text: National Schism | Military Wiki | Fandom
  Source of the conflict[edit | edit source]
  Balkan Wars (1912–13)[edit | edit source]
  Beginning of the conflict[edit | edit source]
  King Constantine's German affiliations were exaggerated in the Entente's propaganda during the war. It is true that Queen Sofia was the sister of the German Kaiser, Wilhelm II, and Constantine himself had been educated in Germany and admired German culture. On the other hand, he was descended on his father's side from the Glucksbergs of Denmark and on his mother's side from the Romanovs of Russia, spoke perfect English, was a frequent visitor to England and had relatives there. Greece had an ongoing mutual defense pact with Serbia, a member of the Allied forces, who were asking for support after they were invaded by Austria-Hungary (see Serbian Campaign (World War I)). However, Constantine believed it was in the greater interests of Greece to remain neutral. His considerable military experience and knowledge made him especially conscious of the threat to Greece from Bulgaria's powerful military in the event that the Hellenic Army was engaged in a war with Austria-Hungary. The Prime Minister, Venizelos, was strongly in favor of joining the Entente, as he believed that Greece would gain new lands and fulfill the Megali Idea.
  The clash and schism of Greece[edit | edit source]
  Venizelist victims in Athens after the Noemvriana events
  Ιn retaliation, the Venizelos National Defence Government and the Entente instituted a naval blockade, seized the royalist fleet and demanded the partial disarmament of the royalist forces and their withdrawal to the Peloponnese. The monarchists blamed Venizelos for having the idea of the blockade. It lasted 106 days in total, during which time no goods were allowed to enter or leave royalist-controlled ports that were under the control of the Athens government, leading the population to hunger. This was to set a precedent for much of the future conflict in Greece.
  Official Greek entry in the war[edit | edit source]
  Koliopoulos, G; Veremes, Thanos (2002). "Greece: the modern sequel, from 1831 to the present". NY: NYC Press. ISBN 0-8147-4767-1. https://books.google.com/books?id=DRsh7gWUVZEC.
  Leon, GB (1974). "Greece and the Great Powers 1914–17". Thessaloniki: Institute of Balkan Studies. https://books.google.com/books?id=WYmyAAAAIAAJ.