Modern Thessaloniki: The Post-1912 Transition
Introduction: Becoming a Part of the Modern Greek State
Thessaloniki is a bastion of cultural exchange.? Several cultural influences still remain in this Macedonian region metropolis.? It is only ironic, then, that today, Thessaloniki, the second-largest city in Greece, is considered ?authentically? Greek.? As its long, rich history reveals, Thessaloniki is as much influenced by its fellow neighbors as it is its own ?motherland? of Greece.? Throughout the centuries, Thessaloniki has been the subject of Greek, Roman, Macedonian, Venetian, Sicilian, Ottoman, and Byzantine conquests, among others.? Historic sites are scattered around the city reminding citizens and tourists alike of the rich heritage and long tradition of the port city?s importance in the Mediterranean theater.?
During the reunification of Greece, after the struggle for independence in the 1820s and 1830s, Thessaloniki and other portions of northern Greece remained under the control of the Ottoman Empire.? It was not until the Balkan Wars (1912-1913) that Greece legitimately claimed Thessaloniki (also known as Saloniki, Salonika, Thessalonike, and Thessalonica) as part of its own after centuries of non-Greek rule.? In less than a century, Greece once again has made the city its own, capitalizing on history, location, regional politics, and religion.
Ethnicity in Modern Thessaloniki
Kemal Ataturk (Mustafa Kemal), arguably the most well-known Turkish figure, and ?founder of modern Turkey,? was born in the Thessaloniki.[1]? Kemal Ataturk?s Young Turk movement, a moderate group for secularizing and modernizing the state, played an important part in not only Turkey, but Greece as well.? Leading up to the co...
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The effects of this go far beyond the imbalance of military power between Athens and her tributaries, however. The Old Oligarch lists four main areas where the existence of the Empire benefits the common people of Athens, thus giving impetus to radicalize democracy and justify the expansion and strengthening of the Empire, and giving is reason to find an ongoing justification for its existence. The first is the building of the disproportionately large Athenian navy. Second is the overall flattening of the Athenian social pyramid, raising the relative status of the lowest classes of society, and exemplified by the way that Athens becomes a magnet for aliens to live and work, and gives unusual freedom and opportunity to slaves. Third is that the allies are compelled to have their court cases tried in Athenian courts, bringing both prestige and financial reward to Athens. Finally, the centralizing effect of these things, and the obvious maritime nature of the Empire, make Athens a trading center, m...
In this paper I wanted to get a good general understanding of cultural anthropology and how it related to Ancient Greece, so I made sure that one of my references was an overview of the subject – Cultural Anthropology, The Human Challenge. This would lay the foundation for the research. I then sought out a book on Greek culture in general – The Greeks and Greek Civilization by Jacob Burckhardt – and one about the great war between Sparta and Athens – The Peloponnesian War by Donald Kagan. It was through these two books where I learned most of the cultural details about Sparta, as well as some context in comparison to some of the other Greek states.
Both Sparta and Athens were Greek city-states. Sparta was a strict military ruled city-state where the people established themselves as a military power early. However Athens was more of a political city-state that was more involved with their economical stature than their military forces. Still changes from the Persian wars would change the powers of the city-state and somewhat unite them.
Morris, Ian. Classical Greece: ancient histories and modern archaeologies. Cambridge [England: Cambridge University Press, 1994. Print.
Pomeroy, Sarah B. Ancient Greece: A Political, Social, and Cultural History. New York: Oxford UP, 1999. Print.
