Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War (1946–49) was the opening battle of the Cold War and the event that directly produced the Truman Doctrine — the foundational statement of American Cold War policy. It grew from the Greek Resistance's wartime split between the Communist-dominated ELAS and the British-backed non-Communist forces, which escalated into full civil war after liberation from German occupation. By February 1947 Britain informed the United States that it could no longer afford to maintain its military and economic support for the Greek government, which was fighting the Communist-led Democratic Army of Greece (DSE). President Truman responded on 12 March 1947 with an address to Congress that became the 'Truman Doctrine': a declaration that the United States would 'support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures.' The speech committed $400 million in military and economic aid to Greece and Turkey. The DSE's position was complicated by the Tito-Stalin split of 1948. Yugoslavia, which had been the DSE's primary supply route and base, broke with Moscow; Tito closed the Yugoslav border to DSE forces, cutting their logistical lifeline. Stalin, despite rhetorical support, had told Churchill in the 1944 'percentages agreement' that Greece was in the British sphere of influence, and provided minimal direct assistance. The Greek government army, reorganised by American advisers and supplied with American equipment, defeated the DSE in the Grammos-Vitsi campaigns of summer 1949. The surviving DSE fighters crossed into Albania and Yugoslavia; the civil war ended in October 1949. The consequences were foundational: the Truman Doctrine committed the US to open-ended intervention against Communist movements globally; the Marshall Plan (announced in June 1947) was partly designed to prevent the economic conditions that might produce Communist electoral success; and NATO (1949) formalised the American security commitment to Europe. Greece and Turkey joined NATO in 1952.
- Year: 1946 CE
- Category: Military
