The Greek Civil War

Strategy, Counterinsurgency and the Monarchy

Spyridon Plakoudas

• Publisher: I.B. Tauris
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781784537807
• eBook ISBN: 9781786721495
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Histoire
• Subtopic: Histoire du 20ème siècle

The Greek Civil War (1946-1949) was one of the few instances in the post-World War II era of a clear-cut and permanent victory by right-wing government forces over an insurgent communist movement. Spyridon Plakoudas here explores the factors which ultimately caused the downfall of the communist insurgency in Greece which had, at some points, seemed undefeatable. He questions whether the guerrilla movement fell victim to the feud between Stalin and Tito or whether the significant British and, above all, American aid in fact rescued the Greek monarchist regime from collapse. Plakoudas explores the strategies adopted by government forces in order to counter the communist insurgency, how external and internal actors influenced these policies and when, how and why these policies achieved success. Featuring previously unseen sources and documents, this book reveals the strategy and tactics of the monarchist regime.

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction What about the Greek Civil War?
• 1. The ‘War of the Flea’: Theory and Practice
• 2. A Stillborn Peace: February 1945 – January 1947
• 3. A ‘Peace-and-War’ State: January – October 1947
• 4. ‘Communism Delenda Est’: November 1947 – October 1949
• Conclusion What does the Greek Civil War Teach Us?
• Appendix
• Notes
• Bibliography