Really didn't expect to see the (old) Greek flag, but there it is, included towards the end of tier 7. So here's a little bit of history that nobody has asked of, yet I hope will prove to be an interesting reading. It is about the two "Mountain Governments" of Greece, both formed by the Communist Party -during, and in the aftermath of- WWII.
The first one was formed during the war, when the communists led the struggle against the Nazi occupators. Communist led ELAS and EAM guerillas, as well as right-wing EDES, had organized themselves and waged partisan war against the Nazi with remarkable success. They managed to establish the first free government of liberated Greece in 1944 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_Committee_of_National_Liberation/) in the areas that they had managed to free, in spite of both Athens' Nazi-installed collaborationist "government" and the old bourgeoisie government that had fled to Cairo when the war broke out. The government-in-exile, led by king George II, was pretty powerless in its current situation, but for Western countries it remained the "official" government which represented Greece. Meanwhile, the "Mountain Government", largely (if not mostly) communist-led, planned some important educational reforms in the liberated areas, and even held its own elections. The remarkable thing about them is that, for the first time in Greek history, women were allowed to vote.
When the Nazi left Greece, the bourgeoisie government felt safe enough to return from abroads. The Provisional Democratic Government was dissolved several months after it had been formed after a government of national unity was established in the now fully liberated Greece. Communists argued that the newly formed government was problematic because it included former collaborators of the Nazi and it served the interests England, who had found the chance to meddle extensively with Greek affairs. Guerilla forces were forcedly disbanded in favour of a national army, which the government tried to "cleanse" from anybody they considered to lean even slightly towards the Left. Prosecution of former members of EAM and ELAS began. A peaceful demonstration of EAM was violently crushed by the English armed forces and local right-wing armed paramilitia. White terror began, forcing a lot of people into hiding. This is how the Greek civil war broke between the anti-communist bourgeois government, supported by right-wing militia and England, and left-leaning factions of EAM-ELAS.
In these conditions the Communist Party organised partisans into a small army (Democratic Army of Greece), seized some mountainous areas and proclaimed a new government in 1947 (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provisional_Democratic_Government). It didn't last long, either. The Athens government won de-facto in 1948, and the second "Mountain Government" was dissolved in exile, in 1950.
Neither time did communists really have a chance to prove themselves in long-term government, as both of those goverments were provisional and existed in the midst of a war.
Wow, that turned out longer than I expected it to be. Still, I hope it was not too boring. The truth is, there is way too much history behind these events, entire books are dedicated to the events of those years. I just wanted to share the basic facts about it in the hope that somebody finds it useful/interesting.
Unfortunately, even if it was the case, the only thing in common with the former USSR would be geographical IMO. I don't think it would even be close to socialism. Any thoughts on this? If there actually was a possibility of establishing a real socialist state in the former USSR, who do you think would lead the change?
Really didn't expect to see the (old) Greek flag, but there it is, included towards the end of tier 7. So here's a little bit of history that nobody has asked of, yet I hope will prove to be an interesting reading. It is about the two "Mountain Governments" of Greece, both formed by the Communist Party -during, and in the aftermath of- WWII.
The first one was formed during the war, when the communists led the struggle against the Nazi occupators. Communist led ELAS and EAM guerillas, as well as right-wing EDES, had organized themselves and waged partisan war against the Nazi with remarkable success. They managed to establish the first free government of liberated Greece in 1944 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_Committee_of_National_Liberation/) in the areas that they had managed to free, in spite of both Athens' Nazi-installed collaborationist "government" and the old bourgeoisie government that had fled to Cairo when the war broke out. The government-in-exile, led by king George II, was pretty powerless in its current situation, but for Western countries it remained the "official" government which represented Greece. Meanwhile, the "Mountain Government", largely (if not mostly) communist-led, planned some important educational reforms in the liberated areas, and even held its own elections. The remarkable thing about them is that, for the first time in Greek history, women were allowed to vote.
When the Nazi left Greece, the bourgeoisie government felt safe enough to return from abroads. The Provisional Democratic Government was dissolved several months after it had been formed after a government of national unity was established in the now fully liberated Greece. Communists argued that the newly formed government was problematic because it included former collaborators of the Nazi and it served the interests England, who had found the chance to meddle extensively with Greek affairs. Guerilla forces were forcedly disbanded in favour of a national army, which the government tried to "cleanse" from anybody they considered to lean even slightly towards the Left. Prosecution of former members of EAM and ELAS began. A peaceful demonstration of EAM was violently crushed by the English armed forces and local right-wing armed paramilitia. White terror began, forcing a lot of people into hiding. This is how the Greek civil war broke between the anti-communist bourgeois government, supported by right-wing militia and England, and left-leaning factions of EAM-ELAS.
In these conditions the Communist Party organised partisans into a small army (Democratic Army of Greece), seized some mountainous areas and proclaimed a new government in 1947 (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provisional_Democratic_Government). It didn't last long, either. The Athens government won de-facto in 1948, and the second "Mountain Government" was dissolved in exile, in 1950.
Neither time did communists really have a chance to prove themselves in long-term government, as both of those goverments were provisional and existed in the midst of a war.
Wow, that turned out longer than I expected it to be. Still, I hope it was not too boring. The truth is, there is way too much history behind these events, entire books are dedicated to the events of those years. I just wanted to share the basic facts about it in the hope that somebody finds it useful/interesting.