A Crucial Test For Unity - Greece in WW1 I THE GREAT WAR Special

Greece was officially neutral in World War 1. Surrounded by warring nations and under the influence of the great powers, Greek unity was tested during the war in a time of National Schism.
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» WHAT ARE YOUR SOURCES?
Videos: British Pathé
Pictures: Mostly Picture Alliance
Background Map: d-maps.com/cart...
Literature (excerpt):
Gilbert, Martin. The First World War. A Complete History, Holt Paperbacks, 2004.
Hart, Peter. The Great War. A Combat History of the First World War, Oxford University Press, 2013.
Hart, Peter. The Great War. 1914-1918, Profile Books, 2013.
Stone, Norman. World War One. A Short History, Penguin, 2008.
Keegan, John. The First World War, Vintage, 2000.
Hastings, Max. Catastrophe 1914. Europe Goes To War, Knopf, 2013.
Hirschfeld, Gerhard. Enzyklopädie Erster Weltkrieg, Schöningh Paderborn, 2004
Michalka, Wolfgang. Der Erste Weltkrieg. Wirkung, Wahrnehmung, Analyse, Seehamer Verlag GmbH, 2000
Leonhard, Jörn. Die Büchse der Pandora: Geschichte des Ersten Weltkrieges, C.H. Beck, 2014
If you want to buy some of the books we use or recommend during our show, check out our Amazon Store: bit.ly/AmazonTGW
NOTE: This store uses affiliate links which grant us a commission if you buy a product there.
» WHAT IS “THE GREAT WAR” PROJECT?
THE GREAT WAR covers the events exactly 100 years ago: The story of World War I in realtime. Featuring: The unique archive material of British Pathé. Indy Neidell takes you on a journey into the past to show you what really happened and how it all could spiral into more than four years of dire war. Subscribe to our channel and don’t miss our new episodes every Thursday.
» WHO IS REPLYING TO MY COMMENTS? AND WHO IS BEHIND THIS PROJECT?
Most of the comments are written by our social media manager Florian. He is posting links, facts and backstage material on our social media channels. But from time to time, Indy reads and answers comments with his personal account, too.
The Team responsible for THE GREAT WAR is even bigger:
CREDITS -
Presented by : Indiana Neidell
Written by: Indiana Neidell
Director: Toni Steller & Florian Wittig
Director of Photography: Toni Steller
Sound: Toni Steller
Sound Design: Marc Glücks
Editing: Steven Roberts
Motion Design: Philipp Appelt
Research by: Indiana Neidell
Fact checking: Markus Linke
The Great War Theme composed by Karim Theilgaard: bit.ly/karimyt
A Mediakraft Networks Original Channel
Based on a concept by Spartacus Olsson
Author: Indiana Neidell
Visual Concept: Astrid Deinhard-Olsson & David van Stephold
Executive Producer: Spartacus Olsson
Producer: Toni Steller & Florian Wittig
Social Media Manager: Florian Wittig
Contains licenced Material by British Pathé
All rights reserved - © Mediakraft Networks GmbH, 2016

[@parvuspeach]

wow, and i thought the events here in Portugal were confusing before and during WW1, good job Greece,you make us kaotic mediteraneans proud :D

[@parvuspeach]

+PetrosB4 true, but culturally we are

[@SuperCompany007]

No you're not

[@parvuspeach]

+Company007 ok... Technically we're a third Sephardic Jewish, a third Moorish and another third Celt, we produce and eat olives, olive oil and all that you associated with a Mediterranean diet, also we're very good when it comes to organizing shit.

[@SuperCompany007]

Pedro Duarte Ferreira Is it true that you tax sunlight?

[@parvuspeach]

+Company007 looool yes! Our government is bankrupt, we got a lot of sunny days, so one of these days they are going to factor in sun exposure into the housing tax...preposterous :-D

[@BergquistScott]

Judging from the comments, I guess the old saying is true: You get three Greeks together, and there are four distinct opinions!

[@VladTevez]

+Scott Bergquist The saying is true, but in the comments there is more Greek-Bulgarian argument...

[@gajda1984]

A Bulgarian and Greek argument over something that doesn’t belong to either of them.

[@SirGeorge8600]

You forgot the Albanians.

[@PuzzlingGoal]

More like six honestly.

[@dorianphilotheates3769]

Scott Bergquist - The comments posted below prove your point. But the numbers are rather understated: multiply them by a factor of twelve, and you would be closer to the truth. Corrigendum: not “below”; above.

[@GenghisVern]

"Balkan Wars" would make for a great game title, players representing Greece, Ottomans, Bulgaria etc.

[@gamemaster4356]

Maybe an expansion for BF1? Like Vietnam for BC2.

[@GenghisVern]

I was thinking perhaps Columbia Games block system? It's interesting history, what these countries and people were going through at the time

[@gamemaster4356]

Vern Etzel I actually haven´t heard of Columbia games, and if I did I have forgotten. Could you please explain them to me :P.

[@GenghisVern]

sure. I've been into the wargaming hobby all my life, and Columbia Games was always a favorite. They use blocks instead of the old paper counters, giving a "fog of war" aspect along with step reduction. Some are simpler games, like Hammer of the Scots, Quebec 1764, 1812 and Wizard Kings, but many are deeply involved. East Front is a great game, best operational-level simulation of WW2 eastern front, but it takes time to learn.

[@agsrf6479]

oh thats a pretty good idea but i doubt they will make it

[@VladTevez]

Nobody mentioned that Indy catched correctly the Greek pronunciations

[@ΑΡΗΣΚΟΡΝΑΡΑΚΗΣ]

έλα πες, του έστειλες πώς προφέρονται...

