunanistan için oldukça olumsuz koşullar yaratmıştır. İkinci Dünya Savaşı sonrası başlayan Yunan İç Savaşı sırasında artan komünizm tehlikesine karşı Yunanistan, ABD tarafından Truman Doktrini ve Marshall Yardımı planlarına dâhil edilmiş, bu kapsamda hem askerî hem de mali yardımlar Yunanistana ulaşmıştır. Ne var ki Yunanistanın batıdan farklı devlet gelenekleri ve toplum yapısına sahip olması nedeniyle, bu yardımların kullanımında ABD tarafından Yunan siyasetçiler yerine Yunan ordusunun üst düzey komutanları muhatap alınmaya başlanmış, burada da dönemin etkili askerlerinden General Aleksandros Papagos öne çıkmıştır. Genaral Papagosun öne çıktığı bu yıllar, aynı zamanda Yunanistanın Kıbrıs sorununda Enosis yani adanın kendisine bağlanması konusunda daha aktif bir politika izlemeye başladığı bir dönem olmuştur. Bu kapsamda çalışmada; ABD desteği sayesinde General Papagosun iktidara gelme süreciyle birlikte, Yunanistanda ordu-ekonomi ilişkisi ve Kıbrıs sorunu konusundaki izlenen Yunan politikasının ağırlıklı olarak Yunanca literatür kullanılarak incelenmesi hedeflenmiştir.

Article Details

The Relationship Between Armed Forces-Economy in Greece and Cyprus Problem During The Early Periods of The Cold War: General Aleksandros Papagos

Authors:

Ünsal Başak

Publisher:

Istanbul University

Main Topics:

Modern Türk Tarihi

Journal:

Türkiyat Mecmuası Vol.35 Issue 1, pp.45-68

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001356056

pISSN:

2651-3188

Greece

General Papagos

Greek Armed Forces

Cyprus

Cold WarYunanistan

General Papagos

Yunan Silahlı Kuvvetleri

Kıbrıs

Soğuk Savaş

Issues

Article Details

Authors: Ünsal Başak

Publisher: Istanbul University

Main Topics: Modern Türk Tarihi

Journal: Türkiyat Mecmuası Vol.35 Issue 1, pp.45-68

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 6/2025

Document Language: Turkish

Document ID (Org No.): 2001356056

pISSN: 2651-3188

Issues

Authors:

Ünsal Başak

Publisher:

Istanbul University

Main Topics:

Modern Türk Tarihi

Journal:

Türkiyat Mecmuası Vol.35 Issue 1, pp.45-68

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001356056

pISSN:

2651-3188