GREECE,1941-49: FROM RESISTANCE TO CIVIL WAR

Greece, 1941-49: From Resistance to Civil War The Strategy of the Greek Communist Party

Haris Vlavianos Professor of History and Political Science American College of Greece

Palgrave Macmillan

© Haris Vlavianos 1992 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1 st edition 1992

All rights reserved. For infonnation, write: Scholarly and Reference Division, St. Martin's Press, Inc., 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010

First published in the United States of America in 1992

ISBN 978-1-349-21859-2 ISBN 978-1-349-21857-8 (eBook)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Vlavianos, Haris. Greece, 1941-49: from resistance to civil war: the strategy of the Greek Communist Party I Haris Vlavianos. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. ISBN 978-0-312-06573-7 1. Konnounistikon Komma tis Hellados - History. 2. Greece­-Politics and government - 1935-1967. 3. Greece - History--Occupation, 1941-1944. 4. Greece - History- Civil War, 1944-1949. I. Title. JN5185.K6V56 1992 324.2495'075'09-dc20 91-12136

CIP

DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-21857-8

To Yanna

Contents

Acknowledgements viii

List of Acronyms ix

Note on Transliteration xi

Chronological Table xiii

Introduction 1

I The Greek Communist Party: Resistance or Revolution? 7

II Varkiza: Capitulation to the British? 55

III From Varkiza to the Seventh Congress 79

IV The Elections of March 1946: Pandora's Box 113

V The Second Plenum: Textbook Revolution 171

VI The Decision to Abstain: 'Tactical Error' or 'Decisive Mistake'? 189

VII From Limited Self-Defence to Civil War 225

Conclusion 248

Notes 260

Bibliography 320

Index 346

vii

Acknowledgements

My work has been made possible by the kindness of many. I should like to express, however inadequately, my gratitude to those who helped me most. I am particularly indebted to Dr John Campbell for his advice and support. He saved me from many mistakes, ques­tioned many of my judgements, and tempered the dogmatism of my style. I am also grateful to Professor Tony Judt and Dr Mark Mazower for their unwavering support and friendship. They both read all or parts of the manuscript and made some valuable com­ments on points of detail and style. I welcome this opportunity to thank Fillipos Iliou, with whom the ideas of this book have been much discussed. My greatest intellectual debt is to Professor Hedley Bull, Professor of International Relations in the University of Oxford from 1977 to 1985. Although he had little to say directly about the matters discussed in this book, the impact of his mind and his example has been the deepest factor in shaping the outlook of many of us whom he taught. I had hoped to place this book in his hands. Now I can only mention in bereavement the name of a beloved teacher and friend.

There are institutional debts to acknowledge. I should like to express my gratitude to the British Council and the Onassis Founda­tion, without whose generosity I could not have completed this work. I also wish to thank the President and Fellows of Trinity College, for financial support during the initial stages of my research.

Finally, and most important, I should especially thank my wife, Yanna, for her encouragement and support during many a trying moment. My gratitude to her can only be expressed on the dedication page. My son, Alexandros, who arrived just in time to see this work being completed, offered inspiring gurgles from his cot.

viii

Acronyms

AKE AMAG AMFOGE AMM AVNOJ

BCF BLO BMM CPSU DSE

EA EAM

EDAM

EDES

EEAM

EKKA

ELAS

ELD EP EPON

ERGAS

FO GHQME GSEE

IDEA

Agrotiko Komma Ellados (Agrarian Party of Greece) American Mission for Aid to Greece Allied Mission for Observing Greek Elections Allied Military Mission Antifasisticko Vece Naradnog Oslobodjenja Jugoslavije (Antifascist Council of National Liberation) Balkan Communist Federation British Liaison Officer British Military Mission Communist Party of the Soviet Union Dimokratikos Stratos Ellados (Democratic Army of Greece) Ethniki Allilegyi (National Mutual Aid) Ethniko Apeleftherotiko Metopo (National Liberation Front) Ethniko Dimokratiko Apeleftherotiko Metopo (National Democratic Liberation Front) Ethnikos Dimokratikos Ellinikos Syndesmos (National Democratic Greek League) Ergatiko Ethniko Apeleftherotiko Metopo (Labour National Liberation Front) Ethniki kai Kinoniki Apeleftherosis (National and Social Liberation) Ethnikos Laikos Apeleftherotikos Stratos (National Popular Liberation Army) Enosi Laikis Dimokratias (Union of Popular Democracy) Ethniki Politikofylaki (National Civil Guard) Eniaia Panelladiki Organosi Neon (United Panhellenic Organization of Youth - EAM's youth movement) Ergatikos Antifasistikos Syndesmos (Labour Anti­Fascist League) Foreign Office General Headquarters Middle East Geniki Synomospondia Ergaton Ellados (General Con­federation of Greek Workers) [eros Desmos Ellinon Axiomatikon (Sacred Bond of Greek Officers)

