when did the greek civil war began

When did the Greek Civil War end exact date?

The Greek Civil War (Greek: ο Eμφύλιος [Πόλεμος], o Emfýlios [ Pólemos ], "the Civil War") was a civil war that took place between 1943 to 1949 in Greece. It was mainly fought against the established Kingdom of Greece (supported by the United Kingdom and the United States). The Kingdom won in the end.

When was the last date of the Civil War?

The last major land battle of the Civil War occurred at the Palmito Ranch on May 12-13, 1865, down near the very tip of Texas, near Brownsville, on the east bank of the Rio Grande. Two Union regiments, of white and colored infantry, and one regiment of cavalry, moved upriver from Brazos Santiago and attacked a Rebel camp located there.

When was the Roman invasion on Greece?

The Roman senate accused Perseus of violating previous treaties and began the Third Macedonian War (171-168). A 30,000-man Roman army landed in Greece. At first the military actions proceeded with the advantage alternating between the sides, but in 168 the consul Lucius Aemilius Paulus took command of the Roman troops in Thessaly, and on June ...

When did the Ancient Greek era end?

ancient Greek civilization, the period following Mycenaean civilization, which ended about 1200 bce, to the death of Alexander the Great, in 323 bce. It was a period of political, philosophical, artistic, and scientific achievements that formed a legacy with unparalleled influence on Western civilization.

When did the Greek civil war begin?

1946 – 1949Greek Civil War / Period

Where did the Greek civil war start?

AthensA bitter civil war broke out in Athens on December 3, which the British military forces managed to suppress with great difficulty, after EAM-ELAS had overrun virtually all of Greece except Athens and Thessaloníki.

Who started the first Greek war?

The first revolt began on 6 March/21 February 1821 in the Danubian Principalities, but it was soon put down by the Ottomans. The events in the north urged the Greeks in the Peloponnese (Morea) into action and on 17 March 1821, the Maniots were first to declare war.

Why did the Greek war start?

The reasons for this war are sometimes traced back as far as the democratic reforms of Cleisthenes, which Sparta always opposed. However, the more immediate reason for the war was Athenian control of the Delian League, the vast naval alliance that allowed it to dominate the Mediterranean Sea.

How did the Greek war start?

The Cause of the Peloponnesian War The formation of the Delian League, or Athenian League, in 478 B.C. united several Greek city-states in a military alliance under Athens, ostensibly to guard against revenge attacks from the Persian Empire. In reality, the league also granted increased power and prestige to Athens.

How did Sparta end?

Spartan political independence was put to an end when it was eventually forced into the Achaean League after its defeat in the decisive Laconian War by a coalition of other Greek city-states and Rome, and the resultant overthrow of its final king Nabis, in 192 BC.

Who defeated Sparta?

In 371 B.C., Sparta suffered a catastrophic defeat at the hands of the Thebans at the Battle of Leuctra.

Did Athens beat Sparta?

The Peloponnesian War was a war fought in ancient Greece between Athens and Sparta—the two most powerful city-states in ancient Greece at the time (431 to 405 B.C.E.). This war shifted power from Athens to Sparta, making Sparta the most powerful city-state in the region.

Where did the Greek empire start?

Its origins were in the land of Greece and the islands of the Aegean Sea, plus the west coast of Asia Minor (modern Turkey). This is a landscape of mountains and sea.

What was the Greek civil war between Athens and Sparta?

The Peloponnesian War was a war fought in ancient Greece between Athens and Sparta—the two most powerful city-states in ancient Greece at the time (431 to 405 B.C.E.). This war shifted power from Athens to Sparta, making Sparta the most powerful city-state in the region.

Where does the Greek history start?

The best books on Ancient GreeceThe Iliad. by Homer.The Histories. by Herodotus.Medea. by Euripides.Democracy: A Life. by Paul Cartledge.Greek Fire. by Oliver Taplin.

Where was ancient Greece started?

the Aegean SeaAncient Greece Began Near the Aegean Sea The first settlements of Ancient Greece began in the land around the Aegean Sea, including Greek islands, mainland Greece, and along the west coast of Asia minor. This was in around 800 BCE, a period of rapid development following the Greek 'dark ages.

Who was involved in the Greek Civil War?

The Greek Civil War ( Greek: ο Eμφύλιος [Πόλεμος], o Emfýlios [ Pólemos ], "the Civil War") was fought between the Greek government army (supported by the United Kingdom and the United States) and the Democratic Army of Greece (DSE) – the military branch of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) (supported by Bulgaria, Albania, Yugoslavia, and covertly by the Soviet Union via their Eastern European proxies) from 1946 to 1949. The fighting resulted in the defeat of the DSE by the Hellenic Army.

