The Greek Minority of Istanbul and Greek-Turkish Relations 1918–1974 (review)

Reviews 209 tor" in sociopolitical developments and in the formation of economic structures must be assessed in order to close the system of historical and analytical perspectives. For all the tasks of the research agenda the book by Katsanevas provides a sound starting point and solid guidance. Stavros B. Thomadakis City University of New York Alexis Alexandris. The Greek Minority of Istanbul and Greek-Turkish Relations 1918-1974. Athens: Center for Asia Minor Studies. 1983. Pp. 391. 700 drachmas. Much of the literature on various aspects of Greek-Turkish relations tends to be polemical, emotional and designed for propaganda purposes. It is a rare pleasure then to read a book such as that by Alexandris. Its treatment of this complex issue is objective, balanced , and minutely documented. Its extensive bibliography of Greek, English, and Turkish sources is most useful for anyone interested in the topic. Based on archival material from the British Public Record Office and the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the book originated in the author's doctoral dissertation. Alexandris' book should be a necessary acquisition for any major library with holdings on Greece or Turkey. The author essentially traces the changing fortunes of the Constantinopolitan Greek community and the Ecumenical Patriarchate from 1918-1974, and shows how their destiny was influenced by the political relations between Greece and Turkey. In turn, the relations of the two countries were also affected by the treatment accorded to their respective minorities. Thus, the 1923 Lausanne Treaty, through its provisions on minorities and the Patriarchate, created a "hostage value" situation which has served Turkish domestic and foreign policy goals much more effectively than in the case of Greece. The author raises some challenging, if not also disturbing conclusions about the attitudes and actions of the Greek Constantinopolitan community and the Patriarchate, the Turkish attitude and actions toward its minorities, Turkey's international negotiating tactics , international attitudes towards Turkey and its violations of international agreements, and the influence of individuals, such as Venizelos, Ataturk and various patriarchs on Greek-Turkish relations . 210 Reviews The coexistence of Muslim and Christian communities of Constantinople since 1453 was defined under the millet system of Ottoman administration, which established the patriarch as an ethnarch and gave the Patriarchate its ecumenical character. With the deterioration of the Ottoman Empire, the millet system fell prey to abuse, and in the long run proved fatal to the incorporation of nonMuslims in the Ottoman body politic. In its later stages this system also provided opportunities to the European powers for agitation and intrigue among Ottoman minorities, often under the guise of protection . The economic changes that occurred in the second half of the nineteenth century intensified the social differences among the nationalities of the Ottoman Empire. These changes also brought into conflict the political aspirations of the secular Greek intelligentsia and entrepreneurial elites with those of the traditionalist Orthodox Patriarchate and its clergy. A consequence of this conflict was the transformation of the Orthodox millet to one dominated by language and ethnicity rather than religion. Inevitably, reformist and secularizing tendencies within the Ottoman Empire and Republican Turkey clashed with the goals of the Greek minority. The Greek minority and the Patriarchate by acts of omission and commission enhanced the mistrust and the determination of Ottoman and Republican Turkish authorities to deal with their minority problem. Lack of political judgment and misreading of international politics involved the Greek community in the irredentist politics of the Megali Idea, the Royalist-Republican struggles in Greece prior to 1923, and caused power struggles within the Patriarchate . Moderate leaders were therefore displaced by activists espousing the cause of union with Greece, refusing to communicate with the Ottoman government, abolishing the teaching of Turkish in the Greek schools, and engaging in anti-Turkish international activity without regard to future Turkish reactions. The millet system also contributed to the social and cultural isolation of the Greek minority and thus enhanced its alien character. In addition, the traditionalism of the Orthodox Church and its opposition to Republican secular reforms strengthened mutual suspicions between Greeks and Turks. Since the Asiatic debacle of Greece, the Greek minority and the Patriarchate have remained loyal to Turkey; however, this may have come...