Royalists vs. Venizelists

The Royalists vs. Venizelists factions grew out of growing tensions between King Constantine and his followers (Royalists) and the followers of Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos (Republicans) who began to quarrel over what Greece should do regarding which sides to take if any at the outset of Word War 1. The Royalists advocated neutrality whereas those on the side of the Prime Minister advocated entering the War on the side of the Allies (Great Britain and France, et al.). The Venizelists believed that Greece's best interests would best be served by entering the war; they believed that Greece would regain more of the Greek inhabited lands of Asia Minor and eastern Thrace, especially since the Turkish government chose to side with the Central Powers (Germany, et al.). Furthermore, suspicion was raised regarding whether the king could decide objectively as his wife was the sister to Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany.

The growing split between these two factions in Greece led ultimately to the establishment of a revolutionary government headed up by Venizelos in Salonika in the early fall of 1916. A military coups and an allied embargo led to the ultimate fall of King Constantine and his abdication. This created a tremendous effect on the Greeks in America and contributed to the growing schism among them.

The two Greek language newspapers in America, the Atlantis and The National Herald, fueled the fires of dissension.

• Fiercely pro-Royalist, the Atlantis supported the position of the king and considered Venizelos nothing more than a trouble maker.
• Newly established, The National Herald however considered Venizelos to be a national hero and Greece's future to be best served by him.