Who was the commander of the Greek army during the Greco-Italian War?

At the same time, the National Army found a talented commander in General Alexander Papagos, commander of the Greek army during the Greco-Italian War. In August 1949, Papagos launched a major counteroffensive against DSE forces in northern Greece, codenamed "Operation Torch".

What was the landscape like in Greece in 1943?

The Greek landscape was favourable to guerrilla operations, and by 1943, the Axis forces and their collaborators were in control only of the main towns and connecting roads, leaving the mountainous countryside to the resistance. EAM-ELAS in particular controlled most of the country's mountainous interior, while EDES was limited to Epirus and EKKA to eastern Central Greece. By early 1944 ELAS could call on nearly 25,000 men under arms, with another 80,000 working as reserves or logistical support, EDES had roughly 10,000 men, and EKKA had under 10,000 men.

What was the main cause of the Greek occupation?

The power vacuum that the occupation created was filled by several resistance movements that ranged from royalist to communist ideologies. Resistance was born first in eastern Macedonia and Thrace, where Bulgarian troops occupied Greek territory. Soon large demonstrations were organized in many cities by the Defenders of Northern Greece (YVE), a patriotic organization. However, the largest group to emerge was the National Liberation Front (EAM), founded on 27 September 1941 by representatives of four left-wing parties. Proclaiming that it followed the Soviet policy of creating a broad united front against fascism, EAM won the support of many noncommunist patriots.

Why did Churchill go to Athens?

It caused much protest in the British press and the House of Commons. To prove his peacemaking intentions to the public, Churchill went to Athens on December 25 to preside over a conference in which Soviet representatives also participated, to bring about a settlement. It failed because the EAM/ELAS demands were considered excessive and so rejected. The conference took place in the Hotel Grande Bretagne. Later, it became known that there was a plan by EAM to blow up the building, aiming to kill the participants, and the conference was finally cancelled.

How many partisans were there in the Peloponnese?

By late 1946, the DSE was able to deploy about 16,000 partisans, including 5,000 in the Peloponnese and other areas of Greece. According to the DSE, its fighters "resisted the reign of terror that right-wing gangs conducted across Greece". In the Peloponnese especially, local party officials, headed by Vangelis Rogakos, had established a plan long before the decision to go to guerrilla war, under which the numbers of partisans operating in the mainland would be inversely proportional to the number of soldiers that the enemy would concentrate in the region. According to this study, the DSE III Division in the Peloponnese numbered between 1,000 and 5,000 fighters in early 1948.

What happened to King George II of Greece?

While Axis forces approached Athens in April 1941, King George II and his government escaped to Egypt, where they proclaimed a government-in-exile, recognised by the UK but not by the Soviet Union. Winston Churchill encouraged King George II of Greece to appoint a moderate cabinet. As a result, only two of his ministers were previous members of the 4th of August Regime under Ioannis Metaxas, who had both seized power in a coup d'état with the blessing of the king and governed the country since August 1936. Nevertheless, the exiled government's inability to influence affairs inside Greece rendered it irrelevant in the minds of most Greek people. At the same time, the Germans set up a collaborationist government in Athens, which lacked legitimacy and support. The puppet regime was further undermined when economic mismanagement in wartime conditions created runaway inflation, acute food shortages and famine among the civilian population.

When did the Greek Civil War start?

The Greek Civil War erupted in December 1944, pulling British forces into combat in Athens. Over the next five years this devastating conflict would shatter Greece and transform Europe. May 22, 2020. As the battle lines converged on Berlin in the waning days of World War II, fighting and violence erupted at several points across liberated Europe.

Where did the Greek Civil War take place?

The Greek Civil War climaxed in August 1949 at the final major communist stronghold, the massif of Grammos near the Albanian border. After several days of brutal combat the rebels finally broke, streaming back across the Albanian border.

How many people died in the Axis occupation of Greece?

These dramatic events marked the culmination of three long years of suffering for Greece. During the Axis occupation of the country from 1941–1944, nearly 100,000 people died of starvation. Resistance had begun slowly against German, Italian, and Bulgarian troops and interests. By 1942, however, Greek resistance groups, including supporters of the deposed regime of Ioannis Metaxas and other conservatives; and leftist radicals, especially communists, had begun fighting the occupiers—and each other. Eventually the communists coalesced with other factions into the National Liberation Front (EAM) and its formidable National Popular Liberation Army (ELAS.) The ELAS wiped out numerous rival opposition groups even as they fought the Axis.

What was the Greek government in exile against?

