For many years, following the bankruptcy of Greece in December 1893 and the disgraceful defeat of the Greek army during a short campaign against the Ottoman forces in Thessaly in April 1897, Greece underwent a period of prolonged international isolation and domestic stagnation. National expansionist aspirations, while continuing to be the principal concern of politicians, remained unfulfilled, whereas social and financial problems accumulated. All the main issues stemmed from the impasse of the traditional Great Idea (Megali Idea). A military solution of Greek expansionist aspirations was a utopian vision unless the country could meet the financial burden of increasing its strength by means of a costly military and naval reorganisation. Successive Greek governments had pursued several ineffective policies, which had all led to increased financial burdens and repeated national humiliation. The military, junior officers in particular, were disillusioned and restless. Some sought a solution by joining the ongoing struggle of Greek bands in Macedonia, while others tried to advance their career at home. Meanwhile, Crete had become a powder keg in the Eastern Mediterranean. The young Cretan state was balancing precariously between the vestiges of Ottoman sovereignty and full Greek statehood. Whether in order to further their political aims or in order to embarrass their opponents in power in Chania, often encouraged by Athens, impatient Cretan politicians clamoured for enosis, union of their autonomous island with Greece.