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89-531: The party was founded in July 1951 by prominent center-left and leftist politicians, some of which were former members of ELAS . While initially EDA was meant to act as a substitute and political front of the banned Communist Party of Greece , it eventually acquired a voice of its own, rather pluralistic and moderate. This development was more clearly shown at the time of the 1968 split in the ranks of Communist Party of Greece, with almost all former members of EDA joining

178-790: A country of 7.5 million inhabitants. ELAS was thus one of the largest resistance groups formed in Europe, similar to the French Maquis , the Italian Resistance and the Yugoslavian Partisans , but smaller than the Polish resistance. On 10 March 1944 the EAM-ELAS, now in control of most of the country, established the Political Committee of National Liberation (PEEA), widely known as

267-457: A directive to all party forces not to engage in any armed conflict, but to try to prevent attacks by other means. This caused confusion among the majority of its supporters and served to weaken the party organisation across the country. Large groups had returned to their partisan hideouts in the mountains and gradually formed smaller partisan units. As most of the ELAS armoury had been surrendered under

356-567: A new free life shall rise. Thousand names, but the spirit is one in them all, akritas or armatolos , guerrilla, klepht , lad; it's always the People. 1942 1943 1944 This list contains the names of the most well-known ELAS leaders or simple members, with their nom de guerre in parentheses: Greek Communist Party Former parties Former parties Former parties The Communist Party of Greece ( Greek : Κομμουνιστικό Κόμμα Ελλάδας , Kommounistikó Kómma Elládas , KKE )

445-450: A powerful semi-conventional army which could attack German and Italian forces. Aris became a legendary figure who imposed an iron discipline in ELAS. At the same time, some members of ELAS (Periklis, Tasos Leuterias, Diamantis, Nikiforos, Thiseas, Dimos Karalivanos, and Belis) have been distinguished during the battles. Aris Velouchiotis formed a group of 30–35 men, called "Mavroskoufides" (the "black caps"), who were his personal guards. During

534-550: A prominent role in the organisation. By the end of the war, some 200,000 Greek citizens, both workers and peasants, had joined the ranks of KKE. KKE maintained its alliances with the EAM. Its main stated aim at this time was to form a united government with all parties that wanted to see Greece liberated from foreign powers. ELAS conflicted finally with the rest of the resistance organizations and armies (especially EDES and EKKA ), accusing most of them of being traitors and collaborators of

623-525: A regional communist cadre who proclaimed the following as Greece was being bombed by the Axis: "The Germans will not bomb us. The mustached-one [Stalin] will not let them". Ioannis Ioannidis was purged by Nikos Zachariadis, leader of the KKE in exile in 1953, and was stripped of his party offices. The article in the reference just cited ends with just the fact of his "Purge" and being "stripped of his Party offices", so it

712-593: A regular Army officer, responsible for tactical planning and training, and the political leader ( politikós ), usually a KKE member, as EAM's representative. At its top, the General Headquarters of ELAS, these positions were filled by Aris Velouchiotis, Stefanos Sarafis and Andreas Tzimas ( nom-de-guerre : Vasilis Samariniotis). Two events of great importance took place in this period. KKE, after passing great difficulties, succeeded in reorganizing its groups destroyed by Metaxas. Many members were recruited and with

801-646: A small naval auxiliary navy, the Greek People's Liberation Navy (ELAN) was also founded. Two years after its foundation, ELAS' military strength had grown from the small group of fighters in Domnitsa to a force of some 50,000 partisans (estimates of the British government) or even as many as 85,000, according to EAM sources; EAM itself, and its associated organizations, had grown to a membership of anywhere from 500,000 to 750,000 (according to Anthony Eden ) up to two million, in

890-457: A three-member Audit Committee initially including George Pispinis , Spyros Koumiotis , and Avraam Benaroya . Ligdopoulos was elected director of the party's official newspaper, Ergatikos Agon . The background of the KKE has roots in more than 60 years of small socialist , anarchist , and communist groups, mainly in industrialized areas. Following the example of the Paris Commune and

979-679: Is a Marxist–Leninist political party in Greece . It was founded in 1918 as the Socialist Workers' Party of Greece ( SEKE ) and adopted its current name in November 1924. It is the oldest political party in modern Greek politics . The party was banned in 1936, but played a significant role in the Greek resistance and the Greek Civil War , and its membership peaked in the mid-1940s. Legalization of

