The Greek Civil War: Essays On A Conflict Of Exceptionalism And Silences

301 Pages·2004·4.981 MB·English

by  Philip Carabott, Thanasis D. Sfikas

THE GREEK CIVIL WAR
Centre For Hellenic Studies
Ki n g s
College
King’s College London
LONDON
Publications 6 unworsny at lmiooii
THE GREEK CIVIL WAR
Essays on a Conflict of Exceptionalism
and Silences
edited by
Philip Carabott and Thanasis D. Sfikas
ASHGATE
Copyright C 2004 Philip Carabott and Thanasis D. Sfikas
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The editors have asserted their moral right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act,
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
The Greek Civil Wan Essays on a Conflict of Exceptionalism and Silences. -
(Publications for the Centre for Hellenic Studies, King’s College London).
1. Communism—Greece—History—20th century. 2. Greece—History—Civil
War, 1944-1949. 3. Greece—History—Civil War, 1944-1949—Influence.
I. Carabott, Philip. II. Sfikas, Thanasis D. III. King's College London. Centre for
Hellenic Studies.
949.5*074
US Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
The Greek Civil Wan Essays on a Conflict of Exceptionalism and Silences /
edited by Philip Carabott and Thanasis D. Sfikas.
p. cm. - (Publications for the Centre for Hellenic Studies, King’s College
London; 6)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Greece—History—Civil War, 1944-1949.1. Title: Essays on a Conflict of
Exceptionalism and Silences. II. Carabott, Philip. III. Sfikas, Thanasis D.
IV. Publications (King’s College (University of London). Centre for Hellenic
Studies); 6
DF849.52.G743 2003
949.507’4-dc22 2003065370
ISNB 0 7546 4131 7(hbk)
ISBN 0 7546 4132 5 (pbk)
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Typeset by W.M. Pank, King’s College London.
Printed and bound in Great Britain by MPG Books Ltd, Bodmin, Cornwall
THE CENTRE FOR HELLENIC STUDIES,
KING’S COLLEGE LONDON, PUBLICATIONS 6
Contents
A Note on References Cited and Transliteration vii
Abbreviations and Glossary of Terms ix
Acknowledgements xi
About the Contributors xiii
1. Fifty Years On
Philip Carabott and TAanasis D. Sfikas 1
Part I Comparative and International Perspectives
2. The Greek Civil Wan Greek Exceptionalism or Mirror of a
European Civil War?
Martin Conway 17
3. What was the Problem in Greece? A Comparative and Contextual
View of the National Problems in the Spanish, Yugoslav and
Greek Civil Wars of 1936-49
Philip B. Minehan 41
4. The Cominform and the Greek Civil War, 1947-49
Ioanna Papathanasiou 57
Part II Politics and Economics
5. A Prime Minister for All Time: Themistoklis Sofoulis from
Premiership to Opposition to Premiership, 1945-49
TAanasis D. Sfikas 75
6. Straggling from Abroad: Greek Communist Activities in France
during the Greek Civil War
Nicolas Manitakis 101
7. Getting Greece ‘Working Again’: The London Agreement of
January 1946
Athanasios Lykogiannis 115
v
VI CONTENTS
Part III Communism and the Culture of Anticommunism
8. Becoming Communist: Political Prisoners as a Subject during the
Greek Civil War
Polymeris Vog/is 141
9. Orthodoxy in the Service of Anticommunism: The Religious
Organization Zoc during the Greek Civil War
Vasilios N. Matrices 159
10. Social Dimensions of Anticommunism in Northern Greece,
1945-50
Basil C. Gounaris 175
Part IV Testimonies and Representations of the Civil War
11. The Everyday Lives and Silences of a National Army Soldier and
His Wife during the Greek Civil War
Philip Cambott 189
12. Pyramid 67\ A Liminal Testimony on the Greek Civil War
Maria Niholopoulou 209
13. The Shadow of the Greek Civil War in the Poetry of
Takis Sinopoulos
David Ricks 223
14. Writing Silences: Manolis Anagnostakis and the Greek Civil War
Liana Theodoratou 239
Part V Epilogue
15. The Road to Reconciliation? The Greek Civil War and the Politics
of Memory in the 1980s
David Close 257
Index 279
A Note on References Cited
and Transliteration
References to sources have been harmonized throughout the volume. In the
case of published works, the ‘author-date’ system has been employed. The
author’s name and the date of publication are cited in the notes and, where
either the author(s) is/are not identifiable or is/are unknown, a clearly
identifiable short title or abbreviation is used, followed by the date of
publication. Full bibliographical details of all published works and
unpublished sources cited are found in the References Cited section at the
end of each chapter.
The rendering of Greek names and references in English draws upon the
system employed by George Mavrogordatos,1 and has been guided by
simplicity, convenience and consistency. The general rules that follow have
been waived in the case of name-places that have a standard English form
(c.g. Thessaloniki instead of Thesaloniki) and names of Greek authors who
have either published in a Latin-based language or are known with a
different spelling (e.g. Hadziiossif, Tsoucalas, Odysseas Elytis).
1 Stillborn Republic. Social Coalitions and Party Stratèges in Greece, 1922-1936 (Berkeley 1983),
p. xxii-xxiii.
VII
VIII NOTES ON REFERENCES
GREEK LATIN GREEK LATIN
a a X I
at e P m
au av or af depending |I1C b if initial, mb
on pronunciation otherwise
ß V V n
y g VT d if initial, nd or nt
otherwise
y followed by e y Ç X
on
YY ng o o
yx g if initial, ng ot i
otherwise
rt nch ou ou
6 d n p
e e Q r
et i a s
eu ev or ef depending T t
on pronunciation
c
z u y if initial, otherwise i
n i <p f
e
th X ch
l i ps
X k 0> o
Abbreviations and Glossary of Terms
ABBREVIATIONS
ASKI Archia Sinchronis Kinonikis Istorias
Archives of Contemporary Social History
CPSU Communist Party of the Soviet Union
DSE Dimokratikos Stratos Elladas
Democratic Army of Greece
EAM Ethniko ApeUftherotiko Metopo
National Liberation Front
EDES Ethniios Dimokratikos Ellinikos Sindesmos
National Republican Greek League
ELAS Ethnikos Laikos Apeleftherotikos Stratos
National People’s Liberation Army
EPON Eniea Panelladiki Organosi Neon
United Panhellenic Youth Organization
KKE Kommounistiko Komma EUadas
Communist Party of Greece
KPJ KomunistiUka Partija Jugostavije
Communist Party of Yugoslavia
NOF Naroden Osloboditelen Front
National Liberation Front
PASOK Panellinio Sosialistiko Kinima
Panhellenic Socialist Movement
IX
X ABBREVIATIONS AND GLOSSARY OF TERMS
PCF Parti Communiste de France
PDK Prosorini Dimokratiki Kivemisi
Provisional Democratic Government
SNOF Slavjano-makedonski Narodno Osloboditelen Front
Slav Macedonian National Liberation Front
UN United Nations
UNRRA United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
andartes guerrilla fighters
Dekemvriana December events (1944)
ditosi(s) declaration(s) of repentance
ethnikofrosini national-mindedness and loyalty to the nation
Ethnikos Stratos (Greek) National Army
pistopiitiko kinonikon fronimaton certificate of social convictions