Communist Party of Greece (KKE)
그리스 공산당
The Communist Party of Greece (KKE) is a Marxist–Leninist political party founded in 1918 as the Socialist Workers’ Party of Greece, adopting its current name in 1924. Banned under the Metaxas dictatorship in 1936, it maintained underground organization and in 1941 founded the National Liberation Front (EAM), becoming the central political force of the Greek resistance.
In depth
Formation and interwar activity
The KKE was founded in November 1918 as the Socialist Workers’ Party of Greece (SEKE) and affiliated with the Comintern in 1920. At its Third Extraordinary Congress in 1924, it adopted its present name and Marxist–Leninist principles. During the interwar period it worked in trade unions, strikes, and anti-war mobilization while maintaining networks in major cities despite anti-communist legislation and repression.
Dictatorship and resistance
The regime of Ioannis Metaxas banned the KKE in 1936 and imprisoned or exiled its leaders and members. Soon after the occupation, the KKE founded the National Liberation Front (EAM) in September 1941 and, together with EAM’s military arm ELAS, built the largest resistance organization in Greece. This organizational base fed into the political confrontation that culminated in the Dekemvriana and the Greek Civil War.
Related historical events
Sources
- Wikipedia (EN) (supports the party's 1918 foundation, 1924 renaming, 1936 ban, and 1941 resistance role)
- kommunismusgeschichte.de (Heinz A. Richter, JHK 2002, supports the party's formation, interwar development, underground survival, and role in the resistance)
- britannica.com (supports the 1936 dictatorship, 1941 EAM foundation, and EAM-ELAS's emergence as the largest resistance organization)