The most complete information guide about Athens, Greece
HISTORY
OF ATHENS
Greek
Civil War
End of the Civil War
1949
The
fatal blow to the KKE and the DSE, was political, not military.
In June of that year, the Soviet Union and its satellites broke
off relations with Prime Minister Tito of Yugoslavia, who had
been the KKE's strongest supporter since 1944. The KKE thus had
to choose between their loyalty to Stalin and their relations
with their closest and most important ally. Inevitably, after
some internal conflict the
great majority of them, led by Zachariadis, chose Stalin. In January
1949 Vafiadis was accused of "Titoism", removed from
his political and military position and was replaced by Nikos
Zachariadis.
Tito
closed down the Yugoslavian border to the guerrillas of DSE in
July of 1949 and disbanded their camps inside Yugoslavia. The
split with Tito also set off a witch-hunt for "Tito-ites"
inside the Greek Communist Party leading to disorganization and
demoralization within the ranks of the DSE and decline of support
of the KKE in urban areas.
At
the same time, the National Army found a talented commander in
General Alexander Papagos. In August of 1949, Papagos launched
a major counter-offensive against DSE forces in northern Greece,
code-named "Operation Torch". The plan was a major victory
for the National Army and resulted in heavy losses for the DSE.
Its army was no longer able to sustain resistance in battle.
By
September of 1949, most of its fighters had surrendered or escaped
to Albania. By the end of the month, the Albanian government,
presumably with Soviet approval, told the KKE that it would no
longer allow the DSE to perform military operations from within
Albanian territory. On 16 October, Zachariadis announced a "temporary
cease-fire to prevent the complete annihilation of Greece."
That treaty marked the end of the Greek Civil War.
The
Western Allies saw the end of the Greek Civil War, as a victory
in the Cold War against the Soviet Union. The paradox was that
the Soviets never actively supported the Communist Party's efforts
to seize power in Greece. The KKE's major supporter and supplier
had always been Tito and it was the rift between Tito and the
KKE which marked the real demise of the party's efforts to assert
power.