Greek genocide — 1913–1922 genocide of Greek Christians in the Ottoman Empire
The Greek genocide resulted in the deaths of several hundred thousand Ottoman Greeks and the permanent displacement of a Christian minority from Anatolia.
Key Facts
- Period
- 1914–1922 (main phase)
- Victims
- Several hundred thousand Ottoman Greeks killed
- Perpetrators
- Ottoman Empire (Three Pashas) and Grand National Assembly
- Recognitions
- 9 national legislatures recognized as genocide by 2021
- Refugees to Greece
- Added over a quarter to Greece's prior population
- Formal resolution
- IAGS recognized as genocide in 2007
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Ottoman government, led by the Three Pashas, pursued a policy of ethnic and religious homogenization during World War I. Ottoman Greeks, as a Christian minority in Anatolia, were targeted on the basis of their religion and ethnicity, amid wartime conditions that provided cover and opportunity for large-scale persecution.
The Greek genocide comprised systematic massacres, forced deportations, death marches through the Syrian Desert, summary executions, and destruction of Eastern Orthodox cultural and religious sites. Carried out from 1914 to 1922, it encompassed both the Ottoman Imperial government's campaigns and subsequent actions during the Turkish War of Independence under Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
By late 1922, most Greeks of Asia Minor had fled or been killed. The 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey formally ended Greek presence in Anatolia and barred refugee return. Survivors resettled in Greece, significantly enlarging its population. The events are now recognized as genocide by multiple national legislatures and international scholarly bodies.