The Marble Emperor's Revenge! - An Alternate Ending to the Greco-Turkish War
A map depicting Greece's borders after the Greco-Turkish Wars c. 1936 just prior to WWII
As you can see, in ttl, Greece emerged as a victor of the Greco-Turkish War, which in ttl is known also known as the Roman of Restoration within Greece. In ttl Greek propagandists and historians paint the war and the years following Greek independence as part of a larger national struggle for liberation. From an objective perspective, the success of the Balkan Wars and the subsequent Greco-Turkish Wars did allow Greece to emerge as a truly independent state free from economic hegemony under the French and British where it emerged as a strong regional power and the focus of the Orthodox world as Greece with control over Mt. Athos and the restored Patriarchate of Constantinople.
The main pod for this is that the Assassination attempt against King George I is thwarted, and thus Greece has a more pro-entente government which enters WWI earlier after the British promise Cyprus and Northern Epirus to the Greeks. One critical divergence from otl here is that Greece has a much more stable government. A major consequence of this is that the schism between the Venizelists and Constantine's supporters are avoided with King George serving as a mediator between both sides. Thus Prince Constantine is made the head of a better prepared Greek army which helps to relieve the Serbians and has a better military performance in the war which leaves it seen as a much more respected nation at the peace table. Here Greece manages to take Constantinople, but are forced to give it up as part of an international zone. Greece is instead compensated with land in Smyrna. In ttl, Attaturk is killed at Gallipoli leaving Turkey with much less competent government under the Sultanate.
With Smyrna under Greek occupation, the Megali idea of "liberating" the Greeks in Asia and creating a Trans-Aegan state becomes popular. And following King George's death after the end of the War, the new King Constantine takes the throne as "Constantine I and XII." As both Venizelos and Constantine were forced to compromise during the war, the two form a working relationship which leads to a general rapprochement following Constantine's ascension to the throne with the two united in a desire to realize the vision of a "Greater Greece." The Greco-Turkish War here results in a much better prepared and led Greek Army which manages to take over the Western Aegean with the Greek and French armies forcing the Turks to sign a humiliating peace deal after the Greeks capture the main army and eventually Anakara. This left Turkey to a very much reduced in size and out for revenge in the Second World War.
As for the French, Cilicia is ceded back to Turkey which forces many Cilician Armenians to flee to Greece and Armenia fearing reprisals from a vengeful Turkish army. Though the a Kurdish state is setup as a joint Anglo-French puppet alongside an independent Assyrian state. Here in ttl, rather than Wilsonian Armenia being created, the Armenia is a slightly bigger version of the First Republic with it having sea access by virtue of the port city of Batumi. This is a point of contention between the Georgia and Armenia, but these concerns are swept aside with the later rise of the Turkish State forcing the two to band together for mutual protection with Greek support who also allies with Kurdistan mirroring the interbellum "Little Entente" formed in the Balkans to contain a Revanchist Hungary.
With their hold on Constantinople tenuous, it is handed to Greece who re-establish it as their Capital where King Constantine crowns himself in a ceremony reminiscent of the Romans of old as Constantine XII fulfilling the legend of the Marble Emperor retaking the Imperial City. Though this title isn't initially taken seriously until after WW2 when the Empire was cemented as an enduring political entity. Within Greece King Constantine is seen as a highly popular figure (even more than otl) as a "liberator" for the Greeks. Prior to the seizure of Constantinople Prime minister Venizelos was assassinated by a Communist which shocked the public. And with fears of Bolshevism on the rise the Soviets winning the Russian Civil War and the later Battle of Warsaw, which causes the Venezelists rally around the Emperor who created a new more monarchical government. This coalition party of Conservatives, Nationalist, and Venezelists unite against the rising Red Tide sweeping through Europe. This sees a more nationalist government take hold rallying around the Emperor turning Greece into more of de-facto one party Royalist dictatorship.
While things look bright on the surface for the Greeks, the issue of Ethnic tensions remains which leads to a dark chapter in the human history as this period is rife with atrocities committed against each other. In accordance with the treaty of Lausanne, a population transfer was to take place. Though this ended causing a massive humanitarian crisis as millions of people were displaced from their homes.
And with the Fall of Poland and the Caucuses, many in Europe began to fear a wider Communist Revolution throughout Europe. And with the fall of the Caucuses to the Red Tide in the early 1920's, the Ottoman Sultan was overthrown in favor of a shaky and short-lived Turkish Republic which too collapses further into civil war where a new Turkish Socialist Republic emerges victorious both friendly to Moscow and burning with a desire to retake its lost land and avenge its humiliation.
Within Germany, panic spread which led to instability within the Weimar Republic that led to its eventual downfall. Within Austria Kaiser Karl was able to reclaim his throne, and through a plebiscite, managed regain South Tyrol except for Trentino following pro-Austrian riots leading to an internationally mediated plebiscite being held. This feeling of a mutilated victory would contribute to the rise of the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini in the 1920's.
The year is now 1936 and the young Empire of the Romans now finds itself on shaky ground as its surrounded by enemy nations and an unstable economic situation. Will the legacy of the Marble Emperor be preserved, or will it be smashed to pieces by the oncoming Red Tide?
What do you guys think of this map and lore? I'm thinking of making a larger map encompassing Europe around this time period if you guys are interested.