[@VladTevez]

ΑΡΗΣ ΚΟΡΝΑΡΑΚΗΣ Έστειλα

[@thresh86]

Indy & Valanti , it was a very informative episode and much more expansive than our basic school knowledge of history of that era. Ευχαριστώ για την προσφορά σας, δουλέψατε και φαίνεται.

[@johnnytifosi]

Έλα ρε παιχτούρα Βλαντ έσκασες από το πουθενά.

[@leomalamis1068]

True

[@lvpb13]

As a Greek person, I am immensely impressed by this video's accuracy. I was even astonished by how correctly you pronounced "Megali Idea"! I have nothing at all to add! Massive congrats and keep those videos coming :)

[@CaptainHarlock-kv4zt]

Τον εθνικο διχασμο θα πρεπει να τον διδάσκονται οι Ελληνες ,πολλα μπορούμε να μαθουμε και να βελτιώθουμε.Ομως...

[@GeorgeANGR]

Ama eixame politikous shmera San autous apo palia 8a eimastan Mia xara eikonomika fantasou o tsipras edo leei oti ginomaste kalutera Kai meionei ta lefta pou pernoun oi suntaksiouxoi

[@GeorgeANGR]

Anthony Graves Tora lene eidhseis ta agglika site oti efuge to xreos Kai o kolotsipras meionei suntakseis

[@GeorgeANGR]

Gia lefta pane oi perrisoteroi

[@likehthanatos886]

Ισχύει προτιμώ να μαθω α, β βαλακνικους και α,β παγκόσμιους αντί για βυζαντινή ιστορία

[@vag_grig8105]

Στη τρίτη λυκειου διδάσκεται αναλυτικά ο εθνικός διχασμος

[@silvioevan11]

During my life I have read so many things from Classical Greece (Homer, Herodotus Xenophon, Thucydides, Aristophanes...) that I developed a kind of (sorry the pathetic cliche) spiritual bond with that land. What a people! It is nice to see them here. A future episode about Napoleon Zervas would be totally amazing. Fast fact: widely famous English poet Lord Byron died in 1824 while he was fighting in Greek War of Independence.

[@giorgosbookhunter4215]

Zervas also was pro German until 1941. Maniadakis the Metaxas' minister of interior arrested him and other pro Germans in April 1941 when Nazi Germany attacked Greece...

[@VladTevez]

Byron's last words on his deathbed: "I've given to Greece my time, my health, my wealth, and now I'm giving her my life. What else I could give her?"

[@Ozymandias88]

Lord Byron is greatly appreciated in Greece for his efforts in our struggle for independence. Streets have his name and he's widely known i dare say, more for his philhellenic sentiment than for his poems, which is kind of sad but still it says a lot for what he did for us. The fact that such an individual would fight and die for another country's struggle is really touching.

[@Ju-es2cw]

Dude greeks aren’t hellenics, they are turco-slavic descendants of the mixed people of byzantine.

[@aggelosn.6846]

Thanks for your kind words.... All around Greece there are roads named after Lord Byron as well as many statues, A great man

[@tomgjgj]

What I find interesting is that after both world wars, Greece found itself with civil struggles and dictatorships. These parts of history aren't widely known, and The Great War channel does a tremendous job at covering them at all, never mind with the depth they go into.

[@golkas9971]

Exactly. After both world wars...i guess our ancestors wanted more.

[@juppjames9635]

So, a King opposed war and the civilians supporting it. Ok, that is different.

[@alexsitaras6508]

the greeks wanted to unite the people and retake ancestral homelands. the people built what would become the modern city of athens originated in western anatolia

[@juppjames9635]

Well, anybody who starts a war has a wargoal in mind, but having a leader taking the position that he doesn't want his people to been killed is highly unusual. That there was even the effort to start a civil war because of his position says it all... I wonder, how much of this was because of the influence of the entante, were they involved with money and supplies like they were in Italy?

[@giannislainas5187]

+Jupp James There was a dominant nationalist fervour/ideology at the time,before the war,in the greek population.Its even mentioned in the video.Megali Idea....which basically transalates to big idea,which meant exactly what the prevous comments said,bringing all the lands that were inhibited by greeks in 1 state.All of those ofcourse being at the time at Ottoman hands.So the great war was the perfect fit for that idea.

[@juppjames9635]

Giannis Lainas I completly understand this. But, most of the time the political leaders are pushing for this narrative. What happend in Romania is the excatly the opposite, the "normal" way, how countries start wars. Imo this case is a rare exception, and i think looking back, it is resonable to give credit to any leader, who wants to avoid war.

[@giannislainas5187]

Jupp James Thats the thing,he didnt actually want to avoid war entirelly,he just couldnt drag the country to the side the wanted to side with,it would be impossible politically even tho he was the king,thus he kept the country neutral. So no praise should be given what so ever,in any case.

[@TheGreatWar]

Greetings from Bolimow, everyone! We would be able to reply to a lot of comments this week but you can follow our historical adventures along the former Eastern Front on Facebook and Instagram.

[@Βασίλης-ΕυφραίμΧρυσοχοΐδης]

Thank you for doing an episode for my country! Love your Channel!!

[@levim9707]

Hey Indie! For a special maybe you should either talk about the planned 1916 Olympics that were suppose to be held in Berlin or the flags of the Allies and the Central Powers! I think either would make for an interesting special.

[@harryandruschak2843]

This episode brings up the question of whether or not you should continue the series after November 1918. *YES*. So much went on after the so-called end of the Great War. Greece and Turkey fighting, the exchange of populations, various atrocities on all sides, and the creation of modern Turkey.

