In an era of large-scale military conflicts and accelerated decolonization in the 20th century, the age-old principle of enslaving the inhabitants of conquered territories was replaced by relatively humane large-scale interstate population transfers along ethnic or religious routes.
Population exchange has become a radical way to resolve ethnic and religious conflicts that have simmered for decades between border states or within heterogeneous countries.
From open source.
The resettlement of large numbers of people in the 20th century was accompanied by the loss of all real estate by settlers and the use of violence by the dominant majority.
In modern international law, the movement of persons in occupied territories is prohibited by the Geneva Conventions, nor does civilized nations.
- Greece and Turkey
As a result of Greece's crushing defeat in the Second Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922), the Greek government signed the Lausanne Peace Treaty, relinquishing its sovereignty over Western and Eastern Thrace. In order to prevent separatism and ethnic conflict, Greece and Turkey were forced to carry out forced population exchanges according to the decision of the League of Nations.
From open source
During the Greco-Turkish population swap, about 500,000 Muslim Turks left Greece and 1.5 million Greek Christians left Turkey. Greece's three-thousand-year history of Asia Minor came to an end. A small number of Greeks remained only in Istanbul and some coastal islands.
- Romania and Bulgaria
In September 1940, the pro-fascist governments of Bulgaria and Romania finally settled the border territorial dispute during the signing of the Peace of Craiova.
From open source.
As a result of the agreement, the Romanian government returned to Dobruha, southern Bulgaria, an area annexed by Romania during the Second Balkan War in 1913. During the return of previously occupied territories to Bulgaria, 100,000 Romanians left Dobruja and some 60,000 Bulgarians moved from Romanian territory to their places.
- Poland and the Soviet Union
In 1944, Poland and the Soviet Union signed an agreement on the withdrawal of the Ukrainian population from Polish territory and the withdrawal of Polish citizens from the territory of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. Belarusians, Russians, Ukrainians, and Lithuanians were forcibly resettled to Ukraine from the Polish border region, and Poles and Jews returned to Poland from the Soviet Union, and as of September 17, 1939, they were Polish citizens, totaling about 1 million people.
From open source.
Population exchanges between Poland and the Soviet Union took place in four phases and were completed in May 1947. About 500,000 Ukrainians were deported from Poland to Ukraine. In the same year, during operation Vistula, Ukrainians who remained in the southeastern part of Polish territory were forcibly relocated to northern and western Poland.
- India and Pakistan
In 1947, under the Mountbatten Plan, the colonies of British India gained independence and became two religiously divided states: the Hindu Indian Union and the Muslim territories of Pakistan (modern Pakistan and Bangladesh).
From open source
The formation of two independent states on the Indian subcontinent led to massive religious bloodshed and mass population migration: some 7 million Muslims fled India and 7 million Hindus and Sikhs left Pakistan.
- Cyprus
In 1960, the island of Cyprus achieved independence from British authorities during a four-year war of liberation. The Constitution of Cyprus recognizes the existence of two equal communities: Greeks and Turks.
However, Greeks in Cyprus want to be reunited with the Greek mainland, which has led to heightened tensions and ethnic and religious conflicts. In 1964, a United Nations peacekeeping contingent was deployed in Cyprus to contain the conflict between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.
From open source.
Following the military coup of 15 July 1974 and the overthrow of the President of Cyprus, the Turkish authorities sent 30,000 troops to the northern territory of Cyprus and occupied 37% of the island to protect the Turkish Cypriot people from radical insurgents.
As a result of the invasion of the island by Turkish troops, the mixed Cypriot population disengaged. Geographical and social barriers have been created between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. During the disengagement, some 200,000 Greeks fled from the Turkish part of Cyprus and about 30,000 Turkish from the Greek part of the island.