The London Greek Diaspora and National Politics the Anglo-Hellenic League and the Idea of Greece, 1913–1919

This electronic thesis or dissertation has been downloaded from the King’s Research Portal at https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/ The London Greek Diaspora and National Politics The Anglo-Hellenic League and the Idea of Greece, 1913–1919 Kouta, Georgia Awarding institution: King's College London The copyright of this thesis rests with the author and no quotation from it or information derived from it may be published without proper acknowledgement. END USER LICENCE AGREEMENT Unless another licence is stated on the immediately following page this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ You are free to copy, distribute and transmit the work Under the following conditions: Attribution: You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work). Non Commercial: You may not use this work for commercial purposes. No Derivative Works - You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work. Any of these conditions can be waived if you receive permission from the author. Your fair dealings and other rights are in no way affected by the above. Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact [email protected] providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 30. Sep. 2021 THE LONDON GREEK DIASPORA AND NATIONAL POLITICS: THE ANGLO-HELLENIC LEAGUE AND THE IDEA OF GREECE, 1913–1919 by Georgia Kouta A thesis submitted to the Department of History In conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy King’s College, University of London United Kingdom July 2015 Cover image shows The City’s Welcome to Venizelos, 16 November 1917. Source: AH League, pamphlet no. 35, 1917. i Contents List of Figures v List of Abbreviations vi Acknowledgements vii Abstract x 1 Introduction 1 2 The London Greek Bourgeoisie: An Economic and Political Actor 1900 – 27 1920 The Greek Commercial Diaspora: A Note on Methodology 28 The Diasporic Community from a Transnational Perspective 30 A Brief History of the London Greek Bourgeoisie 36 The Anthropogeography of the Greek Community 38 A Mapping of Economic Activities: The London Greek Merchant Marine, the War and the Profits 40 Diasporic Investments and Domestic Economy: A Review of the Historiography 47 The Politicisation of the London Greek Bourgeoisie and the British Liberal Philhellenic Establishment 1878 –1912 53 The Hellenic Committee 54 The Greek Committee 58 Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies 63 Pro-Hellenic Initiatives 1897–1912 65 Aegean Islands Committee 1912 69 3 The Making of the Anglo-Hellenic League 72 Staging the Establishment of the Anglo-Hellenic League 73 The Profile of the League between Influence and Propaganda 78 The Outlets of Influence 83 Establishment and Missions 86 Objects 88 Members 89 ii Branches 95 External Relations and Hellenic Affiliations in the Rest of the World 100 Publications 102 Modern Greece and the Love of England 104 Propaganda Pamphlets 107 General Meetings 109 Audiences, Lectures and Events 118 The Establishment of the Koraes Chair 124 Conclusion: An Evaluation of the Early Political Influence of the League 132 4 The ‘Republican Moment’ of the Anglo-Hellenic League: Shifting Perceptions about the ‘Monarchy’ during the National Schism 1915– 1917 138 Greek Liberal Politics 1910–1920 139 The Discourse over Monarchy: Greek Liberals and the Crown 144 The Crystallisation of the National Schism 1915–1917 148 Diasporic Representations of the Schism: The Reception and Anti- monarchical Propaganda of the League 152 Anti-Venizelist Voices in London 162 British Responses to Venizelos’ Legitimacy 164 The ‘Republican’ Moment of the League: Accommodating Socialist Voices within the Anglo-Hellenic League 170 Conclusion 176 5 Από του ‘Ίστρου μέχρι της Ίδης’: London Greek Narratives of the Megali Idea and the Discourse on Nationalism 179 The Discursive Paradox of Greek Modernity: The Past in the Service of Modernity 180 The Greek Elites of London 185 ‘Η Μεγάλη Ιδέα ηλέκτρισε πολλούς, μόλις εξέφυγεν ολίγους’: The Megali Idea and the Modern Condition of Greek Nationalism 188 Forging National Identities: Venizelos, the Diasporic Greeks and the Megali Idea 190 iii The Discourse of Burrows and Andreadis 194 Three Case Studies of Nationalist Discourse: Introduction 202 The Epirus Question 206 Irredentism in Asia Minor through the Events on the Anatolian Coast in 1912–1914: A Case Study through Witness Reports and the Pamphlets of the League 216 Letters from Greeks 219 Letters from Englishmen 222 The Bulgarians and the Case of the Buxton Brothers 228 Conclusion 236 6 Conclusion 240 The Opportunity: Making Greece the ‘British Proxy’ 240 Propaganda and Politics: An Evaluation of the Role of the Anglo-Hellenic League 242 The Establishment and an Evaluation of the First Years 244 The