Εμφύλιος πόλεμος (1943-1949): Το τέλος των μύθων και η στροφή προς το μαζικό επίπεδο

Abstract

This paper reviews past and current research on the Greek Civil War and argues that it is undergoing a double transition. First, it is gradually moving away from the heavily biased narratives that emerged from the civil war, completing a trend that began close to twenty years ago. Second, it is moving away from the elite level (both international and national) and toward the mass level, especially in its local expressions. This transition opens up a whole set of issues that have been overlooked for too long. Recent and ongoing studies have explored, among other issues, the social and political bases of the competing coalitions, the choices and constraints facing local communities and ordinary people, the formation and transformation of political identities, and the logic and practices of violence. The paper sketches a research agenda for future research, discusses potential pitfalls, points to the methodological challenge of linking the micro and macro levels, and briefly reviews recent trends in the scholarly literature of the Spanish Civil War which may serve as an exemplar.