The Greek government in exile opposed the EAM, as did the collaborationist government, which organized well-manned and equipped security battalions. These forces suffered proportionately far higher casualties in anti-partisan operations than did the Germans or Italians. Another large resistance group, the National Greek Republican League, or EDES, was anti-communist but opposed to the monarchist government in exile. The British covertly supported and supplied the EDES, because it fought both the EAM and the occupying forces.

Why was the 30th Infantry Division awarded the Presidential Unit Citation?

The US 30th Infantry Division receives the Presidential Unit Citation in honor of its heroism at the Battle of Mortain, August 1944.

When did Italy collapse?

Italy collapsed in the summer of 1943, and German forces began withdrawing from Greece in September 1944. As they departed, anti-communist factions coalesced to fight their common enemy. Nevertheless, the better-coordinated and utterly ruthless EAM seized control of much of Greece, except for Crete, by the end of the year.

Who was the British commander in command of the 10,000-strong force 140?

British forces meanwhile prepared to occupy the major cities. Mediterranean Commander in Chief Sir Henry Maitland Wilson placed Lieutenant General Ronald Scobie in command of the 10,000-strong Force 140, designated to seize Athens in Operation Manna. The Germans departed only gradually, however, and they left behind intact supply dumps as well as arming security battalion garrisons in hopes of fomenting civil war. Internecine fighting had already begun by the time the Germans evacuated Athens on October 12. Two days later British troops paraded through the city with Papandreou at their head.

How many people died in the Greek Civil War?

After 158,000 lives were lost and many more left without homes, the Greek Civil War was over. What was left was a devastated country and polarized society that had to go through a long and stressful period of reconciliation.

What happened to Athens in 1944?

On one side, there were members of KKE, their security militia OPLA as well as ELAS soldiers. Against them were the British, soldiers of the 3rd Mountain Brigade, Sacred Band, Athens police and members of the notorious far-right Organization X. Needless to say, ELAS was still a force to be reckoned with. In a matter of a week, they put the entire city of Athens under control. The situation was dramatic and forced the British to call in reinforcements from Italy. By the end of December 1944, British and Government troops regained control over the city.

What was the name of the town that the KKE fought in?

Carried by military success, the KKE decided in late 1947 to form a parallel government and switch to full-scale military operations. The town of Konitsa was designated as the seat of the government. In December 1946, DSE attacked the garrison in Konitsa, but suffered a major defeat. DSE fighters were well trained for guerilla operations, but were lacking both organization and discipline for conventional warfare.

What was the purpose of the surrender of Italy in 1943?

In September 1943, the conflict renewed. The surrender of Italy was a sign for ELAS that the war was near and that the time was right to eliminate their rivals. In a rush to capture Italian weapons and equipment, ELAS attacked both EDES and EKKA. It was a point of no return, despite the signing of the Plaka Agreement to once again cease all hostilities. By the end of the war, ELAS anihilated EKKA and pushed EDES to a restricted region in Epirus. They became the most dominant resistance force in the country.

What was the third movement?

The third, and the last formed, movement was EKKA - National and Social Liberation. Their region of operation was in eastern central Greece.

What was the agreement between the Greek government and the EAM?

The Caserta Agreement put all forces in Greece under the control of the new government. In return, the EAM was promised to enter the government of “National Unity” under “supervision” of Lieutenant-General Ronald Scobie, commander of the British 3rd Corps in Greece.

What was the significance of the victory at Konitsa?

For the government, victory at Konitsa was a relief and a sign of hope that they could win the war. In an effort to win a decisive victory against communists, more important was the American engagement in Greek affairs. In 1947, Britain definitively withdrew from Greece. The new, labourist, government had no sources nor will to continue their engagement in Greece. Instead, the US Government through the program of Truman Doctrine provided the Greeks with a huge financial and military aid in order to crush the communist rebellion. Small arms, artillery, tanks and planes were coming in huge amounts. With the increased number of soldiers, the Greek Army finally had everything they needed to defeat the communists.

When did Sparta defeat Athens?

404 BCE. End of the Peloponnesian war, Athens defeated By Sparta at Aigospotamoi, Rule of the Thirty Tyrants in Athens. 397 BCE. Dionysius I of Syracuse employs wheeled seige towers and bolt throwers for the first time in Greek warfare at the seige of Motya.

Which region did Athens fight in?

Athens successfully campaigns in the Corinthian Gulf regions during the Peloponnesian War . Peloponnesian forces led by Sparta begin the siege of Plataea . Plataea finally falls to the Spartans after a two year siege. Pylos campaign, under Cleon and Demosthenes ' command Athens defeats Sparta at Pylos .

