The Bavarian loans and chancellor Bismarck's intervention in the Greek-Turkish dispute over Greece's borders (1878-81)

Abstract

The unfortunate wording of Article 24 of the Treaty of Berlin gave rise
to a number of problems and it was only after three years of talks and meetings
that the Greek-Turkish borders were eventually fixed. During the negotiations
for the final settling of the borders of Epirus and Thessaly, Chancellor
Bismarck decided indirectly to force the Greek government to back down
over what had been agreed at the Berlin Congress and to justify his own
pro-Turkish stance by making Greece’s iepayment of the Bavarian loans a
precondition of the fixing of the borders.
Harilaos Trikoupis believed the problem could be overcome by simply
ignoring the issue. Alexandros Ragavis, however, thought it. essential that
Greece take immediate and unprompted steps to repay the debt, for there
was great political advantage to be gained from the goodwill of the Great
Powers, particularly Geimany.
The Greek government therefore reached a compromise with Bavaria
and agreed to pay the amount requested six months betöre the borders were
eventually fixed.