The Graeco-Turkish War was fought between Greece and Turkey between 1919 and 1922 and resulted in the "population exchange" which forcibly relocated many Greeks and Turks who were living in the two countries. Many of the persons resettled had been living literally for generations and even centuries in the "other" nation, so the human cost of this transfer of populations was huge. Historians outside of Greece sometimes call this the "Asia Minor Campaign".
There are two other conflicts which sometimes are called the Graeco-Turkish War, which can also be spelled "Greco-Turkish". The first is the conflict usually called the Greek War of Independence, which was fought between Greece and the Ottoman Empire from 1821-1830. The Greeks were victorious and won their independence, though some islands, particularly Crete, remained under Ottoman control.
The other Graeco-Turkish War is also known as the "Thirty Days' War" and was fought in 1897.
Generally, at least in modern times, the term Graeco-Turkish War usually refers to the 1919-1922 war, which the Greeks lost.
Since many of the Greeks "returned" to Greece had lived in Turkey for a long time, they came back to a country that was strange to them and which was not always welcoming to the newly-returned Greeks. The sheer speed of the relocations made assimilating difficult - the Greek island of Lesbos received tens of thousands of refugees from Turkey in only days.
In some cases, they established new settlements named after their towns in Turkey, and this is evident in some Greek place names today which begin with "New .....". For the geneaological traveler searching for family history, finding one of these town or area names in a family history can indicate a still older past as Greek expatriates living in Turkey. One of the biggest is Nea Smyrni, now a suburb of Athens. The original residents were displaced from Smyrna in Turkey, which is now known as Izmir. Nea Halicarnassus on Crete is now part of Heraklion, and it was settled by refugees from Halicarnassus.
In recent years, increasing numbers of tourists from Turkey have visited Greece to see the places where their grandparents and great-grandparents lived, which are mostly in Northern Greece. Greece has also started restoration projects on many Ottoman-era monuments which are frequently high on the sightseeing list of these Turkish family history travelers.
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There are two other conflicts which sometimes are called the Graeco-Turkish War, which can also be spelled "Greco-Turkish". The first is the conflict usually called the Greek War of Independence, which was fought between Greece and the Ottoman Empire from 1821-1830. The Greeks were victorious and won their independence, though some islands, particularly Crete, remained under Ottoman control.
The other Graeco-Turkish War is also known as the "Thirty Days' War" and was fought in 1897.
Generally, at least in modern times, the term Graeco-Turkish War usually refers to the 1919-1922 war, which the Greeks lost.
Effects of the Population Exchange on Greece
Since many of the Greeks "returned" to Greece had lived in Turkey for a long time, they came back to a country that was strange to them and which was not always welcoming to the newly-returned Greeks. The sheer speed of the relocations made assimilating difficult - the Greek island of Lesbos received tens of thousands of refugees from Turkey in only days.
In some cases, they established new settlements named after their towns in Turkey, and this is evident in some Greek place names today which begin with "New .....". For the geneaological traveler searching for family history, finding one of these town or area names in a family history can indicate a still older past as Greek expatriates living in Turkey. One of the biggest is Nea Smyrni, now a suburb of Athens. The original residents were displaced from Smyrna in Turkey, which is now known as Izmir. Nea Halicarnassus on Crete is now part of Heraklion, and it was settled by refugees from Halicarnassus.
In recent years, increasing numbers of tourists from Turkey have visited Greece to see the places where their grandparents and great-grandparents lived, which are mostly in Northern Greece. Greece has also started restoration projects on many Ottoman-era monuments which are frequently high on the sightseeing list of these Turkish family history travelers.
More on tracing Greek Genealogy
Find and Compare prices on: Hotels in Greece and the Greek Islands
Book your Own Day Trips Around Athens
Book your Own Short Trips Around Greece and the Greek Islands
Book Your Own: Sightseeing Trips on Crete