The Greek Civil War

The civil war which arose from the German occupation of 1941-44 was one of the bloodiest and bitterest conflicts in modern Greek history. It is no exaggeration to say that in many ways the conflict continues. Many of those who participated in the war are still alive, and old animosities are reflected in the calmer waters of parliamentary politics. The war's legacy has been the extreme polarization of opinion that has led to a swing from right-wing dictatorship to socialism since the 1970s. The causes, the alliances and betrayals, and complexities and context of the Greek civil war are still the subjects of much academic and political debate. In this book David Close has assembled a team of specialists from various countries who discuss several key aspects of the war. These include the causes of polarization, the kinds of conflict which it involved and the ways in which the conflicts ended. One neglected aspect - the organization and character of the right-wing forces that triumphed - is examined in detail. The approach of the book attempts to be analytical rather than narrative, drawing on a wide range of sources previously unpublished or unavailable in English.