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| Hellenic Republic Ελληνική Δημοκρατία | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
 | |
| Capital and largest city | Athens |
| Official languages | Greek |
| Dominant mode of production | Capitalism |
| Area | |
• Total | 131,957 km² |
| Population | |
• 2021 census | 10,432,481 |
| Currency | Euro |
The Hellenic Republic, also known as Greece, is a country located in southeastern Europe. Its ancient civilization saw a huge revival during the Renaissance, where ancient Greek society started to be considered the origin of Western civilization. Greece is home to many philosophers that inspired both Hegel and Marx. Greece is a member of the EU, the Council of Europe, NATO, the OECD, the WTO, the OSCE, and the OIF.
Communist parties in Greece include the Communist Party of Greece, the Communist Organization of Greece, and the Movement for the Reorganization of the Communist Party of Greece 1918–55.
History
Second World War
Nazi Germany invaded and occupied Greece during the Second World War. In 1941, the Communist Party of Greece formed the Greek People's Liberation Army (ELAS) and the National Liberation Front (EAM) to fight against the fascist occupiers. The EAM grew to over a million members and ranged from communists to the center-left. In November 1944, the British army entered Greece and began fighting against ELAS with the help of former Nazi collaborators. In January 1945, ELAS surrendered and the British took over Greece.[1]
Greek Civil War
Greek leftists began a rebellion in the fall of 1946 and the British left Greece in February 1947 to be replaced by the USA. Albania, Bulgaria, and Yugoslavia assisted the Greek communists. By the end of 1947, the Greek government received all of its military supplies from the United States. The Greek revolutionary forces surrendered in October 1949.
By the 1950s, Greece was an anti-communist puppet state of the USA and a member of NATO. Greece sent troops to fight against the Korean People's Army during the Fatherland Liberation War.[1]
Military junta
In 1967, the CIA overthrew the Greek government and installed the Nazi-aligned CIA agent Georgios Papadopoulos as the military dictator of Greece. Padapodoulos banned all political parties and tortured dissidents until his rule ended in 1974.[2] He sent over 6,000 suspected communists to prisons or remote islands and tortured over 3,000 people.[3] The CIA gave the junta 74,000 tons of military equipment to defend U.S. interests.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 William Blum (2003). Killing Hope: 'Greece 1947 to early 1950s: From cradle of democracy to client state' (pp. 33–37). [PDF] London: Zed Books. ISBN 1842773682
- ↑ William Blum (1995). Killing Hope (p. 219). Monroe. ISBN 1567510523
- ↑ Answering to History (1975-09-01). Time. Archived from the original.