What was Greece like in the 1940s?
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What was Greece like in the 1940s?
The decade of the 1940s was the most devastating and deadly in Greek history. In that period, the horrors of foreign military occupation were followed by the ravages of the Civil War. The events of this decade left wounds that remain unhealed many decades later.
What was Greece like in ww2?
The country was devastated by war and occupation, and its economy and infrastructure lay in ruins. Greece suffered more than 400,000 casualties during the occupation, and the country’s Jewish community was almost completely exterminated in the Holocaust.
What happened during the Greek civil war?
It began as a conflict between the communist-dominated left-wing resistance organization EAM-ELAS and loosely allied anti-communist resistance forces, and later escalated into a major Civil War between the Greek state and the communists. Fighting resulted in the defeat of the DSE by the Hellenic Army.
How many Greeks were killed in WWII?
Deaths by Country
| Country | Military Deaths | Total Civilian and Military Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Greece | 20,000-35,000 | 300,000-800,000 |
| Hungary | 300,000 | 580,000 |
| India | 87,000 | 1,500,000-2,500,000 |
| Italy | 301,400 | 457,000 |
What happened in Greece after ww2?
World War II ended sometime in 1944 and shortly after that, Greece endured a Civil War. On October 12, 1944, the Greek government that was in exile during World War II returned to Greece. Rather than finding a country that was willing to accept them back, they walked into a heated situation.
What did Greece do in ww2?
Not only did Greece protect its homeland, marking the first defeat of the Axis in WWII, but it allowed the British to tighten the blockade in the Mediterranean and cut Italy’s communication lines, allowing for extra months of time for allies to prepare.
How long did Greece resist in ww2?
219 days
According to historical record, Greece resisted for a total of 219 days against Italy, Germany, Bulgaria and Albania between October of 1940 and April of 1941 when Nazi Germany launched a final, massive attack through Bulgaria.
What was life like in Greece in the 1940s?
The years 1940–1949 were ones of continuous horror for the Greek people. When the Second World War (WWII) ended in 1945 and the rest of Europe was beginning to rebuild itself, Greece entered into a second war, more vicious than that fought against the Axis powers.
What happened to Greece in 1943?
During the winter of 1943–44, civil war broke out in the mountains of Greece between EAM-ELAS and the much smaller British-backed EDES, which had become increasingly alarmed at the prospect of a postliberation seizure of power by the communists. Not for the first time in Greek history, the country’s fate was to be determined by the great powers.
What was the Greek Civil War of 1946-1949?
Under the terms of this law, the war of 1946–1949 was recognized as a Greek Civil War between the National Army and the Democratic Army of Greece, for the first time in Greek postwar history.
Why did people leave Greece in the 1960s?
Many others sought refuge in communist countries or emigrated to Australia, Germany, the US, the UK, Canada and elsewhere. The polarization and instability of Greek politics in the mid-1960s was a direct result of the Civil War and the deep divide between the leftist and rightist sections of Greek society.
