GREEK COLONISATION IN AEGEAN MACEDONIA (1913-1940)

After the Balkan Wars (1912-1913) the neighbouring Balkan states ( Greece,Serbia
and Bulgaria) succeeded in carrying out their plans, i.e. to partition Macedonia
(in1913).This provided the necessary condition for the colonisation of
Macedonia.The Greek policy of colonisation in the Aegean part of Macedonia has
been given ample coverage beacouse of its massive nature and of its
results.Starting immediately after 1913,it did not immediately develop on a large
scale beacouse of the unstable political situation in the Balkans and in Europe,in
general,during the period from 1914 to 1918.The Greek colonization in the Aegean
part of Macedonia was accompanied by the emigration of the Macedonian and
Moslem population (Turks,Macedonian Moslem,Cherkesians,Albanians).The
Greek army ever since the beginning of the Balkan Wars had embarked on a real
campain of extermination of the Macedonian and Turkish population in order to
reach its goal, the hellenisation of the Aegean part of Macedonia. Frequent
murders,economical and moral pressure forced the Macedonian and Turkish
population to emigrate to Bulgaria and Turkey in order to save their lives. The
emigration policy of the Macedonian and Turkish population acquired new forms
after the First World War. A process of emigration without precedent began after
the conclusion of the Kalfov-Politis Agreement, with the policy of the
,,voluntary’’ emigration between Bulgaria and Greece and the treaty for a
compulsory emigration between |Greece and Turkey in the Aeagean part of
Macedonia. The Macedonian population from the Aeagean part of Macedonia was
forced to emigrate to Bulgaria,while the Greek minority from Bulgaria had to
resettle in Greece.At the same time, according to the Laussanne Peace Treaty, the
total Moslem population(Turks,Macedonian Moslems,Albanian Moslems) was
forced to emigrate to Turkey.Under sach circumstance a total of 436,582 persons
had emigrated from Aegean part of Macedonia(Macedonianans,Turks,Albanians)
etc.,in course of a short historical period.After the emigration to Bulgaria of a total
of 86,582 Macedonians,there is a slight decrease of the population in the
Kukush,Demir Hisar,Seres,Lagadin,Enidze-Vardar,Salonika and Drama
district.The emigration of the Macedonian and the Moslem population was
immediately followed by a massive Greek internal colonisation with settlers
coming from Greece (Thessaly,Epirus,Isles,etc.)from abroad
(Asia,Europe,Amerika,Africa)etc. 53,056 from Greece alone of Greek origin and
Greek language have settled in the Aegean part of Macedonia during such a brief
historical period.At the same time following the Laussanne Peace Treaty regulation
for compulsory emigration of the Christian and the Moslem population between
Turkey and Grece a large number of Christians expelled from Turkey. 565,143 or
48,75% of the total of Christian population expelled from Turkey was settled in the
Aegean part of Macedonia.They colonised all the Aegean part of Macedonia,
forming the so called rural and urban colonisation.This Christian population settled
mainly in Eastern,Central and on a smller scale in Western Aegean Macedonia.The
colonists were privileged by the Greek state.They, to disadvantage of the
Macedonian and other native population, were given land,cattle,houses,loans,and
at the same time were transformed by the Greek bourgeous political parties into a
real political instrument directed against the Macedonian population. The
colonised Christian population,was murdering,looting the estate of the native
Macedonian population,with a view to force it to emgrate to the Kindom of
Bulgaria.This policy of extermintion and pressure started by the Greek state after
1913, continued during the period of the Second World War and especially in the
period from 1946 to 1949, when 30,000 more Macedonian were forced to look for
salvation in East European countries.The massive Christian colonisation in the
Aegean part of Macedonia had huge ethnographic,political and economical
consequences.With the colonisation by the Christian ,,madzir’’ population, the
Aegean part of Macedonia lose its Macedonian ethnographic features and becomes
a real mix of peoples and
languages(Macedonians,Greeks,Karamanlians,Armenians,Jews,Valagues,etc.)The
Greek population colonised in the Aegean part of Macedonia become dominant in
the Sari-Shaban,Drama,Kavala,Pravesh,Zkhen,Seres,Demir Hisar,Kukush,Lerin
and Voden districts. Thus, the Macedonians got the status of minority in their own
native land,with all its national and political concequences.At the same time,the
Macedonian language in the Aegean part of Macedonia was playing the role of a
