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October 31st is a date often associated with global milestones, such as the start of the Protestant Reformation in Germany in 1517. However, for Greece, this very date in 1922 marks the beginning of an internal tragedy that followed the national disaster: the commencement of the Trial of the Six.
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This trial was no ordinary judicial proceeding; it was the violent manifestation of the National Schism and the attempt to assign blame for the loss of Asia Minor—an event that permanently altered the fabric of the Greek nation.
The Historical Context: From Triumph to Disaster
To comprehend the significance of October 31, 1922, one must first recall the events of the preceding months. Following the end of World War I, Greece, as an Allied power, participated in the Asia Minor Campaign, driven by the hope of the "Great Idea"—the liberation of the Greeks of the East. The initial success of the Greek army, under King Constantine I and Prime Minister Demetrios Gounaris, turned into a nightmare in the summer of 1922. The crushing defeat on the Sakarya River front and, ultimately, the collapse of the front line led to the Disorderly Retreat and the evacuation of Smyrna in September 1922—the Asia Minor Catastrophe.
The panic, the loss of territory, and the influx of approximately 1.5 million refugees into mainland Greece created an atmosphere of national shame and rage. Political instability was at its peak. The monarchist government, blamed for the disaster, was overthrown by the military coup of September 11, 1922, led by Nikolaos Plastiras.
The Day of Retribution: October 31, 1922
Following the overthrow of the government, the new revolutionary authority decided that the only solution for national reconciliation and satisfying the populace was the exemplary punishment of those deemed responsible.
On October 31, 1922, an Extraordinary Court Martial was convened in the building of the Old Parliament in Athens. The selection of the judicial body and the speed of the proceedings immediately indicated that the goal was not a full administration of justice, but a political purge. Alexandros Othonaios was appointed as the President of the Court.
The accused, the "Six," were the pinnacle of the preceding political and military hierarchy:
Demetrios Gounaris (Former Prime Minister): The political leadership.
Georgios Hatzianestis (General): The commander-in-chief of the Army of Asia Minor during the critical phase.
Petros Protopapadakis (Former Foreign Minister).
Nikolaos Stratos (Former Interior Minister).
Nikolaos Theotokis (Former War Minister).
Georgios Baltatzis (Former Minister of Agriculture).
The charge was Treason against the Fatherland, alleging that their incompetence led directly to the catastrophe.
The Trial as a Symbol of Schism
For an international observer, this trial is difficult to grasp without mentioning the National Schism, the deep conflict between the Venizelists (Liberals) and the Royalists that had plagued Greece since 1915. Gounaris's government was aligned with the monarchy and had assumed power shortly before the final defeat. The prosecutors, stemming from the faction of Eleftherios Venizelos and Plastiras, viewed the trial as the opportunity to definitively settle scores with their political rivals.
The trial unfolded as a political spectacle. Defense attorneys attempted to prove that responsibility was collective, citing the abandonment of Greece by the Great Powers (Britain, France), and the inadequate material support for the military. However, the public outrage and the political necessity for a scapegoat prevailed over the principles of a fair trial. The atmosphere was so charged that the accused were essentially tried for the national grief itself, rather than being judged under strict legal standards.
The trial concluded on November 15, 1922, when all six were sentenced to death. Their execution shortly thereafter at Goudi sealed one of the darkest chapters in modern Greek history: a bloody legitimization of the new order and a stark example of how political expediency triumphed over judicial fairness.
Post-War Crisis: Greece, having just emerged from WWI, immediately plunged into a devastating war in the East.
Internal Upheaval: Instead of focusing on reconstruction after the arrival of 1.5 million refugees (an internal humanitarian crisis of unprecedented scale), the nation executed its former leaders.
The Cost of Division: The trial represented the culmination of the profound political division Royalists versus Venizelists that ultimately weakened the nation at critical junctures.
October 31, 1922, was not merely the day a trial began. It was the day Greece, desperately seeking someone to blame for the Great Destruction, sacrificed its political stability and, in the view of many, its judicial integrity upon the altar of popular sentiment.