[@harryandruschak2843]

@ ehy Troll. Reported as hate speech

[@stina6620]

.

[@lysimachosmavridis6302]

Great Job Indy and Team!!! Covered in 10' what Greek Teenagers have to learn in 3 lessons at school with remarkable accuracy and objectivity! Waiting for the Greco-Turkish war episode, this will be harder to be objective about...

[@xrapaxroupas]

Beautiful video Sir! I subbed. I am a Greek and it's 100% historically accurate.. Some of us dont even know all this.. Great job cannot wait to watch your other episodes. Cheers!

[@alkissourvinos1091]

as a Greek i wanted to learn more about the history of my country and this episode did exactly waht i wanted thank you guys god bless you all

[@QALibrary]

this is all Greek to me! i have never heard or even was told at school about all this - what an amazing mess - thank you team for these type of videos

[@nostromo_]

Aside from that brainwashed king, Serbian and Greek nation were always, through history, considered among themselves as brothers and friends. Whole Serbia remembers the medical treatment, recovering and armed equipping in Greece, during the dark days of our Exodus. Fired up after that, it is no wonder why Serbian army stormed (literally!) through the Thesaloniki front and wiped out the bulgarians, austro hungarians and germans in occupied Serbian country. We can never enough repay you for that help! Long may you live and prosper Greek brothers and sisters! May our proud and ancient nations, live for the next thousands of years! Peace and Love from Serbia

[@karlkarlos3545]

Could you get more corny?

[@nostromo_]

+Karl Karlos Yes we can

[@karlkarlos3545]

***** I know. This question was of course rhetorical.

[@nostromo_]

+Karl Karlos so does mine

[@beknown63]

I'm glad someone brought this up.

[@dimitristsakalos1462]

Wish we still had politicians like Venizelos.

[@jeune_turc9404]

*Laughs in disaster of 1922

[@aggelostotalwar575]

@@jeune_turc9404 read history. We lost asia minor BECAUSE venizelos lost the elections of 1920 and the gounaris administration continued the war effort and ultimately lost. ignorant malaka

[@chriskw4362]

@@aggelostotalwar575 If you blame Venizelos for events that happened 2 years after he lost the elections that means you didn't touch a book, didn't you? Please elaborate, with facts, what were the last actions of his administration before the elections? His battle plan? Did he have a plan B? Just to remind you a phrase: "Den ta thelomen"

[@chriskw4362]

@@jeune_turc9404 I read Inonu's biography. I felt sorry for Kemal. I mean when he was pleading Venizelos to accept Constantinople and to sign a cease-fire.

[@argentianguis6510]

@@jeune_turc9404 venizelos wasn't the person leading Greece in 1922. Imagine having an ataturk profile pic, but not knowing your own nation's history or how your national hero won the war.

[@Ergilion]

Wow! That was one of the most interesting episodes of the whole series actually. I was somehow totally ignorant of the modern history of Greece and it turns out it is sooo interesting. Great job!

[@SuperCompany007]

3:42 "Byzantine Influx until 1. January 1480" -10% Technology cost Lose 50 diplomatic power Lose 50 administrative power Add 5 prestige

[@SuperCompany007]

I'm surprised no one here got the joke.

[@giorgosprovatas9104]

is it from a paradox game?

[@tromblon1]

lol

[@wael4070]

a eu4 player detected

[@SuperCompany007]

Giorgos Provatas From EU4

[@timfronimos459]

It's absolutely amazing how much information they pack in each episode and as one commenter below congratulations on getting the Greek names pronounced correctly Evkharisto poli

[@louisiananlord17]

Indy, this video rocked so much. I never knew all this rich history from Greece. Factions and shadows everywhere in the West's birthplace. Honestly, they probably should have stayed neutral. But such is life. Do a video about the Escadrille Layfayette. :)

[@TheGreatWar]

We will have a video about the Escadrille at some point.

[@nafikos6450]

Paul-Octave Hébert we wouldnt have had west thrace if that happened, what we shouldnt have done is start a war with the turks to conquer the anatolia in 1921 which lead to the Smìrni destruction

[@ΔημήτρηςΛουκάς-η9τ]

If it it wasnt for this king Constantin Greece would have western turkey now and its capital Constatinople !

[@aekaralagonisi]

They shouldn't have stayed neutral, this was their big chance to liberate huge expanses from the Turks. The problem was that their inaction at the start of the war led to the disastrous war with Turkey after WW1.

[@nafikos6450]

You know it wasnt just greece and there were many british troops all over greek lands right?

[@fmichaela99]

i've been studying greek history and this subject in particular for months now and i can definitely confirm this information!

[@infinitivity2071]

So Venizelos trying to stay true to the treaties and Constantine letting Bulgaria take over Serbia. I'd say Greece kinda had to join, not for greed, but to protect itself from its former enemies. When you look at it, the Greco-Turkish war of the 1920s was also natural, since Greeks were promised land and the Turkish parliament didn't sign the Sevres Treaty.

[@infinitivity2071]

+morenauer Yeah, and only if they hadn't been bent up on acquiring Turkish territory while having their own internal problems...

[@Gismo359]

+morenauer the word monarchy is pretty much the reason for most stupid decisions of the war

[@doliague2590]

+InfinitiveMC ....

[@infinitivity2071]

+Daniel Santana von Geltendorf You do realize that it's been hours since the last time someone even replied to me, right?

[@doliague2590]

+InfinitiveMC well I am a monarchist so I just had to reply..

[@vpapako]

Quick trivia: The Greek royal family were Danish.

[@ΑΡΗΣΚΟΡΝΑΡΑΚΗΣ]

c'on, seriously?

