Greece on the Frontlines of the Cold War
The rise of the Greek junta is inextricably linked to the Cold War. Greece had traditionally been under the British sphere of influence given its location in a region crucial to the strategic and economic interests of the British Empire. Britain had also played a decisive role in expelling the German occupiers in December 1944.
When the Greek Civil War broke out in 1946, Britain provided economic and military assistance to the Greek government. However, Britain informed the White House by late 1946 that it was unable to continue with military and economic assistance, and urged US intervention. The Greek Civil War was subsequently acknowledged as one of the “hot” fronts of the emerging Cold War.
US intervention in the Civil War was inaugurated by the Truman Doctrine in March 1947. Apart from military aid, the Truman administration provided a significant amount of economic aid to the Greek government, signalling a new phase in US foreign policy. Thus, Greece became a kind of test case for US leadership of the so-called “Free World” in its confrontation with what it portrayed as Soviet totalitarianism. Moreover, Greece was perceived to be the “birthplace” of democracy and thus had great symbolic importance.
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Despite the significant progress researchers have made in undermining some of the poisonous myths fostered by sympathizers of the junta, post-1974 governments only partially confronted its legacy in the state. As a result, the dictatorship enjoyed a favourable image among military and police personnel for decades after its collapse. Even among average Greeks, the widespread but unsubstantiated myth persists that the junta made a positive contribution to Greece’s economic development.
Recently, a number of opinion polls have confirmed that the overwhelming majority of Greeks reject the dictatorship as a “dark period” in Greek history and cherish democracy. Nevertheless, 32 percent of Greeks still appear to believe that the dictatorship was “a good period for the country’s economy”, 37 percent believe that “farmers benefited” from the dictatorship, while 56 percent share the view that the junta carried out major infrastructure works in the country’s road network.
Although these are just indices, they show that Greece’s authoritarian period continues to resonate with segments of Greek society even today.
https://www.rosalux.de/en/news/id/52349/a-southern-european-dictatorship-with-western-backing