Moment of Radicalisation: The League in the Service of the State 249 Final Remarks 252 Appendix: List of Anglo-Hellenic League Pamphlets 1913–1919 255 Bibliography 262 iv Figures Cover The City’s Welcome to Venizelos, 16 November 1917 1 The centre of Hellenic activities during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries 26 2 The first invitation of the Anglo-Hellenic League and a call for subscriptions 71 3 Member’s identity card of the Liberal Club in Piraeus, 1918 79 4 The logo of the Anglo-Hellenic League found on official letterhead and correspondence 87 5 Statute of the Athens Branch of the League 97 6 Lecture series from the Department of Modern Greek Studies 121 7 ‘Advertisement of AHL event’, The Times, 15 November 1917 123 8 ‘Advertisement of the Koraes Chair’, The Times, 16 December 1918 127 9 The landing of the Allies at Salonica 148 10a, b ‘Anathema of the Traitor’ 151 11 ‘Venizelist Warnings of Treachery’ 154 12 King of Greece, Queen of Greece and M. Venizelos 177 v Abbreviations ABM Benaki Museum Archive, Athens AH League Publications of the Anglo-Hellenic League, London BEA Bank of England Archives, London CMS Centre of Asia Minor Studies, Athens ELIA Greek Literature and Historical Archive, Athens GMFA Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Athens GP John Gennadius Papers, Athens HC House of Commons, Hansard KCA Archive of King’s College London LSEA London School of Economics and Political Science Archive, London NA National Archives, London SP John Stavridis Papers, Oxford vi Acknowledgements This thesis, like many of the moments of my life during recent years, has trodden some cosmopolitan paths. Its constant travel brought about meetings with new people and ideas, situations and challenges, and an opportunity for self-discovery and awareness. It embarked from London to Oxford and Cambridge, it crossed canals to Florence and Brussels, flew over the Atlantic ocean to Chicago and New York and, vibrant, returned to Athens, to sail the Aegean to the islands of Crete and Mykonos, to be finally completed in Paphos. I feel grateful for the welcome I received in all the above destinations and for the insights I accumulated. It was those little glimpses of penetrating light that gave me the strength to go on during the darkest hours. I am grateful to the staff of King’s College Archives and the Interlibrary Loan Service, for they have done their utmost to assist my study, as have the kind librarians and archivists in the Gennadius Library, the Liberal Club, the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs Archive, the ELIA archive and the Centre for Asia Minor Studies in Athens. I would also like to thank the staff of the National Archives in Kew and the Library of St Anthony’s College, Oxford. Bright and enthusiastic conversations with Alexandros Nafpliotis and Dimitris Kamouzis have been enlightening at various stages of my research, and for them I am very thankful. Historians and esteemed teachers Nikos Vafeas and Vangelis Karamanolakis were ardent disputants and critical listeners, and their suggestions regarding theoretical approaches were very much valued. Professors Roderick Beaton, Robert Holland and David Ricks were kind enough to read parts of this thesis and provide insightful comments. I am also thankful to the Centre of Hellenic Studies at King’s College for the opportunity to present my work in various stages over the years. Discussions that sprang from the postgraduate seminars in Rethymon, Crete in July 2012 and 2013 – the dialogue, the people and the ideas – were important in realising the essence of my study in that early stage. I owe thanks, moreover, to the Department of History and especially the head of the department, Adam Sutcliffe, for placing trust in me and giving me the vii opportunity to teach the seminars for European History for two consecutive years at King’s College, which was an indelible experience. I am also warmly grateful to the Schilizzi Foundation, who funded my last year of study at King’s. The subject of this thesis as well as many of the ideas that have been incorporated within it were the outcome of prolific discussions with my supervisor, Richard Drayton. His guidance, patience and perspective – but most importantly the belief he instilled in me that even in the hardest times I will manage – has made me a determined historian and for that I am very grateful. Friends scattered around the world – in Melbourne, Berlin, London, Athens and Paphos – have been supportive listeners in this undertaking and for that I thank them. To Chris and his wonderful family: Chris, for the blue of a London starry night – thank you. Lastly, to my family – my father Odysseas and my mother Eleni, my sister Elizabeth and my brother Konstantinos – thank you for your endless love and support.

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