In the process initiated by Greeks with the invasion of İzmir on May 15, 1919, after they occupied Ayvalık on May 29, 1919, their next target was to conquer Balıkesir, which they considered as a way going to the Marmara Sea and that was an extremely important center in terms of geography. Thus, Greeks who came to Western Anatolia with the permission and support of the Entente States, they occupied Balıkesir on June 30, 1920 and stayed there for more than two years. Greeks advancing towards the interior of Anatolia with the occupation began to adopt increasingly violent manners towards the indigenous civilians. Apart from the great atrocity in question, Greeks also dominated the communication, financial and administrative activities of the regions they occupied, and by establishing an administration of their own, they desired to settle in the city and therefore in the country. One of the places where their actions in this direction were manifested was Balıkesir and its surroundings. In the article in this context, the activities of Greeks in occupied Balikesir to dominate the region, the negativities these activities caused and the cruelty they inflicted on the people of the region were discussed. With this study based on the archive documents containing the reports that were committed to paper by the civilian and military chiefs in the region during the occupation to be addressed to the Istanbul Government, it was possible to obtain detailed information about the developments in the region during the occupation.
The Greeks, who entered Western Anatolia with the permission and support of the Entente Powers, occupied Balıkesir on June 30, 1920, and stayed there for more than two years. With the occupation, the Greeks advancing towards the interior of Anatolia began to adopt increasingly violent manners towards the indigenous civilians. Apart from the great atrocities in question, the Greeks also dominated the communication, financial and administrative activities of the regions they occupied, and by establishing an administration of their own, they desired to settle in the city and therefore in the country. This study, based on archive documents containing reports addressed to the Istanbul Government by the civilian and military chiefs in the region during the occupation, reveals detailed information about the developments in the region at that time.
İtilaf Devletlerinin müsaadesi ve desteğiyle Batı Anadolu’ya giren Yunanlar, 30 Haziran 1920’de Balıkesir’i işgal ettiler ve iki seneyi aşkın bir süre burada kaldılar. İşgalle birlikte Anadolu’nun içlerine doğru ilerleyen Yunanlar, yerli sivil halka karşı gittikçe şiddetini arttıran zalimce tavırlar sergilemeye başladılar. Söz konusu büyük mezalim dışında Yunanlar, işgal ettikleri bölgelerin haberleşme, malî ve idarî faaliyetlerine de hâkim olup kendilerine ait bir yönetim kurarak kente, dolayısıyla ülkeye yerleşme arzusuna kapıldılar. İşgal esnasında bölgede görevli mülki ve askerî amirlerin İstanbul Hükûmeti’ne hitaben kaleme aldıkları raporları içeren arşiv belgelerinin temel alındığı bu çalışmayla işgal esnasında bölgede yaşanan gelişmeler hakkında tafsilatlı malumat elde etme imkânı bulundu.
Primary Language | Turkish |
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Journal Section | Research Articles |
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Publication Date | June 29, 2021 |
Published in Issue | Year 2021 Issue: 39 |