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1068-642: Is unclear whether he was physically Purged (executed), as many Communists still were in 1953. A large number of KKE members were already in prison before the Nazi invasion. The pro-Nazi occupation government handed some of them over to the Nazis fearing that they—following the pro-Soviet party line—would resort to sabotage in Greece following Hitler's attack on the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941. There were many occasions that police officers released Communist prisoners, especially

1157-524: The 5/42 Evzone Regiment , murdering the EKKA resistance group leader, Dimitrios Psarros , in as yet unclear and hotly debated circumstances and executing all the captives. ELAS became the strongest of all resistance armed organizations, controlling by 1944 military three-fifths of the country (mainly the mountains) having in its ranks more than 800 military officers of the former National Army Of Negrs. ELAS engaged in battles against other resistance groups, besides

1246-686: The Battle of Crete having ended on June 1 — the Greek Communist Party (KKE) called for national resistance. The KKE, together with minor parties of the Left, formed a political structure called the National Liberation Front . They were joined by other center-left or non-politicized Greek Resistance militants. On February 16, 1942, EAM gave permission to a communist veteran, Athanasios (Thanasis) Klaras (later known as Aris Velouchiotis ) to examine

1335-551: The Bolsheviks in Russia in 1917 gave impetus for the foundation of communist parties in many countries globally. The KKE was founded on 4 November 1918 by Aristos Arvanitis , Demosthenes Ligdopoulos , Stamatis Kokkinos , Michael Sideris , Nikos Dimitratos  [ el ] , and others. The party was run by a five-member Central Committee which initially consisted of Dimitratos, Ligdopoulos, Sideris, Arvanitis and Kokkinos, and had

1424-697: The Center Union against the National Radical Union (NRU). Before the 1963 election , Greece entered a protracted period of political and social unrest, with the assassination of EDA MP Gregoris Lambrakis , providing further inflammation. EDA and the Center Union accused prime minister Constantine Karamanlis and the NRU of the murder, which resulted in more (sometimes violent) manifestations. Karamanlis denounced his accusers, and warned that they contributed to

1513-636: The EKKA ). The Macedonian Bureau of KKE organised the first two partisan units at the end of June 1941. The first was based in Kilkis and was named Athanasios Diakos , the second was based in Nigrita and was named Odysseas Androutsos . These small partisan units blew up bridges, attacked police stations and eventually organized into larger combat units of more than 300 men each. In several other places and in major cities, small armed groups of KKE members and non-communists began to emerge, protecting people from looters,

1602-577: The Gramos Mountains and try to establish connection with all the DSE forces that remained within Greece. The battalion indeed reached small DSE units south of Gramos down to Evritania and retreated thereafter back to Albania. Floriakis later served as General Secretary of KKE from 1972 to 1989. On 28 August 1949, the Civil War in Greece ended with the DSE forces defeated militarily and politically and KKE entered

1691-677: The Nazis . These were the first conflicts of the coming civil war . Nikos Zachariadis was imprisoned in Dachau ; he was released in 1945 and returned to Greece as the elected general secretary of the KKE. During his imprisonment, Andreas Tsipas and Georgios Siantos served as party general secretaries. After the liberation of Greece from German occupational forces, the government of National Unity, led by G. Papandreou, landed in Athens in October 1944. The government

1780-530: The civil war (1946–1949), an article written by Nikos Zachariadis expressed the KKE's strategy after the envisioned victory of the Democratic Army of Greece regarding what was then known as the "Macedonian Issue": "The Macedonian people will acquire an independent, united state with a coequal position within the family of free peoples' republics within the Balkans, within the family of Peoples' Republics to which

1869-660: The para-military forces of the collaborationist government . ELAS initially began to attack the National Republican Greek League (EDES) on accusations of collaboration with the Germans. ELAS attacked also the Panhellenic Liberation Organization (PAO), another resistance organization, concentrated in Northern Greece, in the area of Macedonia with accusations of collaboration. The armed power of

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1958-543: The "Mountain Government" ( Greek : Κυβέρνηση του βουνού , romanized :  Kyvérnisi tou vounoú ), in effect a third Greek government to rival the collaboration one in Athens and the government-in-exile in Cairo. Its aims, according to its founding Act, were, " to intensify the struggle against the conquerors (...) for full national liberation, for the consolidation of the independence and integrity of our country (...) and for