[@giannislainas5187]

Werent they bavarian or something?

[@vpapako]

Giannis Lainas Otto was bavarian. The ruling dynasty that followed was Danish.

[@saguntum-iberian-greekkons7014]

Glucksburg? Are they supposed to have Byzantine ancestry?

[@ssrfbfg2183]

@@giannislainas5187yes otto of bavaria and greek the first king of greek

[@saultarvitz308]

If you think Greece was a clusterfuck then, you should go research the 1919-1922 period.

[@quagnam438]

Howtofuckupwhiletrynnagetconstantinople.mp4

[@thebalkanhistorian.3205]

Generally from 1914 to the 1930s Greece was in a terrible position.

[@deniskoscak1735]

WOW! I cannot believe how complicated it was for Greece during the war. For me this was one of the most fascinating episodes I have seen. Great job guys!!! I cannot wait for the episode about Romania. :D

[@ericswain70]

What rich history the Greeks have.

[@franciscomm7675]

Indeed

[@saguntum-iberian-greekkons7014]

I wish i was Greek

[@saguntum-iberian-greekkons7014]

@Thomaspapad i still can't believe that there exist people and nations who hate Greek culture and history. For me its like hating humanity

[@yourpotatoking]

@@saguntum-iberian-greekkons7014 no you wish. I hate my country with all of my hard

[@Greik1821]

Saguntum-Iberian-Greek Konstantinopoli I’m Greek

[@lfteri]

And schools still focus on ancient times

[@VladTevez]

+lfteri That happens even in Greek schools

[@lfteri]

lfteri οπως Λευτερης :P

[@VladTevez]

lfteri Το μυαλό που πήγε σε τεφτέρι... :p

[@lfteri]

***** Με εσκισες, ξεκιναω και φροντηστηριο σημερα...

[@VladTevez]

lfteri Υπομονή...

[@lonewolfxx709]

Wow! Indy, you packed a lot of history and info in that episode. Well done! I hope you and your team have a safe trip!

[@at3457]

Hurray! Thank you, Great War Team for an episode on on my Father-roots. However i live in the Netherlands, but my Grandfather still lives in Northern-Greece (Macedonia) in the small village of Archangelos. Near my Grandfathers village lies another village, the village of Skra, where quite the battle was fought. There is a small museum display in the town-hall, and it always fascinated me how many nationalities fought in the battle, seeing all the equipment and uniforms that were found in the area. French, English, Bulgarian, Russians, and even some Germans and/or Austro-Hungarians. I wonder if you guys known anything more about the battle, and/or if it's going to get mentioned in the further episodes.

[@umjackd]

Oooh! First time you've said you're going to cover post-war events! Excited to see you guys discuss the Greco-Turkish War!

[@prospecial]

loved the video, these war theatres are overlooked completely so its nice to have information on them thanks a lot

[@skiteufr]

Very interesting to have such detailed history of those peripherical "small" nations during the war, and not only France, Germany, Russia, UK etc... It helps to understand why we called it a world war.

[@evaggeliag7845]

Greece was not small back then. It had one of the 7-10th biggest army in the world.

[@lfteri]

Damn. You even covered both sides. Better than any book I have ever come across

[@Chris_Jones1]

So I did my HSC Modern History trial test today and I like to say through watching you videos I have periodically gathered certain facts statistics and information that has given me an edge in the WW1 section and for that I am extremely grateful. So thank you so much Indy and the Great War Team. PS Florian your still a beast.

[@Epitimos13]

Excellent work guys! Generally, is an really difficult task to explain in simple words the Greek political history of the first quarter of the 20th century, or any part of that period. Especially in a just 10 min. video! Looking also forward, for the week by week "Greek" WW1 events. Greetings by Greece! ;-)

[@VladTevez]

+Epitimos13 Επικίνδυνο να βάζεις το "Επίτιμος" και το 13 μαζί, κινδυνεύει η Πανάθα μας

[@Epitimos13]

Το 'χα φτιάξει το ακάουντ επί πολυμετοχικότητας, κοτζάμ νταμπλ πήραμε! Αλλά μάλλον ήταν μόνο μιας χρήσης.

[@VladTevez]

Epitimos13 Ου λήψει όνομα Μ******κη επί ματαίω

[@VladTevez]

George Kafantaris Κι εμάς μαζί?

[@georgekafantaris7807]

U HAVE TO LIVE IN A DEVELOPED COUNTRY TO UNDERSTAND ALL THE BULCANS IS WASTE OF MONEY AND TIME,,NUKE IT ALL

[@rogerpaesani5415]

My god, this episode was incredible exiting, you guys did an amaizing job!

[@jimtroy4380]

First of all i want to point out as a Greek *that this 10 minute episode explains Greece's part in WWI BETTER THAN IN OUR ALL HISTORY LESSONS EVERY YEAR* Second , now you understand what a plaything Greece was for the Great powers Great video!

[@VladTevez]

Να σαι καλά

[@mrchris4085]

Jim Troy πες τα ρε μεγαλε

[@georgekafantaris7807]

GREECE SHOULD BE SOLD ON EBAY OR AMAZON

[@jimtroy4380]

Έχει πουληθεί σε τράπεζες από το 1835

[@georgeevangel4292]

@@georgekafantaris7807 ???? WTF????

[@92Flying]

Dear The Great War, i love your show. Its one of the most amazing things on youtube. But i would like to see Indy using more often the map to show where the actual event happened.

[@condorboss3339]

Strange how a dictatorial monarch was the one who was opposed to going to war.

[@etienne5247]

the reason why he didnt pull greece in the central powers is because he knew that would get him killed

[@LuccianoBartolini]

Perhaps the smartest move made by any nation in europe.

