Western Thrace Turks in the Greek Civil War (1946-1949)

The Thrace region, which is thought to have taken its name from the Thracians, has hosted many societies since the earliest times of history and has witnessed many societies' struggle for sovereignty. The region, which was under the rule of Thracians, Macedonians, Persians, Romans and Ottomans, came under the rule of Bulgarians and finally Greeks in the modern period. While under the rule of the Ottomans, the Turkish population constituted the majority as a result of the resettlement policy in the region. The Turks became a minority in the region, which was left out of the hands of the Ottomans with the Balkan Wars. The region, which was captured by the Bulgarians with the Balkan Wars, came under the rule of the Greeks after the 1st World War.Coming out of the National Struggle period, Turkey, in the Treaty of Lausanne, granted minority rights to the Turks of Western Thrace and the Greeks of Istanbul, who were not exchanged mutually with Greece.Thus, a new era began for the Turks of Western Thrace, and the situation of the minority showed parallelism with Turkey-Greece relations. The minority living under Greek rule faced many difficult situations. These are the problems that a minority may experience in general, World War II and civil war. In the civil war, which is our subject, these difficulties have reached their peak. The Turks of Western Thrace were crushed between government forces and DSE/gangs during the civil war years, and were subjected to oppression and persecution by both sides. The minority experienced many extortion, looting, torture and discrimination during the civil war, and they were also in a very difficult situation economically. In addition to these, their social lives were also affected, and they faced great difficulties in their education, social activities and lives. Along with these, the minority emerged from this crisis by taking two paths. One is to endure the difficulties they experience in their region, and the other is to migrate to Turkey, which they regard as their homeland. The civil war, which is one of the depression periods of the Western Thrace Turks, has not yet been adequately studied in the Western Thrace Turks and at the thesis level. This study was created in order to illuminate the period and contribute to the historical literature. Keywords: Western Thrace Turks, Greece, Civil War, Communism, Government Forces, DSE Troops/Gangs