2047-420: The "Old Central Committee" issued a manifesto addressed "to all the workers and public servants, to all soldiers, sailors and airmen, to patriot officers, to the mothers, fathers, wives and children of the fighters and the workers of all neighboring countries", in which it describes the war as a game of the imperialist powers, headed by the British. According to KKE, the "Old Central Committee" based this opinion on

2136-478: The "Old Central Committee" on 18 March 1941. In any case, Zachariadis himself referred in his public statements after liberation almost exclusively to his first letter as proof of the patriotic character of KKE and its role as an inspiration to the Greek resistance movement during the war. On 22 June 1941, the very same day that Hitler attacked the Soviet Union, KKE ordered its militants to organize "the struggle to defend

2225-574: The 1892 Chicago workers' movement for the eight-hour working day , these groups had as immediate political goals the unification of Greek workers into trade unions , the implementation of an eight-hour day in Greece and better salaries for workers. Inspired by the Paris Commune and the communist revolutionary efforts in the United States , the German Empire , and Imperial Russia at the beginning of

2314-667: The 6th Conference. In his memoirs for the Greek Civil war, C. M. Woodhouse (the British liaison with Greek resistance groups during World War II) wrote: "The 'Old Central Committee' interpreted a directive issued by Comintern as indicating collaboration with the German and Italian dictatorships, given the Hitler-Stalin alliance". On the other hand, Woodhouse argues that Georgios Siantos , who had escaped from prison; and Nikos Zachariadis , who

2403-790: The Axis invaders. At the same time, the "Old Central Committee" submitted to the authority of the new Central Committee. The first united resistance organization was founded in the regions of Macedonia and Thrace on 15 May 1941. In Thessaloniki , the Macedonian Bureau of KKE established the Eleftheri (Liberty) Organization, along with the Socialist Party , the Agrarian Party , the Democratic Union and Colonel Dimitrios Psarros (who later founded

2492-636: The Civil War formed the Provisional Democratic Government ("Mountain Government") under the premiership of Markos Vafeiadis . After this, the KKE (still legal due to the Treaty of Varkiza) turned illegal. On 29 January 1949, the Greek National Army appointed General Alexandros Papagos Commander-in-Chief. In August 1949, Papagos launched a major counter-offensive against DSE forces in northern Greece, code-named "Operation Torch". The plan

2581-426: The EAM, resigned from their positions in the government of Georgios Papandreou in November 1944. Fighting broke out in Athens on 3 December 1944 during a demonstration organised by EAM and involving more than 100,000 people. During the demonstration, Greek gendarmes opened on the crowd. More than 28 demonstrators were killed and 148 injured. According to other accounts, it is uncertain if the first shots were fired by

2670-547: The Germans on 1941, were executed at the Kaisariani Shooting Range on 1 May 1944. Although the KKE was suffering from a lack of central political leadership since its leader Nikos Zachariadis had been taken by the Germans to the Dachau concentration camp , its members succeeded in maintaining communication with each other. The 6th Meeting of KKE Central Committee was held in Athens from 1–3 July 1941, which decided on strategy for an armed liberation struggle against

2759-559: The Germans, or collaborators. On 27 September 1941, Greek communists together with five other leftist parties formed the National Liberation Front (EAM) in Kallithea , Athens and began forming partisan militia units. On 16 February 1942, the Greek People's Liberation Army (ELAS) was founded in a small kiosk in Phthiotis and by 1943 it consisted of 50,000 members, both men and women, with 30,000 as reserve units in major cities. The KKE played

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2848-446: The Germans, seized this opportunity to persecute many KKE members. According to EAM figures, in the few months after the Treaty of Varkiza the anticommunist violence on the Greek mainland had resulted in the imprisonment or exile of 100,000 ELAS partisans and EAM members, the deaths of 3,000 EAM officials and members, the rape of between 200 and 500 women, the burning of houses and other acts of violence. The KKE Central Committee issued

2937-495: The Greek mountains. Their leaders were Themis Marinos and Colonel Christopher Woodhouse . Their mission was to locate the guerrillas of EDES and their leader Napoleon Zervas , who were friendlier to the British Middle East Command than ELAS, and co-operate with them. The two Greek groups eventually agreed to collaborate. The British did not favour the participation of ELAS, because it was a pro-communist group, but

3026-687: The Greek people will belong. The Macedonian people are today fighting for this independent united state with a coequal position and is helping the DSE with all its soul". The policy of self-determination for Macedonia within a People's Republic was reiterated during the 5th KKE Central Committee meeting held in January 1949, which declared that the "Macedonian people participating in the liberation struggle would find their full national re-establishment as they want giving their blood for this acquisition [...] Macedonian Communists should pay great attentions to foreign chauvinist and counteractive elements that want to break

