GREEK STATE
1913-1939
The Balkan Wars changed the map of Europe. The Ottoman Empire lost almost all of its European territories while Greece doubled in size. From 1913 onwards, Metsovo belonged to the prefecture of Ioannina in the Greek state. The transition from the multi-national Ottoman empire to the Greek nation-state led to a series of political and economic transformations that inevitably affected the structure of the local society and the residents’ everyday life. From this point on, Metsovo would follow Greece’s fate and the people of Metsovo became part of the country’s political and social elite. The Asia Minor Catastrophe and the population exchange (1922-1923) marked the history of Greece but barely affected Metsovo, since it did not take in any refugees or lose any of its people. The interwar period was nevertheless a very troubled period, as Greece suffered political unrest, Europe saw the emergence of several fascist regimes and a world experienced an economic crisis. This period ended with the August 4 Dictatorship, imposed by I. Metaxas, which lasted until Greece entered World War II and Metaxas’ unexpected death.
