ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Exchange of population between Greece and Turkey

Once upon a time, a long long time ago, there were two countries called Greece and Turkey. These countries had some people living in them who worshiped different gods and spoke different languages. And sometimes, these people didn't get along very well.

Then, one day, some people in power in Greece and Turkey decided it would be a good idea to make everyone in their countries worship the same gods and speak the same language. They thought it would make people get along better.

But it turned out that a lot of people didn't like this idea. They wanted to keep their own languages and religions. So, some of these people were forced to leave their homes and move to a different country.

This is what we call the exchange of population between Greece and Turkey. It was a very sad time, and a lot of families were separated. But some people were able to rebuild their lives in new places and find new friends and family.

Nowadays, Greece and Turkey are still separate countries, but people can worship whatever gods they want and speak whatever language they choose.