3115-605: The KKE was restored following the fall of the Greek Junta (χούντα) in 1974. The party has achieved appointing MPs in all elections since its restoration in 1974, and took part in a coalition government in 1989 when it got more than 13% of the vote. The KKE is a member of the International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties (IMCWP) and the European Communist Action (ECA). The October Revolution of

3204-575: The Soviet Union and the overthrow of the foreign fascist yoke". On 6 April 1941, the German invasion and occupation was launched and Athens was occupied on 27 April following an unconditional surrender of the Greek forces by General Georgios Tsolakoglou , who was later appointed Prime Minister by the Nazis. Confusion remained among many Greek Communists as to what the Moscow-sanctioned position was. In his memoirs, KKE leader Ioannis Ioannidis wrote about

3293-460: The advent of the dictatorship of 1967, the party was outlawed by the regime and its members were persecuted. After the restoration of democracy , ΕDΑ reappeared in the elections of 1974 in an alliance with the Communist Party of Greece and the Communist Party of Greece (Interior) , which were allowed to operate once again, and other leftist parties, under the leadership of Ilias Iliou ,

3382-480: The annihilation of domestic fascism and armed traitor formations. " PEEA was elected in liberated territories and in occupied ones by 2,000,000 Greek citizens. It was historically the first time women could vote. PEEA ministers covered a wide political spectrum from left to center. After the Soviet victory in the Battle of Stalingrad in early 1943, it was clear that Axis would lose the war. Soon, clashes appeared between

3471-513: The attack against the Italian garrison. The Italians were startled, and after little resistance, were defeated. After the defeat of the Italians, the saboteurs set the explosives. ELAS forces had placed ambushes on the routes towards the bridge, to block the approach of Italian reinforcements. The explosion occurred at 03:00. Afterwards, the guerrillas' forces returned to Viniani, to celebrate the success of

3560-459: The belief that Mussolini's Italy would not dare to attack a country that had a cooperation agreement with the Soviet Union. The main political line of this manifesto was the call to the soldiers on the front not to go beyond Greek borders, but after securing them to try seek a peace agreement with the enemy. Zachariadis may have issued a third letter on 17 January 1941, in which he explained the motives for his first letter and wrote: "Metaxas remains

3649-692: The century and the destruction that almost 20 years of wars had brought upon the Greek workers, a unified social-communist party was founded in Greece. At the Second Congress of the SEKE in April 1920, the party decided to affiliate with the Comintern , an international communist organization founded in Moscow in 1919. It changed its name to the Socialist Workers' Party of Greece (Communist) ( SEKE(K) ). A new Central Committee

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3738-458: The country's main railway line, and to get the two main, but competing, guerrilla groups of ELAS and EDES to cooperate. After much deliberation, the Gorgopotamos bridge was chosen due to the difficulty of making repairs to the structure. Dimos Karalivanos , an ELAS guerrilla, was the first guerrilla the British found. At the end of October a second group of British officers were parachuted into

3827-533: The creation of labor unions in all sectors, including the General Greek Workers Confederation (ΓΣΕΕ), which shared common goals with KKE. These activities met by opposition from the Mid-War governments. In 1929, as minister of Education in the government of Eleftherios Venizelos , Georgios Papandreou passed legislation against organised communist teachers, known as Idionymon . Such legislation

3916-449: The crowning achievement for today's fight should be and shall be a new Greece based on work, freedom, and liberated from any foreign imperialist dependence, with a truly pan-popular culture". Several party members, including Nikos Ploumpidis of the "Old Central Committee", denounced this letter as a forgery produced by the Metaxas regime. Zachariadis was even accused of writing it to win

4005-439: The disarmament of ELAS and the trials of the collaborators were stalled. Meanwhile, British-led Allied forces together with Greek troops were landing in all major Greek cities and EAM was welcoming them as liberators. In mid-November 1944, the situation escalated dramatically; KKE criticised the interference of General Ronald Scobie in Greek affairs, and EAM refused to disarm ELAS and ELAN as demanded by Scobie. Six ministers of

