Holding the Line in Greece

Abstract

Abstract The background of the Greek civil war of 1946-49 was extremely complex. Much of the unrest stemmed from the dictatorship of General John Metaxas from 1936 to early 1941, followed by the German occupation of World War II. After Nazi liberation, British military forces put down a communist uprising in the December Revolution of 1944, which culminated in an uneasy truce at Varkiza the following February. At the Potsdam Conference of July 1945, the Soviets complained about the British troop presence in Greece and about the Greek government’s harsh policies toward dissenters. In the postwar period, the government in Athens seemed unresponsive to the people’s needs, thereby exacerbating longstanding economic and political problems and contributing to an atmosphere conducive to violence. The central question was whether King George II, who had gone into exile first to London and then to Cairo, should reoccupy the throne. This matter became the subject of bitter debate between forces on the left and right; many people believed that the principal issue was whether the small group of communists in the country could take over the government and tie it to Moscow. Indeed, former leaders of EAM were now exercising influence through the Greek Communist party (KKE).