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Athens

With which shall I dance? Neutral Greece trying to decide whether to align with the Central Powers or Allies. A Greek Evzone, member of an elite light infantry or mountain unit, weighs his options, a German pickelhaube in one hand, French kepi in the other. One of a series of 1916 postcards on neutral nations by Em. Dupuis.
Text:
Grèce (Greece, Hellas)
Hellas!. . Hélas! avec lequel danser?
Hellas! Alas! with which shall i dance?
Signed: Em. Dupuis 1916
Reverse:
Visé Paris. No. 115

With which shall I dance? Neutral Greece trying to decide whether to align with the Central Powers or Allies. A Greek Evzone, member of an elite light infantry or mountain unit, weighs his options, a German pickelhaube in one hand, French kepi in the other. One of a series of 1916 postcards on neutral nations by Em. Dupuis.

Image text

Grèce (Greece, Hellas)

Hellas!. . Hélas! avec lequel danser?



Hellas! Alas! with which shall I dance?



Signed: Em. Dupuis 1916



Reverse:

Visé Paris. No. 115

Registered Paris, No. 115

Other views: Larger

Athens, capital of Greece, was the site of King Constantine's Royal Palace, and housed the embassies of the major powers. It was also the seat of the government led, for much of the war, by Prime Minister Eleutherios Venizelos.

In June 1916, after Greece surrendered Fort Rupel to the Bulgarians, the French and British occupied government buildings in Salonika, proclaimed martial law in the zone of the Allied Armies, and demanded the Greeks demobilize. Citizens demonstrated in Athens, but by month's end the Greeks ostensibly yielded to the Allies, demobilizing the army, but arming its citizens.

In September Venizelos, the commander of the Greek navy, many army and navy officers, and leading civilians left Athens for Salonika where Venizelos formed a Provisional Government of Macedonia.

The Allies continued to demand that Greece turn over its weapons, and were refused. On December 1, French and British troops entered Athens to force the turnover of weapons and were repelled by Royalists. In the encounter, 47 Allied and 29 Greek soldiers were killed.

The Allied troops retreated to their ships and shelled the city while Royalists attacked, and in some cases killed, supporters of Venizelos. The Greek Military League was reconstituted and reservists were armed, dug trenches, and prepared artillery and machine gun emplacements. On January 25, 1917, Greece apologized to France, Great Britain, Italy, and Russia for the 'incidents of 1st of December, 1916'. On the 29th the government demonstrated its submission as Greek troops paraded and saluted Allied flags.

But Royalist resistance continued with arrests of Venizelists and an attempted assassination of two British officers the night of May 30–31. On June 10, France demanded Constantine abdicate within twenty-four hours and prepared to occupy Athens. Constantine yielded and left Greece which declared war on June 30.

Athens is a city in Greece.

A sample pie chart graphic

Statistics for Athens (1)

Type Statistic
Population 167,479