4094-572: The event of an invasion of Greece. Nikos Zachariadis, KKE General Secretary, wrote from prison on 2 November 1940: "Today the Greek people are waging a war of national liberation against Mussolini's fascism. In this war we must follow the Metaxas government and turn every city, every village and every house of Greece into a stronghold of the National Liberation Fight... On this war conducted by Metaxas government all of us should give all our forces without reservation. The working people's and

4183-440: The faction with Euro-communist , moderate tendencies. EDA participated in all the elections in Greece from 1952 until 1964. In the 1958 elections it managed to become the leading party of the opposition, an achievement all the more surprising in view of the recent end of the Greek civil war and the consequently prevailing anti-Left politics at the time. In the 1961 election and 1964 election , EDA indirectly supported

4272-600: The favour of Konstantinos Maniadakis , the Minister for Public Order , to win his release from prison. According to one source, when drafting this letter Zachariadis was unaware of the German–Soviet Non-aggression Pact and was castigated by the Comintern for an anti-Soviet stance. According to KKE's archives, the "Old Central Committee" had been denounced for its stance on the war issue and today KKE claims that

4361-521: The forces of Axis and their local collaborators". Initially, Velouchiotis also recruited traditional local mountain-living bandits , like Dimos Karalivanos, in order to create a small group of experts in guerilla warfare . On a night in September 1942, a small group of British SOE officers parachuted into Greece near Mt. Giona. This group, led by Brigadier Eddie Myers , had been tasked to blow up one of three bridges ( Gorgopotamos , Papadia or Asopos) of

4450-455: The forces of ELAS were larger and better organised, and without their participation, the mission was more likely to fail. On November 14, the 12 British saboteurs, the forces of ELAS (150 men) and those of EDES (60-65 men) met in the village of Viniani in Evrytania and the operation started. Ten days later, they were at Gorgopotamos. On the night of November 25, at 23:00, the guerrillas started

4539-503: The gendarmes or the demonstrators. A member of the pro-monarchists Nikos Farmakis, in one of his interviews revealed that they had a direct order to fire at will when the demonstrators reach the court of the Palace. This incident was the beginning of the 37‑day Battle of Athens ( Dekemvriana ). Following a ceasefire agreement called the Treaty of Varkiza , ELAS laid down the majority of its weapons and dissolved all of its units. Right-wing groups, including elements which had collaborated with

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4628-407: The help of ELAS, which became the largest partisan army in Greece, EAM became the largest mass political organization in Greek history, claiming over 1.5 million members, enlisted in organizations that covered every neighborhood in every village. The second great event was the foundation of the United Panhellenic Organization of Youth (EPON) ( Greek : Ενιαία Πανελλαδική Οργάνωση Νέων ). In 1943,

4717-572: The inhabitants of the villages of Central Greece became members of ELAS. Furthermore, people sympathised with the ELAS guerrillas because they weren't helped by the British in contrast with EDES. When 25 guerrillas deserted from ELAS, Aris Velouchiotis went to Epirus to threaten Napoleon Zervas not to come in touch with them. Later, the 25 deserters were arrested and executed in the village of Sperhiada. The winter of 1942, ELAS groups were formed in other Greek regions, like Thessaly and Macedonia . In Central Greece, Aris Velouchiotis succeeded to form

4806-1129: The liberation, ELAS was the dominant force in the country and had captured all the major Greek cities, except Athens (after an agreement in Caserta with the Greek government in exile). After the events of the Dekemvriana , ELAS was disarmed, though later some of its fighters (mostly KKE members) joined the Democratic Army during the civil war. The hymn of ELAS was written in March 1944 by Sofia Mavroeidi-Papadaki and music by Nikos Tsakonas. Με το τουφέκι μου στον ώμο, σε πόλεις κάμπους και χωριά, της Λευτεριάς ανοίγω δρόμο; της στρώνω βάγια και περνά. Εμπρός Ε.Λ.Α.Σ. για την Ελλάδα, το Δίκιο και τη Λευτεριά; σ’ ακροβουνό και σε κοιλάδα, πέτα! πολέμα με καρδιά. Ένα τραγούδι είν’ η πνοή σου, καθώς στη ράχη ροβολάς, και αντιλαλούν απ’ τη φωνή σου καρδιές και κάμποι: ΕΛΑΣ! ΕΛΑΣ! Παντού η Πατρίδα μ’ έχει στείλει, φρουρό μαζί κι εκδικητή, κι απ’ την ορμή μου θ’ ανατείλει καινούργια λεύτερη ζωή. Με χίλια ονόματα, μία χάρη, ακρίτας ειτ’ αρματολός, αντάρτης, κλέφτης, παλικάρι; πάντα ειν’ ο ίδιος ο λαός. Translation Carrying my rifle on my shoulder, through cities, meadows, and villages, I clear