During the Archaic Age of Ancient Greece, circa 776-500 B.C.E., the population growth in Ancient Greece called a need for more food supplies, and this demand was met by trade, establishing colonies, and by warfare to seize more land (Making Europe 71). According to Kidner, the Archaic Age “brought a revival of culture, the economy, and political significance to Greece” (71). As Greece began to overpopulate, methods for dealing with the overpopulation had to be found, once of these methods was to import food, which caused an expansion of Greek commerce and production of trade goods (Making Europe 71). Another solution to the overpopulation of Greece was to find new land somewhere else, and during the colonization that lasted from 750-550 B.C.E., Greeks colonized coastal cities because they wanted access to trade routes across the sea (Making Europe 71). The revival of Greek trade also brought Near Eastern culture into Greece, including new styles or art. According to Kidner, “Greek sculpture assumed a very Egyptian look, and Greek pottery depicted many eastern designs…and Greek potters and sculptors soon used designs from their own myths and legents”
Greece culture is main compose of religion, music, language, food, traditions, art work, and wine. Greece is a country with an extremely rich history throughout centuries from Stone and Bronze Age to the Twentieth century. In addition, has lots of information about other historical facts such as Olympic Games, flags, archaeological sites, historical monuments and Unesco Sites in Greece.
Greek culture and civilization has changed throughout the years. Considering they have recorded history that dates back to __BCE it’s no surprise that their traditions run deep even in those who have never stepped foot in their motherland. This passion for one’s country becomes obvious through the dances that the youth displayed at the Greek Food Festival here in Fort Worth. The importance of dance in Greek culture is shown by the fact that they had from children to adults performing their dances to the best of their abilities. While the main focus were the dancers it is interesting to note the wide range of music they were willing to dance.
Natives were forcefully removed from their land in the 1800’s by America. In the 1820’s and 30’s Georgia issued a campaign to remove the Cherokees from their land. The Cherokee Indians were one of the largest tribes in America at the time. Originally the Cherokee’s were settled near the great lakes, but overtime they moved to the eastern portion of North America. After being threatened by American expansion, Cherokee leaders re-organized their government and adopted a constitution written by a convention, led by Chief John Ross (Cherokee Removal). In 1828 gold was discovered in their land. This made the Cherokee’s land even more desirable. During the spring and winter of 1838- 1839, 20,000 Cherokees were removed and began their journey to Oklahoma. Even if natives wished to assimilate into America, by law they were neither citizens nor could they hold property in the state they were in. Principal Chief, John Ross and Major Ridge were leaders of the Cherokee Nation. The Eastern band of Cherokee Indians lost many due to smallpox. It was a year later that a Treaty was signed for cession of Cherokee land in Texas. A small number of Cherokee Indians assimilated into Florida, in o...
As mentioned earlier Greece is a very geographically complex country. Greece is surrounded by Albania, Bulgaria, Turkey and the republic of Macedonia. These are all North of Greece’s Mainland to varying degrees. With Albania to the northwest, the Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria to the straight north and Turkey to the northeast. The Rhodope and Pindus mountains cause Greece to form natural barriers with its neighbors. To the west it borders the Ionian sea, to the east the Aegean sea.Greece is also located at the Southern end of the balkan Peninsula , which causes the southern portion of the country to stick out in...
In this paper I am going to write about Greek Americans. My paper will include detail about Greek Americans such as residence and housing, date and place of origin, economic activities, education, kinship, traditions and religion as well as their future in the United States.
Robin Sowerby, The Greeks: An Introduction To Their Culture. Published in 1995 by Routledge Publishers.
...ity in Classical Athens. New York, NY: Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation (USA) in Collaboration with the National Archaeological Museum, Athens, 2008. Print.
On the 25th of March 1821, the Greeks’ fight for independence from the Turks began. After about 8 long years of numerous battles, Greece was able to gain their independence in 1829. Their independence would not have been achievable without the help of their allies, who were mainly the French, Russia, and Great Britain. The philhellenes, or Greece-loving people, in those countries would rally support for Greece, and their revolution was a success because of their support. Greece would not have been able to attain their independence if not for the help of the various influential philhellenes in Great Britain.
Greece is a country united by its name, but divided by its ways. Although Sparta and Athens were both Greek cities, their societies were different. Sparta was focused on having a perfect military, whereas Athenian daily life revolved learning and knowledge. When Spartan boys were being trained for an army, Athenian boys were being trained for life. Both of these societies revolved around different government, education from when kids to teenagers, the responsibilities each individual had to keep their spot, and how women played a role throughout each city state.