[@LuccianoBartolini]

***** Yes, Bulgaria also thought that they would get territory, just like Italy and Romania and look where they ended up.

[@Blazo_Djurovic]

Well Italy did in the end get bunch of cities along Dalmatia. Romania joined at the inopportune moment but in the end they did nearly double their country by getting the lands across the Carpathians. War was going to come to the Greece one way or another. It was simply located in a place that the Entante needed on their side so they would do everything to get it. Also looking back getting Cypruss would have been a much better deal than what they got in the end in the disastrous campaign in Anatolia.

[@LuccianoBartolini]

Блажо Ђуровић So territory is more important that avoiding a bloodshed? Italy didn't liked the deal they got (which helped in the Rise of Mussolini), Romania only got so much land because of the Entente victory (caused by a bad Austrian army and a not so cooperative Bulgarian army) and Bulgaria was also offered the land they wanted ( a very good deal, just like Cypruss to Greece) and they ended up in a terrible situation. Considering how the British and French left Europe in such a terrible situation (along all the colonies that belonged to Germany, Austria Hungary and their other enemies) it would have been much better to make a deal of land in exchange of neutrality. There's no excuse to accept war, or at least, not under the conditions that forced Greece into it.

[@mvoudick]

Amazing video. We used to study this time of history in Lyceium. This presentation is a lot more informative and to the point than the textbooks. Great work sir! I salute thee!

[@TheGreatWar]

Thanks, glad you liked it.

[@alexk7173]

A long awaited episode!

[@t0mred]

Great episode. Lots of background history that you don't hear about elsewhere.

[@qasemsoleimani9443]

Great episode! Fun fact: Italy had pretty much the same position with Austria and Germany about Greek neutrality. You see, Italians were afraid that Greece, being in the victorious side, will demand the same territory the Italians wanted, like Rhodes and western Asia Minor, so Italians, from the backstage, were very supportive of the king.

[@VladTevez]

+Qasem Soleimani Until WW2, when we kicked Mussolini's ass

[@thedarkhunterofthepast7715]

Italy with Austria before WW1 supported the creation of Albania as well, by forcing Greek , Serbian and Montenegrian forces out of the new "state". Even from 1915 they had troops there again. Italy despite of being an ally of Greece during WW1 was playing its game, and would prefer for sure Greece to remain neutral in order not to ask later for prizes. This happened unfortunately later when they supported Kemal Ataturk-from the their bases in Attalia , Alikarnassos and Efessos.

[@VladTevez]

Thedarkhunter Ofthepast Top marks!

[@asnard2346]

not just Italy but Russia as well

[@DwRockett]

Freaking fantastic episode you guys! I never knew about this, before seeing this video. Thanks for educating me

[@mr_ako662]

another great episode! Ευχαριστουμε!

[@connordunne6548]

Wow, now that was fascinating! Great job

[@Ghost-sc3xg]

Another great episode, as usual.

[@akos2393]

This was an extremely informative episode! Thanks

[@Infinite_Jester]

10:07 Wait, what? The war ends in 1918??! Thanks for the spoilers Indy! D:

[@FollowedGaming]

i know right!!!!D:

[@SuperCompany007]

Fucking spoilers... I still think Germany will win still.

[@ZacksYT]

+Company007 LOL me 2

[@tomascvilikas6890]

What?? So who won the war??

[@kemvalen4784]

um....we already knew that

[@VforValenti]

Really good analysis!!! Almost as detailed as my history book. Well done!

[@tc2851]

Very well done, this is the best account I've come across of the Greek story up to the Great War.

[@Βουλγαροκτόνος1014-χ7π]

ΖΗΤΏ Η ΕΛΛΆΔΑ! This episode should be amazing, thanks Indy and team.

[@VladTevez]

Παρακαλώ

[@maxmarkel1794]

Is that the Bulgar-Slayer? Nice profile pic

[@Βουλγαροκτόνος1014-χ7π]

+Max Markel Yes, thank you. That Gustavus Adolphus pic also looks quite nice.

[@friederichhuepfenstolz4011]

Why did he kill bulgur?

[@octavianhughes4493]

+Friederich Huepfenstolz because Bulgarians were pretty tribal long ago and raided Byzantium rather often. One would think Basil went to town on the Bulgars to send a message of 'don't Fuck with us' ,since tribal leaders adore strength at the time, a message in blood and fire was sure to get it across

[@Trve_Kvlt]

I was never interested in WW1 until finding this channel, only due to my ignorance on the subject. While I do still find WW2 more interesting. This channel has shined a light on WW1 that I never saw before finding it. Now I'm actually doing my own research on the subject, just so I can become even a little more knowledgeable on The Great War.

[@01ZombieMoses10]

Just wow. I had been /completely/ ignorant of just how much upheaval Greece faced in the early 20th century. I'd never heard any of this in my history classes in high school. Granted, history is an enormously deep subject, but I would have thought somewhere along the line, some of these things might have been mentioned at the very least.

[@VladTevez]

+ZombieMoses And that was just the beginning... For Greece, 20th century, until 1974, was dominated by war, disaster, political upheaval, a fascist dictatorship, facing Mussolini and Hitler, Axis Occupation, Resistance, Civil War, a CIA dominated state, another dictatorship, and all these concurrently with a vivid cultural activity

[@VladTevez]

kuvikina I hope you're trolling...

