Thessaloniki is a unique city. It boasts a glorious history of 23 centuries of uninterrupted urban continuity. In 2012, it marked one hundred years since its liberation. During this century, the city has experienced many tragedies as well as great successes, such as the integration of refugees, industrialization, and the economic development of the post-war years, as well as its transformation into a modern metropolis and center of trade and education.

This publication is the record of the international conference organized by the Municipality of Thessaloniki for the centenary of the city's liberation. The focus of academic interest is the transition of the city from the imperial to the national world. Thessaloniki has been a quintessential Levantine city, which in the early 20th century found itself at the forefront of history more than any of its counterparts in the Eastern Mediterranean.

It was a city of ruptures/revolutions, where a series of forces and phenomena that defined the 20th century converged, such as nationalism of every shade, liberalism, socialism, and trade unionism, as well as political violence, terrorism, and anti-Semitism. For this reason, Thessaloniki has long been at the center of a historiographical discussion that attracts international interest and has implications and reflections far beyond the Greek space.

Moreover, Thessaloniki has been fortunate to meet a series of particularly inspired and gifted historians and researchers from the entire spectrum of humanities and social sciences, who have written about it with talent. This volume serves as a representative sample of their work.