dec 3, 1944 - The Greek Civil War

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Hannah Pacsay
The Greek Civil War was a two-part war which lasted from December 3, 1944 until October 22, 1949. It was a two-part conflict in which the Greek communists tried but failed to take control of the country. The first stage began in late 1944, shortly after Nazi Germany withdrew their occupation of Greece. During the occupation two main guerrilla groups had resisted the Nazis called the EAM-ELAS (Ethbikon Apeleftheroikon Metopon-Ethnikos Laikos Apeleftherotikos Stratos, translates to: National Liberation Front-National Popular Liberation Army) and the EDES (Ellinikos Dimokratikos Ethnikas Stratos, translates to: Greek Democratic National Army). After the Germans left, the two groups initially cooperated but soon clashed. The communists, having defeated their rivals, set up a provisional government, rejecting both the king and his government. The war started when the British forced a power-sharing arrangement causing tension which led to fighting in Athens by December 3, 1944. In February 1945, the communists accepted defeat, and a general election was held in March 1926, which returned a royalist majority. A vote later restored the monarchy. However, the communists went underground and resumed fighting in 1946, leading to a full-scale guerrilla war. By 1947, the U.S. took over Britain’s role in supporting Greeve through military and economic aid, as the communists had established a provisional government in the northern mountains. It is estimated that more than 50,000 combatants died in the conflict and more than 500,000 Greeks had to leave their homes due to the fighting.




National WWII Museum. "The Greek Civil War (1944–1949)." National WWII Museum, 2021, www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/greek-civil-war-1944-1949. Accessed 3 Feb. 2025.


"Greek Civil War." Encyclopaedia Britannica, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/event/Greek-Civil-War. Accessed 3 Feb. 2025.

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