[@georgekafantaris7807]

THE SHOULD SELL GREECE ON EBAY OR AMAZON

[@Ozymandias88]

It's one of the reasons Greece is in trouble. It's just a rough neighborhood. All the blakan nations bickering with each other and with Turkey next door, there's always trouble and turmoil. Had Greece been in a more "normal" location like in the Netherlands or Belgium the country's situation would have been very different. It's easy for people from Central/Northern European counties to judge when they don't fully what this place has been through. Of course it's not only due to outside factors, we have messed up pretty big ourselves, but yeah.. things are much more complicated down here in the Balkans :P

[@PhoenixPwnsAll]

Very nice video! Studied these events in school and it's great to hear such an amazing narration of them with such a rich collection of photos c:

[@AntoniosLoizides]

As a Greek Historian I say: GOOD JOB!

[@VladTevez]

Ως συνάδελφος, ευχαριστώ!

[@georgekafantaris7807]

ZITO TO TAMIO ANERGIAS

[@VladTevez]

George Kafantaris Ζήτω!

[@geoffkelly66]

hey guys, awesome series! but just wondered if anyone noticed the heading 'greek war of indendence'....ah well noone can be amazing 100% of the time, not even me! i know, you were just testing us to see how much attention we're paying :) keep up the good work!

[@TheGreatWar]

Yes, that was precisely what we did, haha. No, in all honesty, we are a small team and this episode had to be finished in two days or so and then these mistakes happen.

[@BNR34vspec2NISMO]

“Hence, we will not say that Greeks fight like heroes, but that heroes fight like Greeks.”

[@R3GARnator]

I am glad for covering the "post-war" events, because just because THE war stopped, doesn't mean there was peace by any means! The war that formed Turkey, the Soviet attempt to conquer Poland under Pildudski, these are virtually forgotten wars outside the aforementioned nations!

[@LittleSparrow.]

I love Greece peoples from kurds🌹💙

[@Theophanis_Ketipidis]

congats to you indy nad your team for that thorough explanation!as a greek I knew the events of course but now that I know you do your research I'm eager to learn the situation in other countries as well! tottally subscribed!!

[@TheGreatWar]

Welcome to the show.

[@mohammedalhosani9405]

Talking about how complex the Chinese situation was and now Greece

[@VladTevez]

+PetrosB4 Well, most in southern Greece kept hating Venizelos and didn't care about Anatolia. They toppled him in 1920 elections

[@giwrgostsiotsios464]

τα αντιβενιζελικά αισθήματα των νοτιοελλαδιτών που περιγράφεις δεν καλλιεργήθηκαν στα πρώτα χρόνια του εθνικού διχασμού. Αυτό συνέβη βαθμιαία από το 1919 και μετα βαδίζοντας προς το 1920 όταν οι αγρότες κυρίως της νότιας Πελοποννήσου κουρασμένοι από τη μακροχρόνια στράτευση, την απουσία από τον τόπο τους και έχοντας πειστεί ότι οι φιλομοναρχικοί θα τελειώσουν τον πόλεμο και θα επιστρέψουν στο σπίτι τους αποφάσισαν να "μαυρίσουν" το βενιζέλο. οι υποσχέσεις όμως των φιλομοναρχικών προς τους νοτιοελλαδίτες ήταν τελικά φρούδες...

[@VladTevez]

Gregory Flak Ήδη από το 1917 και την επιστράτευση σημειώνονταν πολλά συμβάντα απειθαρχίας, λιποταξιών και στάσεων στις μονάδες από την νότια Ελλάδα. Γι αυτό και στο Μακεδονικό μέτωπο πολέμησαν κυρίως μονάδες Μακεδόνων, Κρητικών και νησιωτών

[@xristar]

Δεν συνέβαιναν απλά στάσεις αλλά και πάρα πολλές εκτελέσεις. Σε κάθε μεραρχία που επιστρατευόταν υπήρχαν εκτελέσεις αντιφρονούντων με αποκορύφωμα την 3η (από την Πάτρα) όπου εκτελέστηκαν καμιά 70ριά στρατιώτες ως στασιαστές.

[@VladTevez]

xristar Αν δεν κάνω λάθος, σ' εκείνη τη μονάδα εκτελέστηκε και ο διοικητής της...

[@hlynnkeith9334]

Thank you for this episode. Enlightening.

[@armaholic5949]

- The Entente offered western Anatolia, but Constantine refused Me: WTF WTF WTF WTF WTF!!!!!!!!!! - The Entente offered Cyprus but Constantine refused Me: Hits myself in the face about 10 times....

[@DimitrisGenn]

And then he came back in power in the middle of the next war and ruined everything -_-

[@ΓιωργοςΚυριαζακος-γ6ε]

great video I learned some thinks I didn't know about my country

[@maxsmodels]

WOW, I had no idea the war was so complicated for Greece.

[@kraftwerkVS]

Hellow ma. I m from Greece. Great job!!

[@aggelosn.6846]

Venizelos - the best politician we ever had and will ever have

[@Ozymandias88]

Kapodistrias as well

[@aggelosn.6846]

Divide-By-Zero true

[@swaggermcdagger9950]

Wow, this was super interesting and actually really interesting! Thanks

[@TheTomray94]

yay! you finally did my country! Venizelos was one of the best politicians ever!

[@georgelazaropoulos6179]

wow i didnt know that for my country nice work man

[@xristar]

It should be noted that more than the Greek King, the Greek General Staff opposed the entrance of Greece to the war due to the balance of forces. Bulgaria's army was more than twice the size of the Greek (300 battalions vs 140) and unless the Allies were to rpovide 150,000 men or bring Romania to the war, the Chief of General Staff described the Greek entrance as certain catastrophe. Since the Allies failed to provide more than a token force, Venizelos lost the parliamentary vote. It is ironic and sad to think that eventually France and Britain brought their strength in the Balkans to some 300,000 troops, and brought both Romania and Greece to the war, but not in the right time. The course of the war in the Balkans could easily have been very different.

