From Tragedy to Achievement: The Case of the Refugees of the Asia Minor Disaster in the Modern History of Greece. Refugees’ Access to Education

The Asia Minor catastrophe of 1922 changed world history. The mass displacement of Greek Orthodox and Muslim populations troubled the world community. The fate of these populations was tested, forcing the Great Powers of the time, who bore significant responsibility for this disaster, to hasten the process of concluding an agreement between Greece and Turkey: the well-known Treaty of Lausanne. Hastily signed on January 30, 1923, it included an agreement on the exchange of Greek and Turkish populations as an integral part of the Treaty of Lausanne, signed six months later. This massive uprooting dramatically changed the geographical, population, and social map of Greece and marked the violent exclusion of Greek cultural elements and spirit from historical areas of the ancient Greek world. The refugees faced enormous problems in Greece, such as survival, housing, finding work, and educating their children. Political leadership was divided, and education was shaken.