ix

x

KKE

KOMEP KUTV

MAD

MAY ML ODEK

OKNE

PEEA

SEKE

SKE SOE UNRRA UNSCOB

Acronyms

Kommounistikon Komma Ellados (Communist Party of Greece) Kommounistiki Epitheorisi (Communist Review) Kommunisticheskii Universitet Trudyashcshya Vostoka (Communist University for Eastern Workers) Monades Asfaleias Dimosyntiritoi (Community-sup­ported Security Units) Monades Asfaleias Ypaithrou (Rural Security Units) Military Liaison Omades Dimokratikon Enoplon Katadiokomenon (Bands of Armed Persecuted Democrats) Omospondeia Kommounistikon Neolaion Elladas (Federation of Communist Youth of Greece) Politiki Epitropi Ethnikis Antistasis (Political Commit­tee of National Liberation) Sosialistiko Ergatiko Komma Ellados (Socialist Labour Party of Greece) Sosialistiko Komma Ellados (Socialist Party of Greece) Special Operations Executive United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration United Nations Special Committee on the Balkans

N ate on Transliteration

No system of transliteration can be wholly consistent, accurate and also pleasing to the eye. In the transliteration of Greek names and words, an attempt has been made to strike a balance between the literal and the phonetic, inclining towards the latter but avoiding conventions such as dh and kh which might strike the ordinary reader as strange. Where persons and places have well established classical or traditional versions, these have been used, i.e. Thucydides, Athens, Cyprus, Aegean.

xi

Chronological Table

1914 Outbreak of World War I. Bitter quarrel between King Con-stantine and Premier Venizelos over Greek foreign policy.

1916 Venizelos sets up insurrectionary government in Salonica. 1917 Greece joins the Entente. King Constantine forced into

exile. 1918 Armistice. SEKE formed. 1920 King Constantine recalled by popular acclaim. Second Con­

gress of SEKE. 1921 Greek offensive in Asia Minor. 1922 Turkish national forces led by Kemal defeat the Greek army.

Massacre in Smyrna. Constantine abdicates and his elder son George II becomes King.

1923 Treaty of Lausanne. Greece gives up all claims to territory in Asia Minor. Exchange of populations.

1924 Greece becomes a republic. Third Extraordinary Congress of SEKE. SEKE changes its name to KKE.

1925 General Pangalos establishes a dictatorship. 1926 Pangalos overthrown, republic restored. 1928 Venizelos becomes Premier again. He stays in power until

1933. 1929 Venizelos introduces the Idionymon law. 1931 Nikos Zachariadis appointed Secretary of KKE by Comintern. 1933 Populist Party (royalists) win elections. Plastiras' republican

coup fails. 1935 Second republican coup put down after some days of fighting

in Athens and Macedonia. Extensive purge of Greek Army favouring royalists. King George called back by extensively rigged plebiscite. KKE adopts 'Popular Front' policy in accordance with the decisions of the Seventh Congress of Comintern.

1936 New elections results in parliamentary deadlock between republicans and royalists. The King appoints General John Metaxas (leader of a small royalist Party, and well known for his admiration of the Nazi regime) as Premier. Metaxas dissolves Parliament and establishes dictatorship. Zacharia­dis and most members of Political Bureau arrested.

1939 Outbreak of World War II.

xiii

xiv Chronological Table

1940 Italy declares war on Greece (October), but after initial succes­ses Italian troops driven back inside Albanian territory.

1941 British troops land in Greece but too weak to oppose Ger­man invasion. Greek Army of Epirus surrenders. General Tsolakoglou becomes quisling Prime Minister while King George and Cabinet headed by Premier Tsouderos flee to Cairo (May). Famine in Greece, winter 1941-2. KKE forms EAM (September).