What is the Iliad written about?

Homer's Iliad is composed with mention of medical treatment in Greek warfare . Corinthians adopt the trireme from the Phoenicians . Corcyra wins a naval battle against their founding city of Corinth . Sparta crushes Messenian revolt. Hoplites are the major protagonists in Greek land warfare .

Which two countries are involved in the Peloponnesian League?

Carthage and Greece fight for dominance in Sicily . Peloponnesian League alliance between Sparta, Corinth, Elis and Tegea which establishes Spartan hegemony over the Peloponnese .

What was the failure of the Athenian expeditions against Megara and Boeotia?

The Athenian expeditions against Megara and Boeotia are a failure with a particularly heavy defeat near Delion.

What was the name of the battle between the Greek and Persian fleets?

The indecisive battle of Artemision between the Greek and Persian fleets of Xerxes I. The Greeks withdraw to Salamis . Sep 480 BCE. Battle of Salamis where the Greek naval fleet led by Themistocles defeats the invading armada of Xerxes I of Persia .

How long did the Spartans hold back the Persians?

Battle of Thermopylae. 300 Spartans under King Leonidas and other Greek allies hold back the Persians led by Xerxes I for three days but are defeated.

What was the Greek War of Independence?

The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution of 1821 or Greek Revolution ( Greek: Ελληνική Επανάσταση, Elliniki Epanastasi; referred to by Greeks in the 19th century as simply the Αγώνας, Agonas, " Struggle "; Ottoman: يونان عصيانى, Yunan İsyanı, " Greek Mutiny "), was a successful war of independence by Greek ...

What war was waged by Greek revolutionaries?

1821–1830 war of independence waged by Greek revolutionaries. Greek War of Independence. Clockwise: The camp of Georgios Karaiskakis at Phaliro, the burning of an Ottoman frigate by a Greek fire ship, the Battle of Navarino and Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt at the Third Siege of Missolonghi. Date.

Why do Greeks sing on March 25?

To this day, many songs are sung by Greeks worldwide on 25 March to celebrate their liberation and showcase their respect for the lives that were lost during the four hundred years of Ottoman rule. Music inspired by the Greek War of Independence.

How many Cypriots died in the War of Independence?

In total, over 1000 Cypriots fought in the War of Independence, many of whom died. At Missolonghi many were killed, and at the Battle of Athens in 1827, around 130 were killed. General Chatzipetros, showing military decorations declared "These were given to me by the heroism and braveness of the Column of Cypriots".

Why was success at sea important to the Greeks?

From the early stages of the revolution, success at sea was vital for the Greeks. When they failed to counter the Ottoman Navy, it was able to resupply the isolated Ottoman garrisons and land reinforcements from the Ottoman Empire 's provinces, threatening to crush the rebellion; likewise the failure of the Greek fleet to break the naval blockade of Messolonghi (as it did several times earlier) in 1826 led to the fall of the city.

When did Greece come under Ottoman rule?

Greece came under Ottoman rule in the 15th century, in the decades before and after the fall of Constantinople. During the following centuries, there were sporadic but unsuccessful Greek uprisings against Ottoman rule. In 1814, a secret organization called Filiki Eteria (Society of Friends) was founded with the aim of liberating Greece, encouraged by the revolutionary fervor gripping Europe in that period. The Filiki Eteria planned to launch revolts in the Peloponnese, the Danubian Principalities, and Constantinople itself. The insurrection was planned for 25 March 1821 (on the Julian Calendar), the Orthodox Christian Feast of the Annunciation. However, the plans of Filiki Eteria were discovered by the Ottoman authorities, forcing the revolution to start earlier. The first revolt began on 6 March/21 February 1821 in the Danubian Principalities, but it was soon put down by the Ottomans. The events in the north urged the Greeks in the Peloponnese ( Morea) into action and on 17 March 1821, the Maniots were first to declare war. In September 1821, the Greeks under the leadership of Theodoros Kolokotronis captured Tripolitsa. Revolts in Crete, Macedonia, and Central Greece broke out, but were eventually suppressed. Meanwhile, makeshift Greek fleets achieved success against the Ottoman navy in the Aegean Sea and prevented Ottoman reinforcements from arriving by sea.

Where did the Greeks send their supplies?

In 1821, the Greek committee in Charleston, South Carolina sent the Greeks 50 barrels of salted meat while the Greek Committee in Springfield, Massachusetts sent supplies of salted meat, sugar, fish and flour.

Overview

Background: 1941–1944

Confrontation: 1944

Interlude: 1945–1946

Civil War: 1946–1949

Postwar division and reconciliation

See also

Bibliography