Socio-economic changes in Aegean Macedonia in 1923-1940 (in comparison with other regions of Greece)

During the interwar period Aegean Macedonia was one of the nine regions (diamerizmata) of Greece and the second largest in terms of population. From 1923 to 1928 the region was a centre of refugees’ settlement for those who moved to Greece on the basis of an agreement with Turkey concerning an exchange of people. After 1928 the population of the region grew steadily (it had the highest growth rate in the country) due to migration from the less economically developed territories of Epirus and Thrace. The economic changes of the 1920s induced the disappearance of traditional sources of living (the shepherd’s economy) and led to growing employment in industry. One of the most distinctive characteristics of the Macedonian region was the presence of national and ethnic minorities. Attitudes of Greek society towards the largest minorities, Macedonians and Jews, were shaped by concerns about their separatist tendencies and economic threat. There was also a less well-known conflict, which divided Greeks living in Macedonia: the arrival of refugees brought about a conflict between two models of Greekness, created on the basis of different experiences, religious beliefs and customs. Refugees played a significant role in 1936 Thessaloniki events which made Macedonia a centre of socio-political conflict