Nationalism and communism go global: the ideology of ‘nationally minded’ Greeks in the early Cold War, 1947–1955

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article re-examines the conceptual framework of the ideology of the ‘nationally minded’ Greeks that emerged from the Greek Civil War and the East–West divide. The basic components of this ideology, such as nationalism, anti-communism/anti-totalitarianism and the allegiance to the West -shared by the right and the centre-right- are explored through the transnational and transatlantic intercrossing of concepts and patterns of thought. Despite authoritarian policies restricting civil rights only to the ‘nationally minded’, the Greeks participated in the global ‘ideological war’ on behalf of ‘Greek Liberty’ and the ‘Free World’.