Prompt Cast
The Fall of Smyrna: Atrocities and Massacres in the Final Days of the Ottoman Empire
TLDR In the final days of the Ottoman Empire, Smyrna experienced a devastating humanitarian catastrophe as violence broke out, leading to the deaths of tens of thousands and the displacement of hundreds of thousands. The inaction of the Allied warships and the intentional neglect by Ataturk allowed for the destruction of the city and marked a victory for the Turks.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
The final episode of the narrative of the Ottoman Empire reaches its climax with the defeat of the Greeks by Mustafa Kemal and their retreat back to Smyrna.
04:52
The mixed communities of the Ottoman Empire are unraveling due to nationalism and the aftermath of the Greek invasion, causing Greeks and other non-Turkish residents to flee to Smyrna, where the city's economy has crashed but the social scene remains intact, with the belief that the Allied battleships in the bay will protect them.
09:18
The Greek administration of Smyrna leaves the city without defending it, causing alarm among the inhabitants, and the Western allies start evacuating their nationals and protecting their interests in the city.
13:37
The Armenians in Smyrna are terrified as violence breaks out in their quarter and General Nureddin, known for his hatred of ethnic minorities, is appointed governor, leading to the start of atrocities and violence in the city.
17:58
The eyewitness accounts from Levantines and Americans in Smyrna during the atrocities reveal that the Americans and Allied warships did not intervene to save the Greeks and Armenians, and naval officers even played music to drown out the screams of the desperate people being attacked by Turkish soldiers.
22:10
Ataturk did not intervene to stop the massacres happening in Smyrna because it suited his purpose of creating a perfect Turkish city by driving out all other ethnic nationalities, and the Allied warships did nothing to help the desperate refugees because their governments were already looking to strike deals with Ataturk and didn't want to be seen helping the Greeks and Armenians.
26:40
The destruction of Smyrna was not part of a grand scheme, but rather a result of events spiraling out of control, with some elements within the Turkish army actively wanting to destroy the city, which had always been seen as a "blot" on the Turkish coastline, and the world was aware of the unfolding horror in Smyrna through news reports and footage.
31:20
Asa Jennings, the head of the American Relief Organization, commandeers Greek ships to rescue tens of thousands of Greeks from Smyrna, while Turkish forces round up Greek men and a wall of fire threatens those left behind.
35:23
The scale of the humanitarian catastrophe in Smyrna is disputed, but tens of thousands were killed and hundreds of thousands of refugees were eventually rescued, with estimates ranging from 100,000 to 190,000 dead, and the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923 led to the formal expulsion of 1.5 million ethnic Greeks from Turkey and 400,000 ethnic Turks from Greece.
39:47
The end of the Ottoman Empire led to the destruction of mosques and Turkish settlements in Greece, as well as Greek churches and monuments in Turkey, resulting in a 95-96% Turkish state today, while also marking the birth of modern Turkey and a victory for the Turks.
44:16
Ataturk brings in reforms and westernizes Turkey, abolishing the caliphate and leading to the last Ottoman Caliph, Abdul Majid, being put on the Orient Express and finding his way to Nice, where he is spotted by the correspondent of Time magazine.
Categories:
History