Langue usueelle (the most used language) not only for the Macedonian population
,but also for the other national minorities which had been living for centuries
alongside the Macedonian population ,such as the Turks, the Jews, the Valagues,
the Albanians,etc. During the period from 1913 to 1923 the most widely used
language was not the Greek language, despite its status of langue Officile (official
language).But after the great ethnographic changes (1913-1928) Macedonian
language loses the status of the most widely used language and become like the
Macedonian people la langue de la minorite or la langue de famille (family
language)At the same time the Greek language from a minority language and
family language becomes the most used language in the Aegean part of
Macedonia. The pressure of the new ethnographic reality was so strong that the
Macedonian language started losing its physical integrity.Many Greek words
started to penetrate the Macedonian language(in Macedonian form) so that the so
called phenomenon of dualism appeared,which has got nothing in common with
the phenomenon of bilingualism.This penetration of foreing words into
Macedonian is specific and appears mainly in the nationally enslaved nation and
represent a state in the transition from one mother tongue into another.This
penetration of foreing words into Macedonian language was becoming stronger
,but in the period from 1913 to11949 it did not treaten yet the status of the mother
tongue of the Macedonian populatin.For the Macedonian people the Macedonian
language was still playing the role of a primary language (mother tongue).It was
learnt whitin the family which used it naturally.The Macedonian people gradually
learnt also Greek,but this language was considered as a secondary
(foreing)language.New phenomena appeared after the Civil War in Greece (1946-
1949).Greek reached the status of a mother tongue for a part of the Macedonian
population. In this way Greek reached the level of psyche of consciousness and the
process of the formation of another consciousness started.This is the final process
in the assimilation of an enslaved minority.After the change of the etnogaphic
situation in the Aegean part of Macedonian and the change of the status of the
Macedonian language ,the Greek bourgeoise strengthened its policy of forced
hellenisation of the Aegean part of Macedonia. All
rivers,mountains,settlements,and individual got Greek name and a Greek character.
The Christian settlers brought to the Greek state a great political and social
stability.On the one hand,The Greek bourgeous parties became stronger,especially
the Liberal party of Elefteros Venizelos,and on the other hand the Greek
communist party shows a marked stagnation. This stagnations was mainly the
result of the policy of classic dogmatism which was lead by the GCP during the
period from 1918to 1931.Poltical dogmatism as wll as the formed but not real
exposition of the Macedonian national question lead to a Marxistic theory which
was not connected with Greek historical reality, not turned into a real material
force,conseuently the Greek working movement stagnated during the period of
1918 to 1931.The internal struggles which started inside the GCP about the
Macedonian question after 1924, prove that the Macedonian national question was
for the GCP a terra incognita. After 1931,under pressure of the Macedonian
natonal conscience,the GCP recognised the Macedonian nation and at the same
time in 1935 instead of policy of united and independent Macedonia, this party
accepted the policy of full equality of the minorities whitin the Greek state.The
colonisation contributed to the development of the economy in the Aegean part of
Macedonia.Agriculture was especially developed due to the extention of the
surface of cultivated fields with cereals,tobacco, and other agricultural
products.There is also a considerable industrial growth.The textile
industry(Salonica) especially developed markedly in this period and so did the
tobacco industry in Kavala and Drama.This economic development enabled the
growth of internal and foreign trade and alleviated the negative consequences of
the economic partition of Macedonia.This was reflected in the growth of the trade
activity of Salonica and Kavala.With the policy of colonisation in the Aegean part
of Macedonia,the Greek state succeded in carrying out the ancient plan of Greek
great power idealogy i.e. the hellenisation of the Southern part of Macedonia.In
this way for the first time in its history the Greek element spread to lakes of Prespa
and to Gevgelia, to rivers Mesta and Maritsa.

Skopje, S.Kiselinovski (1981)