Megali Idea

The conflict originated in the fragmented ruins of the Ottoman Empire following the First World War.

The newly independent Greek state was fueled by the Megali idea, an ambitious campaign to unite all Greek-speaking peoples and historic territories under a single sovereign flag.

Directed by Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos and supported by Allied powers interested in regional stability, a Greek expeditionary force of roughly 20,000 soldiers disembarked at the port of Smyrna on May 15, 1919.

The city's substantial Christian populace welcomed these men with waving flags and hymns, treating them as prophesied saviours.