4895-444: The mainland. KKE collaborated with the Soviet ambassador to persuade Venizelos ’ administration to withdraw its troops from Asia Minor and to persuade the Soviet Union to exert political pressure on Mustafa Kemal Atatürk to allow autonomy for Greek cities in Asia Minor. KKE played a prominent role in strikes, anti-war demonstrations, foundation of trade unions and worker associations. KKE and other leftist political forces fostered

4984-435: The majority of the party membership had not followed the decision of being neutral in case of an invasion. On 16 November 1940, Zachariadis repudiated the line of his first letter in a second letter where he accused the Greek Army of waging a "fascist" and "imperialistic war" and appealed to the Soviet Union for peaceful intervention, thus aligning his position with that of the "Old Central Committee". On 7 December 1940,

5073-410: The military and political involvement of the Kingdom of Greece in the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922 , which it considered an imperialistic scheme to control the market of Asia Minor given the new political situation after the defeat and collapse of the Ottoman Empire . KKE members propagated this position both on the front—which provoked accusations of treason from the Greek government—as well as in

5162-514: The mission. The destruction of the Gorgopotamos bridge was, along with the Norwegian heavy water sabotage in Rjukan, one of the two biggest guerrilla acts in occupied Europe . The blowing up of the bridge disrupted the German transportation of ammunition via Greece to Rommel 's forces for several weeks, taking place at a time when the Afrika Korps in North Africa , retreating after the defeat of El Alamein , were in need of supplies. The blowing up of Gorgopotamos bridge favored ELAS. Soon, many

5251-593: The most prominent politician of the Left in Greece at the time. Following a split in the alliance, ΕDΑ never participated independently in Greek politics again after 1977. Under the leadership of Manolis Glezos , the party took part in the elections of 1981 and 1985 in an alliance with and within the ranks of Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK). Well-known politicians of EDA were: Greek People%27s Liberation Army The Greek People's Liberation Army ( Greek : Ελληνικός Λαϊκός Απελευθερωτικός Στρατός (ΕΛΑΣ) , Ellinikós Laïkós Apeleftherotikós Stratós ; ELAS )

5340-402: The official position of the Third International for "independent Macedonia and Thrace". Some members disagreed with this, but it remained the official position of the party and caused expulsions of communists by the Greek state. KKE was seen by many as a party whose policy was "the detachment of large areas of northern Greece". According to Richard Clogg, "this was dictated by Comintern and hurt

5429-437: The one side was the British and American-backed Greek government, led by Konstantinos Tsaldaris and later Themistoklis Sofoulis , which was elected in the 1946 elections which the KKE had boycotted. On the other side was the Democratic Army of Greece , of which the KKE was the only major political force, backed by the NOF , Bulgaria , Yugoslavia and Albania . In December 1947, the KKE and its allies that participated in

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5518-428: The ones who were in exile in Aegean islands. In 1941, several KKE members managed to escape prison. One of many stories includes the 20 communists held as political prisoners in Heraklion , Crete , who demanded to be released to fight against the invading Germans. The Greek government, which had left mainland Greece by then and was en route to Egypt , had no power to release them. They eventually escaped after their jail

5607-443: The party's two thousand members were in prison or in exile. The Security Police proved successful in dismantling the party structure; not only had it imprisoned the leadership, but it created a fake series of Rizospastis , the Central Committee newspaper. This generated confusion among the remaining scattered underground members. A small group of old party officials formed the "Old Central Committee" and two of them were elected by

5696-467: The police station in Litochoro , armed their forces and founded the Central Greece Command of the Democratic Army of Greece (DSE) . After this successful operation, the remaining scattered groups reorganized the pre-Varkiza Treaty ELAS formations all over the country. KKE's political influence and organization structure helped form units in the Aegean Islands of as Mytilene , Chios , Icaria , Samos and Crete . The Civil War involved two sides. On

5785-414: The political instability of the country. An independent judicial inquiry held under public prosecutor Christos Sartzetakis concluded that those responsible for the assassination were far-right extremists linked with rogue elements in the Greek security forces. However, no specific instructions from the ruling political leadership were identified, nor proven in the subsequent trial of the perpetrators. With

