How The Greek Civil War Foreshadowed The Entire Cold War
The first proxy war of the Cold War
In 1949, at the tail end of the Greek Civil War, the national Hellenic Army attacked the forces of the communist Provisional Democratic Government. The nationalists brought a massive amount of firepower to bear against their communist enemies, including 50,000 soldiers, heavy artillery, and dozens of aircraft. Operation Pyrsos, as it was called, started with a massive artillery barrage and a blitz that included massive waves of soldiers. For the Greeks who had just survived World War II, it was likely a harrowing reminder of the previous war.
By the end of the battle, the Hellenic Army was in control of the field. The Greek Civil War was over. The communist forces were crushed, and the nation was finally at peace after years of bloody warfare, occupation, and bitter divisions.
Though they didn’t know it at the time, the aftermath of the battle was a nearly perfect prediction about how the Cold War would play out for the rest of the century. The Greek Civil War saw massive amounts of foreign intervention, political intrigue, and a protracted fight between the forces of communism and the forces of Western capitalism.
