The English Milit. Command - The Greek Milit. Command – Integration
- Category: History
- Published on Tuesday, 12 June 2012 17:58
- Written by Iraklis
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On May 9th 1945, after the signing of the protocol of Simi, which was about the unconditional surrender of the Dodecanese to the Allies, the English took over full authority in Kos from the Germans. The local authorities were re-established. The Greek schools, which were closed since 1938, reopened.
The people were liberated from the suffering caused by Italian Fascism and German Nazism. Although the English coveted the occupation of the Dodecanese, promoting the idea of autonomy under the British Crown, the decision of the Foreign Ministers of the Great Powers in Paris (27.06.1946) gave an end to the English occupation by granting these islands to Greece. That decision was approved at the peace conference again in Paris (10.02.1947) and on May 31st 1947 the Greek Armed Forces took over the administration of the island from the English. The official festive celebration of the unification with Greece was on March 7th 1948.
On May 20th 1912 the Italians conquered Kos. The inhabitants welcomed them as their liberators. Soon they found out that their promise of a short occupation of the Dodecanese was insincere. The answer to the ulterior motive of the Italians was vigorous and included conjunctive resolutions with Greece.
The centuries that followed were marked by the presence of foreign conquerors. After a short occupation of the island by the Venetians and the Genoans, Kos came under the control of the Ioannite knights in 1314. The Order was a force to be reckoned with,
On January 5th 1523 the island was finally conquered by the Turks. Rhodes and Kos in contrast with other islands of Dodecanese suffered from heavy taxes. Kos became a province (kaimakamliki) of Rhodes. The people of Kos rallied round the Archbishop,
Kos prospered during the late Hellenistic period. Elegant buildings such as the conservatory, the Casa Romana, the Vespasiani ("Nimphea"), the Thermes with it's rich mosaics, all demonstrate the luxury in which the citizens of the island lived. The harbour of Kos never stopped being the centre of transit trade.