5874-444: The popularity of Communism at the time". In 1934, the KKE changed its view and expressed its intent to "fight for the national self-determination, under a People's Republic where all nations will found their self-determination and will build the common state of the workers". Nikos Zachariadis , General Secretary of the party, officially renounced KKE's policy of secession in 1945. Anti-KKE propaganda up-to-day added on this quote

5963-414: The possibilities of an armed resistance movement, which led to the Greek People's Liberation Army (ELAS). ELAS initiated actions against the German and Italian forces of occupation in Greece on 7 June 1942. Velouchiotis, with a small group of 10–15 guerrillas , entered the village of Domnista in Evrytania and proclaimed in front of the surprised villagers that they were about to "start the war against

6052-411: The principal enemy of the people and the country. His overthrowing is in the most immediate and vital interest of our people ... the peoples and soldiers of Greece and Italy are not enemies but brothers, and their solidarity will stop the war waged by capitalist exploiters". According to KKE archives, Zachariadis had issued no further letters and the third letter may have been in fact the statement of

6141-402: The region. At its Third Party Congress in 1924, KKE announced its policy for the self-determination of minorities, pointing out the minorities in Macedonia. Its policy was dictated by each Marxist–Leninist theory , that stated any minorities should be self-determined under a common socialist state and it had its roots in the example of the newly founded Soviet Union. In 1924, the KKE expressed

6230-413: The return of islands in the Aegean and parts of Macedonian territory to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia . This policy was repeated several times throughout the pre-war era. The main impetus for their demand was the ethnic and religious minorities then living inside Greek borders in Northern Greece. The KKE opposed any geo-strategic game in the area which would use minorities to start a new imperialistic war in

6319-546: The rise of the Fascist movements in Europe . In 1934, the Comintern decreed that anti-fascist fronts be formed internationally. KKE responded by creating the People's Front, which was the largest Marxist anti-fascist organisation in Greece prior to the dictatorship of Ioannis Metaxas . The party was banned in 1936 by the dictatorial regime of Metaxas and brutally persecuted by his security chief, Konstantinos Maniadakis . Many KKE members were imprisoned or exiled on isolated Aegean Islands . KKE members volunteered to fight on

6408-437: The road for Freedom to come, laying for Her bay-leaves so She can pass. Stand up, E.L.A.S. for Greece, for what's right and for Freedom; in mountain peaks and in valleys, fly! Fight with your heart. Your breath is a song, walking down the spine of the mountain, the echo of your voice spreads to hearts and meadows: E.L.A.S.! E.L.A.S.! Everywhere I have been, my homeland had sent me, to guard and to avenge, from my strong drive,

6497-751: The side of the republican government of Spain during the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939. About 440 Greeks joined the ranks of the International Brigades , especially brigades such as the XV International Brigade and the Dimitrov Battalion , many of whom were high-ranking KKE members. After the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913, World War I in 1916–1918 and the disastrous Greco–Turkish War of 1919–1922, there were diplomatic approaches from

6586-578: The superpowers of that era regarding the re-drawing of Greek borders, based on the territorial claims of the Kingdom of Bulgaria and diplomatic relations between Turkey and the United States pressing for more territory to improve trade routes with the British Empire . The ruling parties were simultaneously trying to move parts of Northern Greece ( Macedonia and Thrace ) to Bulgaria and Turkey; and to win

6675-468: The terms of the Varkiza treaty, these units armed themselves with weapons seized from attacks on militia units that had been provided arms by the police as well as attacking police stations. By mid-1946, these units forced the KKE leadership to change its neutral position and to plan the formation of a partisan army with the officers and fighters that were still free. On 26 October 1946, KKE militia units attacked

6764-526: The two major organizations was not comparable, as EDES had approx. 12,000 guerrillas, while ELAS' power was much stronger. Small battles were taking place in Epirus where EDES had its main force. This situation led to triangular battles among ELAS, EDES and the Germans. Given the support of the British and the Greek Cairo Government for EDES, these conflicts precipitated a civil war. In autumn 1944, after

6853-426: The unity between the Greek and Macedonian people. This will only serve the monarcho-fascists and British imperialism ". In order for KKE to clear up its position on the "Macedonian subject", the 6th Congress of its Central Committee was called a few months later, during which was clearly stated that KKE was fighting for a free Greece and for a common future for Greeks and Macedonians under the same state. The issue

