197: 1919 – Italy I

May 31, 2020May 29, 2020 Mark Podcast

Italian Prime Minister Vittorio Orlando went into the Paris Peace Conference with an extensive list of territorial demands for Italy.

When the Allies, and particularly Woodrow Wilson, refused to endorse the Italian claims, Orlando chose to walk out of the conference.

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Fanfare

Opening Theme

Cello Sonata in E minor.
Composed c. 1725 by Antonio Vivaldi. Public domain.
Performed by The Telemann Trio. Public domain recording. Source.

Closing Theme

Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

196: 1919 – Turkey & Greece III

May 17, 2020May 17, 2020 Mark Podcast

Fires raging in Smyrna on September 14, 1922, as seen from the deck of an Italian warship.

The Turkish nationalists remained defiant. With his Cabinet divided and the British public opposed to war, David Lloyd George hopes the Greeks can subdue the Turks and salvage the situation.

But the Greek offensive failed. The Greeks were ultimately driven from Anatolia in a bitter war that left hard feelings on both sides and brought down the Lloyd George government.

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The Four Lads perform “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)” in 1953:

They Might Be Giants perform “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)” in 1990, as interpreted by Tiny Toon Adventures:

Fanfare

Opening Theme

Istanbul Dawn

Closing Theme

195: 1919 – Turkey & Greece II

May 10, 2020May 4, 2020 Mark Podcast

This 1920 lithograph depicts King Alexander of Greece and his wife, Aspasia.

As the USA, Italy, and France all lose interest in the region, Britain tries to enforce the Treaty of Sèvres on its own, turning to Greece for support.

But the political situation in Greece is unstable. Meanwhile, Turkish nationalists are receiving arms and support from Moscow.

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening Theme

“Semera donla m’Paschalia”
Traditional. Public domain.
Performed by Ioannes Milkas, Euangelos Gkopas, and Antonios Chalatses, and used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY-SA 4.0 license. Source.

“Τou Mageirou (Achtsiska)”
Traditional. Public domain.
Performed by Demitris Zedamanis, Konnos Ouroumis, Basigis Tsiokas, and Athanasios Giannikis, and used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY-SA 4.0 license. Source.

Closing Theme

194: 1919 – Turkey & Greece I

May 3, 2020April 26, 2020 Mark Podcast

Greek occupation troops march along the waterfront in Izmir/Smyrna, 1919.

Allied military units were taking up positions in the territory of the defeated Ottoman Empire. The Empire was certain to lose its Arab lands, but rumor had the Allies partitioning Turkey among themselves.

The Sultan and the government in Constantinople were Allied hostages in all but name. In the interior of the country, though, nationalists regrouped and prepared to resist Allied designs on their homeland.