NationStates

There was a plan for old greek land to be returned to Greece. Constantinople would become this new Byzantine Empire’s capital. It eventually didn’t happen and after the Greek Genocide by the Turks the native Greek population is just a handfull. Should the Megali idea be brought back?

Only if Greece is capable of doing it themselves.

Turkey might not be too pleased with that.

Yes, but Turks should be integrated into the new Greater Greece. Most of them are descended from Greeks anyways.

Neuer Deutsches Reich wrote:There was a plan for old greek land to be returned to Greece. Constantinople would become this new Byzantine Empire’s capital. It eventually didn’t happen and after the Greek Genocide by the Turks the native Greek population is just a handfull. Should the Megali idea be brought back?

no because Turkey had a better economy and military then Greece has or will have and the Greek populace is significantly smaller then the populace of Turkey. plus doing this would need both turk, greek, and international support and they will never have the support needed to do this ever.

Mzeusia wrote:Turkey might not be too pleased with that.

Erdogan can get fucked.

Realistically no, however it was Greek land, so some would make the case it should be part of Greece. Same with Cyprus, before the invasion it was about 80:20 Greek Cypriot, I can imagine that's no longer the case.

Neuer Deutsches Reich wrote:There was a plan for old greek land to be returned to Greece. Constantinople would become this new Byzantine Empire’s capital. It eventually didn’t happen and after the Greek Genocide by the Turks the native Greek population is just a handfull. Should the Megali idea be brought back?

You should work more on the OP, I suppose. It's too short.

Tbh, no. How will the plan be brought? Another Turko-Greek war?

I think several Turks might have an issue with that and, to be honest, I wouldn't really blame them. Unless the people living in those regions willingly elect to join with Greece, then it's a terrible idea.

Tirnagael wrote:I think several Turks might have an issue with that and, to be honest, I wouldn't really blame them. Unless the people living in those regions willingly elect to join with Greece, then it's a terrible idea.

maybe you can tell Putin and the Chinese that.

A Roman/Byzantine restoration type thing would be nice. Of course, being a Byzantinophile, I'm obviously biased in that regard.

Gig em Aggies wrote:

Tirnagael wrote:I think several Turks might have an issue with that and, to be honest, I wouldn't really blame them. Unless the people living in those regions willingly elect to join with Greece, then it's a terrible idea.

maybe you can tell Putin and the Chinese that.

If you can find me the phone number for Vladimir Putin or Xi Jinping I'd be more than happy to calmly explain this to them.

Whether they listen is another matter. Regardless, the ethnic make-up of those regions is no longer Greek so...

Tirnagael wrote:I think several Turks might have an issue with that and, to be honest, I wouldn't really blame them. Unless the people living in those regions willingly elect to join with Greece, then it's a terrible idea.

Strange to say that due to, I'm guessing, you're Irish, what about Northern Ireland? Is that part of the UK due to 55 percent of the population wanting it to be, what about the 45 percent who don't.

Recon Scout 1 wrote:

Tirnagael wrote:I think several Turks might have an issue with that and, to be honest, I wouldn't really blame them. Unless the people living in those regions willingly elect to join with Greece, then it's a terrible idea.

Strange to say that due to, I'm guessing, you're Irish, what about Northern Ireland? Is that part of the UK due to 55 percent of the population wanting it to be, what about the 45 percent who don't.

Read the quote again. As I said " Unless the people living in those regions willingly elect to join with Greece, then it's a terrible idea." There's a hell of a higher chance of Northern Ireland voting to rejoin the Republic than ethnic Turks electing to join with Greece. It's not a strange thing for me to say when it's predicated on the people living in any given region opting to willingly join another polity through democratic means.

Genivaria wrote:

Mzeusia wrote:Turkey might not be too pleased with that.

Erdogan can get fucked.

Sure, but Greece regaining that land isn't very realistic.

Mzeusia wrote:

Genivaria wrote:Erdogan can get fucked.

Sure, but Greece regaining that land isn't very realistic.

Not at the moment, no.

Mzeusia wrote:

Genivaria wrote:Erdogan can get fucked.

Sure, but Greece regaining that land isn't very realistic.

This is the point I'm trying to make. There's no realistic chance of this being realized short of a mass migration of Greeks into the territory. Thank you.

Around the beginning of the 20th century, western and northern Turkey were mostly Greek. That number drastically fell. Cyprus used to be mostly Greek Cypriots. After Turkey invaded it, no longer. Northern Epirus was completely Greek, now that number is less. Thrace used to be all Greek, now it's split between Bulgarians, Turks, and Greeks. If Greece owned these lands, my god, it'd be a disaster (unless the populations vote for it). So, good luck with your little fantasy. I want it as much as we all do...

Aren't the Greeks just christianised Turks to begin with?
Shouldn't we then give Greece back to Turkey so we can have turkey in the EU.

IIRC Greece and Turkey had significant exchanges of population after Atatürk founded the Turkish state. Greeks in Turkey were moved to Greece whilst Turks in Greek land were moved to Turkey. Greeks form a tiny percentage in Turkey nowadays so there’s no justification nor possibility for the idea to be reborn or, god forbid, attempted.

There’s also the fact that Istanbul’s population is greater than the entirety of Greece. Turks won’t stand for it and neither would the international community.

It’s wishful thinking. Petty, laughable, and outright stupid revanchism.

Samadhi wrote:Aren't the Greeks just christianised Turks to begin with?

No.

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I am afraid that ship has sailed. There are no realistic prospects for Greece to conquer those areas, barring a complete breakdown of the Turkish state. In which there would be a massive migration issue at hand for the Greeks to deal with that would make the past six years look like a bloody picnic!

Samadhi wrote:Aren't the Greeks just christianised Turks to begin with?
Shouldn't we then give Greece back to Turkey so we can have turkey in the EU.

What whacked up history books are you reading?

Samadhi wrote:Aren't the Greeks just christianised Turks to begin with?
Shouldn't we then give Greece back to Turkey so we can have turkey in the EU.

The Turkish governments have been trash ever since the tolerant tradition of Ottoman Islam was replaced by secular Turkish ethnonationalism in the early twentieth century. Besides, it would be more accurate to call the Turks Islamified Greeks speaking a Central Asian nomadic language. The Greeks were in Anatolia long before a few nomadic invaders came and introduced their culture and religion to their local subjects.

Heloin wrote:

Samadhi wrote:Aren't the Greeks just christianised Turks to begin with?
Shouldn't we then give Greece back to Turkey so we can have turkey in the EU.

What whacked up history books are you reading?

It's something I heard from a Cypriot lady on Emerald chat. She was pretty funny.

Nea Videssos wrote:A Roman/Byzantine restoration type thing would be nice. Of course, being a Byzantinophile, I'm obviously biased in that regard.

I would rather see a pagan Roman or Macedonian restoration rather than Byzantine, lol. Either of those would be ideal, but those are as likely to happen as Greece annexing the areas claimed by the Megali idea.