6942-467: The various Resistance organizations regarding the post-war political situation in Greece. In October 1943 ELAS launched major attacks against EDES and the guerrilla group of Tsaous Anton in Northern Greece, precipitating a civil war across many parts of Greece which continued until February 1944, when the British agents in Greece negotiated a ceasefire (the Plaka agreement ); ELAS broke the agreement by attacking

7031-653: The will to collaborate for this goal with the Bulgarian organizations of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization and the Thracian Revolutionary Organisation . This is not mentioned on any of KKE official documents. The quote is referenced as KKE's policy for "giving Greek soil to the northern enemies of the country", a fact that can not be crossed referenced with any of KKE referenced literature of that era. During

7120-406: The winter of 1942–1943, new units of ELAS were composed in many regions of Greece. Some areas in the mountains of Central Greece passed from the control of Axis forces to that of ELAS. The leadership of ELAS followed a triadic form, from its top down to platoon level: the captain ( kapetánios ), elected by the men and the overall leader of the unit, the military specialist ( stratiotikós ), usually

7209-487: Was a "pawn of British imperialism in the region" and therefore the "Old Committee" viewed any war between the Axis forces and the British as an "imperialistic war that the people of any of the countries involved should not participate in". According to KKE's account, this position was criticised by Comintern in 1939 (a few months after the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact ), which had instructed KKE to fight against Italy in

7298-588: Was damaged by German bombs and joined the British and Greek forces defending the Heraklion harbor. After the fall of Crete, many officers of the Greek Army joined forces with ELAS and became commanders in ELAS's corps of partisan units. It became German policy—especially after it became obvious to them that they were losing the war—to execute civilians in retaliation for attacks against them by communist or non-communist partisans. Approximately 200 communists, delivered to

7387-614: Was elected, which included Nikos and Panaghis Dimitratos , Yanis Kordatos , G. Doumas, and M. Sideris. At the Third Extraordinary Congress of the SEKE(K) in November 1924, the party was renamed the Communist Party of Greece and adopted the principles of Marxism–Leninism . Pandelis Pouliopoulos was elected as general-secretary. Ever since, the party has functioned on the basis of democratic centralism . KKE strongly opposed

7476-527: Was ended by Central Committee in 1954 with the withdrawal of the position of self-determination of minorities. In 1988, the General Secretary of KKE, Charilaos Florakis , once again presented KKE's political position on the matter in a speech to the Greek Parliament. By 1940, the KKE had almost collapsed after Metaxas' dictatorship had imprisoned many of its leadership and members. By October, half of

7565-518: Was for the Greek National Army to gain control of the border with Albania in order to surround and defeat the DSE forces, numbering 8,500 fighters. The DSE suffered heavy losses from the operation, but managed to retreat its units to Albania. Charilaos Florakis , whose nom de guerre was Kapetan Yiotis, was a DSE-appointed Brigadier General during this battle. Florakis was ordered by the DSE High Command to re-enter Greece with his battalion via

7654-455: Was formed after the Treaty of Cazerta and its main purpose was to form the new Greek state, try accused political and military personnel of collaboration with the Germans and to hold a referendum for the government and the constitution. After several weeks, it became obvious to the KKE and EAM that the returning Greek government and their British allies were hostile to the significant amount of control that they exerted in Greece. Papandreou demanded

7743-679: Was often used to prosecute KKE members and other leftist activists. Under the Idionymon all members of the Communist Party of Greece, being considered dangers to the state, were to be removed from public service or put in exile. The first prison camps for left-wing citizens and communists were founded in that era. KKE and its organisations, although small in numbers, continue operating in all Greek major cities, especially industrial areas such as Athens , Piraeus , Patra , Thessaly and Volos , Thessaloniki , Kavala , and elsewhere. The KKE collaborated with other newly founded Communist Parties to oppose

7832-448: Was still incarcerated, took the opposite view that KKE must support Metaxas in his fight against Mussolini . The archives of KKE also address the confusion between different KKE cadres as the "Old Committee" interpreted the politics of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy as part of the "imperialistic game between the Axis forces and the British". This faction of KKE felt that the Metaxas regime

7921-693: Was the military arm of the left-wing National Liberation Front (EAM) during the period of the Greek resistance until February 1945, when, following the Dekemvriana clashes and the Varkiza Agreement , it was disarmed and disbanded. ELAS was the largest and most significant of the military organizations of the Greek resistance. After Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union with the initiation of Operation Barbarossa (June 22, 1941) — with most of Greece having fallen under Axis occupation since April and

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