World War One: Crisis at Chanak

In late September 1922, the world was yet again on the brink of World War.
The Chanak Crisis also referred to as the Chanak Affair in September 1922, was the dire threat of military action by Turkish troops against British and French forces stationed near Canakkale (Chanak).
The Turkish forces had recently swept to overwhelming victory, capturing Smyrna and routing Greece into the sea. The handling of the situation by the British Government, not only led to the incident becoming worse but also being one of the factors which led to David Lloyd Georges downfall.
The incident was also the first time Canada had asserted her diplomatic independence from Great Britain. The British Government met on the 15th September 1922, debated and decided that British troops stationed in Turkey should maintain their positions. The absence of Britain's Foreign Secretary, Lord Curzon, led to a number of ministers issuing a communiqué which threatened Turkey with war on the grounds that Turkey had violated the Treaty of Sevres. Unknowingly, the British Ministers had caused a severe diplomatic incident.
Returning to London on the 18th September, Lord Curzon made it clear that this act would infuriate the pro-Turkish Prime Minister of France, Raymond Poincare.

Immediately leaving for Paris in order to pacify the French, Curzon was unaware that Poincare had ordered the withdrawal of French Forces at Chanak. Reaching Paris on the 20th September Curzon, following several bitter arguments with the French Government, agreed to mediate with the new Turkish authorities.
The incident had caused severe alarm not only in the Middle-East but also in France and England.
Both Britain and France were alarmed at the possibility of going to war again. The whole issue was not helped by the views and position of Prime Minister David Lloyd George.

Not only did Lloyd George consider Mustafa Kemal an 'oriental rug seller' but he had not consulted Commonwealth Prime Ministers on the issue of Turkish Nationalism.
In complete contrast to the outbreak of World War One, when the Greco-Turkish War broke out, Canada did not consider itself active in the conflict. The Prime Minister of Canada, Mackenzie King, insisted that Canada's Parliament should decide on Canada's course of action. Fortunately by this time, the crisis at Chanak had passed. Nevertheless, King made it clear that Canada would determine its own external affairs.
The debacle at Chanak had grave consequences for British Politics and the Conservative Party. Lloyd George's rashness resulted in a meeting of Conservative MPs at the Carlton Club on the 19th of October in 1922, where a motion was passed declaring that the Tories should fight the next General Election as an independent party.

This motion had severe ramifications for Lloyd George as the Tories made up the majority of the 1918-1922 coalition government.

Losing support from government as well as Lord Curzon, Lloyd George resigned following a Commons vote of 185 to 85 to end the coalition.