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During the Second World War, Greece's German occupation brought forth a number of resistance organizations. Towards the war's end right and leftist organizations engaged in a power struggle that caused the beginning of the Civil War (1944-1949). Turkish minority had a hard time due to communist gangs' activities. Communist gangs, raiding villages, engaged in armed conflict against government forces. During this period the Turkish minority collaborated with the Greek government. Eventually, the Greek government declared amnesty and after 1947 a Cleansing Operation began. With the Cleansing Operation, communist gangs were hit hard. With the establishment of a supreme war court, trials commenced. The Greek state helped to ameliorate the damage caused by the militants. However, the Turkish minority did not benefit enough from the war reparations. Apart from the difficulties brought about by the Civil War, taxes and bad weather conditions caused the economic deterioration of the Turkish minority. On the other hand, Turkish organizations could not continue their activities. The multiplicity of problems finally had an impact on education in the Western Thrace Turkish schools, interrupted by the militant activities. As a result of the damages, Western Thrace Turks started migrating across the border to Turkey. This paper will utilize the Thrace newspaper published in Xanthi to discuss the impact of the militant activity on the economic and social life of Western Thrace Turks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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