1942 KKE forms ELAS (April). Zervas with the help of the British forms EDES (September). Kartalis forms EKKA. Destruction of Gorgopotamos Bridge (November) marks the arrival of British Military Mission in Greece. First important act of resistance.

1943 Rapid growth of EAMIELAS. British work to unite all guerilla armies under one command. 'Military Agreement' signed (July). Italian surrender strengthens ELAS. Failure of Cairo Mission (August) and outbreak of large-scale civil war between ELAS and EDES (October). British cut all their links with EAMIELAS.

1944 'Plaka Agreement' ends 'first round' of civil war between EAM/ELAS and EDES (February). EAM forms PEEA (March). Provisional government of 'Mountains' challenges legality of Cairo government-in-exile. Mutiny in the Greek armed forces in the Middle East (April). Lebanon Confer­ence (May). Papandreou forms a Government of National Unity. EAM after initial hesitation agrees to join the govern­ment (August). Government transferred to Italy (Septem­ber). 'Caserta Agreement' signed. The government returns to liberated Athens (October). EAM ministers resign over the issue of demobilization of guerilla armies (2 December). Demonstration at Syntagma Square leads to bloodshed (3 December). Outbreak of civil war, with British supporting Papandreou. Churchill flies to Athens (25 December).

1945 Archbishop Damaskinos appointed Regent and Plastiras becomes Premier. ELAS signs armistice (10 January). Var­kiza Agreement ends 'second round' of civil war (February). ELAS dissolved. 'White Terror'. Plastiras resigns (April), succeeded by Voulgaris, who resigns in October. Impasse. Regent Premier for a few days, succeeded by Kanellopoulos (October) and Sofoulis (November). McNeil's intervention. Preparation for elections. KKE holds Eleventh Plenum (April), Twelfth Plenum (June) and Seventh Congress (Oc-

Chronological Table xv

tober). Zachariadis found alive in Dachau, resumes leader­ship of KKE (May).

1946 Second Plenum of CC of KKE (February). Elections 31 March returns royalist majority. KKE, EAM and parties of the Left abstain. Tsaldaris becomes Premier. 'White Terror' intensifies. Plebiscite results in return of King George (Sep­tember). KKE forms the 'Democratic Army of Greece'. Markos becomes its leader (September). 'Third round' of civil war begins.

1947 'Truman Doctrine' (March). King George dies (April), suc­ceeded by his brother Paul. Under American pressure a new government formed under Sofoulis (September). Third Ple­num of CC of KKE (September). A joint Greek-American General Staff formed (November). KKE announces the formation of a 'Provisional Government' in the mountains (December) .

1948 General Van Fleet arrives in Athens as Commander of the Joint US Military Advisory and Planning Group (February). Stalin orders leaderships of Bulgarian and Yugoslav Com­munist Parties to stop assisting Greek commUIlists (Febru­ary). Tito-Stalin break and expulsion of Yugoslavia from Cominform (June). Fourth Plenum of CC of KKE (July). Bitter fighting between 'Democratic Army' and 'Greek Na­tional Army'. Greece becomes a key battleground in the Cold War.

1949 Fifth Plenum of CC of KKE (January). KKE sides with Moscow in Tito's quarrel with Stalin. Yugoslavia closes its frontiers to the 'Democratic Army' (July). The 'Democratic Army' cornered and defeated (August). Guerillas flee to Eastern Europe and Soviet Union. Sixth Plenum of CC of KKE (October).

1950 Seventh Plenum of CC of KKE (May). Third Conference of KKE (October).

1951 Second Plenum of CC of KKE (October 1951). 1952 Third Plenum of CC of KKE (November 1952). 1953 Fourth Plenum of CC of KKE (December 1953). 1955 Fifth Plenum of CC of KKE (December 1955). 1956 Twentieth Congress of CPSU (February). Sixth Plenum of

CC of KKE (March). Zachariadis deposed. 1957 Seventh Plenum of CC of KKE (February). 1961 Eighth Congress of KKE (August).

We want historians to confirm our belief that the present rests upon profound intentions and immutable necessities. But the true historical sense confirms our existence among countless lost events, without a landmark or a point of reference.

Michel Foucault from Nietzsche, Genealogy, History

History has many cunning passages, contrived corridors,

And issues, deceives with whispering ambitions,

Guides us by our vanities . . .

xvii

T.S. Eliot from Gerontion