Heroes and Anti-Heroes of the 1940s: Pendulous Swings in Greek Historiography

Abstract

In this article, the author examines the evolution of Greek historiography's approaches to the study of one of the most controversial periods of national history, namely the 1940s, covering World War II and the following Greek Civil War, 1946–1949. Firstly, she demonstrates how the development of historiography after the end of the Civil War was influenced by the social and political situation in the country and how subsequent political development of Greece influenced historical research. The Communists who were defeated in the Civil War were repressed and their contribution to the national resistance movement during the years of occupation was glossed over or negatively assessed. A softening of the official perspective on the issue came in the 1960s, and a comprehensive examination of the events of World War II took place in the 1980s, when the socialists came to power in Greece. However, a consensus perception of the controversial issues in Greek society did not emerge even after the rehabilitation of the Left in the 1980s. These factors set the stage for its revision, which was carried out by a historiographical movement calling itself “New Wave” or post-revisionism, which emerged at the beginning of the twenty-first century. The article analyses the methodological positions of this movement and the most important works of its founders, the political scientist Stathis Kalyvas and the sociologist Nikos Marandzidis. But the debate on controversial issues is far from being over, as the views of the neo-conservatives are gradually making their way into Greek society.