29037 - The example of the Dodecanese
N. Lygeros
Translated from the Greek by Athina Kehagias
Regarding the Dodecanese, both the monarchists and venizelians have an opinion, eventhough their liberation and their unification with Greece did not result on account of any of the two. Both factions, for which someone could really wonder if they have studied history, because they have certainly never written it, forget in a wittily manner Italy’s enormous role, both in the good and the bad side. In 1909 when the privileges of the Privileged islands of the Archipelagos were abolished, the factor was specifically external and there wasn’t any internal reaction whatsoever. Where were the antagonistic factions when the italian-turkish war took place, between September 1911 and October 1912? The first Balkan War didn’t in any way relate to the Dodecanese, but even there, we had useless and dangerous confrontations occur. Finally, in order for something substantial to occur regarding the Dodecanese, we had to wait for the end of the Second World War, so that the Council of the Foreign Ministers of the four forces would decide in Paris on the 27th of June of 1946, to unite them with Greece. This of course was the case, because the fascist Italy lost the war and the democratic Italy surrendered them without any obstacles. The Paris Treaty was signed in 1947. In fact it is the British Commander of the Allied Forces of the Dodecanese Occupation who surrenders the Dodecanese to Greece. There is none therefore involvement of either the Venizelians, nor the Monarchists. Everything occurred as a result of an external factor due to high strategy.