The Greek Media in World War I and its Aftermath: The Athenian Press on the Asia Minor Crisis

by Georgia Eglezou

Overview

The Asia Minor Campaign remains one of the most disastrous episodes of modern Greek history. The retreat of the Greek army after being routed by Turkish nationalist forces in Anatolia in 1922 was a catastrophic event. Yet, as this meticulously researched study of Athenian newspapers from 1919 to 1922 makes apparent, the bulk of the Greek press created the illusion that all was well at the front and hid the reality of impending disaster. Here Eglezou presents these familiar events through a dramatic new perspective: the role and content of the Athenian press as a means of propaganda. The reporting of the pro- and anti-government press is closely rendered to provide fascinating insights into why a delusory policy was pursued to the bitter end. With a comprehensive account of the Campaign, Eglezou adds a new dimension to our understanding of the history of modern Greece, as well as the relationship between the press and politics more generally.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781350171336
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	06/25/2020
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.59(d)

About the Author

Georgia Eglezou received her PhD from the School of Historical Studies at the University of Birmingham and is a researcher at the Media School of Bournemouth University. Her chief research interests focus on the representation by the Greek and international press of the political, military and diplomatic history of Greece during the inter-war and Cold War periods.

Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of Tables
List of Abbreviations
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Part One: The Athenian Press
1. The Athenian Press in the 1920s
Part Two: The Venizelist Period
2. From the Paris Peace Conference to the Smyrna Landing
3. From Triumph to Defeat
Part Three: The United Opposition in Power
4. Transition and Change
5. The London Conference
6. The Summer Attack
7. Towards the Disaster
8. The Disaster
9. Conclusion
Notes
Appendices
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

"Georgia Eglezou [has] produced a book which is original and throws new light on what is a fascinating period of Greek history…What Georgia Eglezou’s book, derived from her doctoral thesis, achieves is to reprise unfolding events through a new perspective: the prism of the newspaper editor and his reporters whose critical faculties were sharpened or emasculated according to whether their allegiance was to the government or not. This meticulously researched study will fill a gap in the market; it is an original contribution to a much studied episode of modern Greek history."—Steve Morewood, School of Historical Studies, University of Birmingham

"It is not going too far to say that this is the definitive study on the topic and will be for years to come. Dr Eglezou has carried out exhaustive research that is supported and developed by a complex but accessible analysis which goes beyond simplistic notions of State domination or Press autonomy. For the reader who is new to Greek history, this is a fascinating study of a country grappling with political, social, and economic tensions as well as regional and global conflict… It will be a pleasure for me to recommend this book to any reader interested in Greece, the Mediterranean, and Europe in the early 20th century as well as any scholar engaging with issues of politics and propaganda."—Professor Scott Lucas, University of Birmingham

From the Publisher