[@VladTevez]

+xristar Venizelos actually won the vote in the Parliament about detaching Greek troops to help Serbia

[@asnard2346]

More like due to their perception about the balance of forces skewed by their false belief in German invincibility. It all depends on the timing, if Serbia had pre-emptively attacked Bulgaria with Greek and Allied support before Bulgaria had time to complete its mobilisation it might had stopped Bulgaria in its tracks, which is what the Serbs had been thinking of doing but they were discouraged by Constantine and Edward Grey. Plus it was arguably riskier for Greece to not help Serbia as there was the danger of Serbia either collapsing or signing a separate peace and then Greece might have to face Bulgaria on her own. Also the Entente was actually willing to provide 150,000 men but of course it would take some time to land such a big army, though a smaller force could immediately be detatched from Gallipoli. Also Greek entrace into the war would have likely helped convince Romania to do the same.

[@soktetrapak4919]

Awesome episode Indy and team

[@Riael]

"It's economy was non existent" 100 years later

[@jothegreek]

And you are an idiot with capital I

[@-.-..._...-.-]

Still richer than hungary

[@gingin3919]

your history non existent my economy non existent noone is perfect

[@aekaralagonisi]

Meh, it's now toxic and ruined, not nonexistent.

[@BukitServersMNC]

Riael Kratek And even now Greece has a lot larger economy than all the balkans and hungary together xD

[@εξες]

Very good job,subbed,and waiting for more WW1 videos ;)

[@constantinoschristodoulidi9834]

can you do a video about Cyprus?

[@VladTevez]

Το κείμενο είναι έτοιμο, αν υπάρξει ζήτηση στα σχόλια, θα το γυρίσουν σε επεισόδιο...

[@xristar]

για ποια περίοδο;

[@VladTevez]

+xristar Για τον Α' Παγκόσμιο πόλεμο

[@chrispapas275]

Έκανε τπτ η Κύπρος στο 1ο ππ?

[@VladTevez]

Chris Papas​ Σε γενικές γραμμές χορήγησε πολλά μουλάρια και άλογα στον βρετανικό στρατό, ένα κυπριακό σύνταγμα ημιονηγών πολέμησε με βρετανική σημαία στη Μακεδονία και πολλοί κύπριοι εθελοντές κατατάχθηκαν στον ελληνικό, τον γαλλικό, τον βρετανικό και τον αμερικανικό στρατό. Επίσης η Κύπρος ήταν καταφύγιο για επιζώντες της Αρμενικής Γενοκτονίας, ήταν ο τόπος εκπαίδευσης της εθελοντικής Αρμενικής Λεγεώνας του Γαλλικού Στρατού και τέλος είχε νοσοκομειακές εγκαταστάσεις και στρατόπεδα αιχμαλώτων

[@dokorbokor7409]

I was so surprised when I was at the island of Thassos (quite near Salonika) that it was an Egypt territory for a long time, there are a lot of abandoned houses that still belong to Egypt people. Yet again I was thinking about how much history every single piece of land is holding. From the very ancient times to a modern. Local thassos vine was a good help for the thinking.

[@eleftheriosvenizelos7797]

Thank you so much Nice Video :)

[@pgthegreat8208]

This a very nice video . Although there are some acceptable mistakes , it is generally correct . I really appreciate your interest in WW1 and that you created a special episode about Greece . I would love to watch another episode dedicated on Greece . I really like it when people show interest about history . It is very rare these days . . . Anyway . . . Thank you for the good content !

[@VladTevez]

+PG THE GREAT, I'm happy to hear any disagreements about the video in a constructive and productive discussion

[@JasonGeorgiouGaming]

You sir, have just earned a subscriber.

[@TheGreatWar]

Welcome to the show!

[@AA-mf3om]

I am from greece, i like history so i read a lot. You said it all right (at least 99% right).in my opinion. I will start watching your other videos too. Nice job.

[@andreiradu3767]

Next country to enter the war is Romania soooo hype

[@VladTevez]

+PetrosB4 Έχουν γνώση οι φύλακες...

[@philippepetain8071]

Why so much hype? They got rekt within a month like legit

[@TheMasterChief101234]

+Philippe Pétain They entered the war in August of 1916 and didn't sign an armistice until May 1918.. helluva month, huh?

[@philippepetain8071]

melvin lainez their country was taken over. Pretty much what happened to the Serbians. I call that getting rekt

[@TheMasterChief101234]

Philippe Pétain you're an idiot, they retook the country until they were forced to sign the armistice because of the October Revolution.

[@4033mitchell]

Great episode!

[@victoraspapadimitriou9956]

Me who has a Greek history test tomorrow 👀

[@Verby01]

Thank you for this excellent analysis in only 10 min time.

[@VladTevez]

+Evangelos P Παρακαλώ!

[@Greek_Operator02]

κρητη ρεεε!!!

[@filipposgstathopoulos]

Do u kno de wae my brudda

[@itskozy7618]

You do not know da way

[@Kataramenos_69]

Γτπ είστε οι Κρητικοί

[@twonumbernines9185]

Huge thumbs up for pronouncing the names as good as he can (which is pretty damn good)

[@Azivegu]

jesus, and i thought women were complicated

[@nemesis8230]

Lol

[@ΔημήτρηςΛουκάς-η9τ]

Greeks are complicated man . . . we re greeks we lost our empire due to this political conflicts

[@christostheocharides4689]

@@ΔημήτρηςΛουκάς-η9τ which empire?

[@sheildofeurope6149]

@@christostheocharides4689 Την Βυζαντινή Αυτοκρατορία

[@christostheocharides4689]

@@sheildofeurope6149 Δεν ηταν ελληνικη ισα ισα που σκοτωνε και αδικουσε τους ελληνες που δεν ηταν χριστιανοι

[@Patrick_3751]

Jesus Christ this sure was complicated to follow! But that only adds to how interesting this stuff is! Thanks guys for creating this!

[@bernardobiritiki]

Still waiting for the portugal Special episode ;_;

[@SuperCompany007]

Waiting for the Finnish too, it should be coming in 1917

[@bernardobiritiki]

+Company007 wasnt finnland part of the Russian empire in ww1?

[@696190]

as was armenia of the russian empire; didnt stop them from doing a special on it

[@SuperCompany007]

bernardobiritiki Yeah but gained independence in 1917 so it warrants a special

[@bernardobiritiki]

+Company007 well dont get your hopes up Portugal has been in the war for a few months now and no special episode same with greece this whole solanica thing is kinda old

[@brbear54]

Another good show, well done. The interwar years would make for a fascinating future series. Most people probably believe nothing happened, but they would be wrong. Just because the shooting stopped on the Western Front did not mean that the killing didn't go on. The Soviet Civil War, Estonian war for independence, massacres in India. Wars for national determination. Rise of the Fascist, Spartacus revolt. The results of Wilson's failure to push his program at Versailles. It's all there. And the greatest what if. If the Fasil Weisman agreement had of been allowed to go forth.

[@TheLeadery]

Venizelos was one of the greatest politicians in Greek history, (A one in a 100 years guy) but as always was ruined by the church because we greeks still live in a nation that cant seperate church and state

[@comingafteryou5352]

TheLeadery Ο Βενιζέλος δεν ήταν τίποτα άλλο από ένας ηλίθιος μασόνος και λίγα τα λόγια σου για την εκκλησία.

[@cyrclack5616]

"Ηλίθιος Μασόνος" ο οποίος εάν δεν είχε το άλλο το καθηστερημένο κουτορνίθι τον Κωνσταντίνο θα είχε πάρει την Σμύρνη και την Αδριανούπολη 2 χρόνια πριν, δεν θα πίστευε σα μαλάκας ότι θα μπορούσαμε να κάνουμε ντου στην Άγκυρα και συνεπώς δεν θα γαμιομασταν ανάποδα στην Μικρασιατική εκστρατεία Άπ'τον Ατατούρκ

[@megrimlockmesmart.1200]

"Boa Tarde" Indi Neidell and GREAT WAR TEAM (you are all amazing by the way). Portugal is often overlooked in the world history and unfortunately this period of the history is no different,even if we ended up fighting and dying in Africa and France (like my two great-grandfathers), so i humbly ask if you ever will make some special about this small but valorous country.

[@pppaaaooo13]

For Greece war after 1918 was far bloodier and lasted years

[@SeventhSamurai72]

:41 says Greek War of Indendence; love your work!

[@quickster2253]

Let's Make Greece Great Again......

[@aggelostotalwar575]

thank you for this episode sir , your videos helped me in my model united nations experience last year in the historical committee with ww1 as subject and i represented greece in that era

[@thedarkhunterofthepast7715]

The king did a huge mistake.But still by trying to come in his position ,and despite of his support towards Germany he still had some arguments. -The allies did not gave any written promises to Greece.On the other hand, before Bulgaria entered war they had offered Bulgaria a part of Macedonia, and in exchange later Greece would take a part of Asia Minor. -In 1916 the situation in the Balkans were really severe for the allies.The Serbians had unfortunately been defeated,the allied army in Thessaloniki could not breach the bulgarian lines in Macedonia, the two armies were almost equal and the bulgarians in strong defensive positions, thus in advantage. -Huge Greek population existed in Bulgaria and Ottoman Turkey and despite of the fact that they were already facing extinction due to killings and huge punishment, the genocide for instance in Turkey still was not in the same levels as it was a bit later (1919-1922). -The allies could not promise extra reinforcements to help Greece against a combined attack by Turkey and Bulgaria. -Romania was almost overrun by the central powers, they were fighting for their survival and with high cost they managed to keep a part of their country free-but still they were almost defeated. Those are some of the arguments which the king might had thought-by assuming that he did not judge only by his sympathy for Greece. At my opinion, Greece should have go to war, right after the British offered Cyprus.They could have supported more Serbia, winning more time for the allies. The war-for instance in southeastern Europe - could have much sooner,

[@janpap1508]

Great job!

[@Aristocles22]

Stop! STOP! The Greek *nation* is ancient, going back thousands of years. The modern Greek *state* is recent! A nation means the people, a state is an independent political entity.

[@statharask]

the greek state exists from 1930-31 to this day there was no greek state before. if you are refering to the greek city states,the byzantine empire or the diadochi kingdons then you should understand that those are diferent nations

[@Aristocles22]

Cave Johnson Same nation of Greeks under different rulers, but still the same people.

[@statharask]

+Nonamearisto i cant agree language morals and religion change . ofc modern greeks are conected to ancient greeks but are not the same

[@Aristocles22]

Cave Johnson Although Greek has changed over the years, it is still the same language, with more or less the same alphabet since classical times. Morals change too, but so what? American morals changed greatly from 1776 to present, but we're still the same people in the same country. Greeks are the same people as they were in the time of Socrates and Plato, and far earlier too.

[@statharask]

+Nonamearisto no they are not same religion not same way of thinking not same people. in fact ancient greeks had a really hard time vewing themselves as greeks and not athenians,spartans , macedonians