Communist party of Greece

The Communist party of Greece ( KKE , in Κομμουνιστικό Κομμα Ελλάδας Greek) is a Greek Political party founded in 1918.

History

Foundation with prohibition

Founded the November 4th 1918 as SEKE (Σοσιαλιστικό Εργατικό Κόμμα Ελλάδας) by Abraham Benaroya. The first Central committee was composed of NR. Dimitratos, D. Ligdopoulos, Mr. Sideris, Arvanitis and Kokkinos. At the time of its second Congress, the SEKE decided to join the Third International and became the SEKE-K. Its new Central committee was composed of NR. and P. Dimitratos, Y. Kordatos, G. Dumas and Mr. Sideris. At the time of the Third Extraordinary congress of 1924, the SEKE-K became KKE and adopted the Marxisme-léninisme as well as the democratic centralism.

The Communist party of Greece was prohibited, except during the rare ones and short periods, until in 1974. The dictatorship of Metaxas after August 1936 made that the KKE was already in clandestinity when the Second world war started.

Second world war and civil war

Resistance

During the Second world war, the main movement of resistance, the EAM was controlled by the KKE. Very vast areas were not occupied any more by the Germans or the Italians, but directly managed by the EAM. There, in spite of the weight of the Communists, the socialist ideas were not imposed. There was no land reform nor of collective appropriation of the means of production. The same circumspection as for the socialization of the goods was found at the time of the civil war. Only a kind of car-administration was installation, but this one belonged to the Greek tradition since the Othoman period until the most recent times where one is always wary of the central capacity. This local car-administration which thus found a compost fertile justified within the framework of the conflict, where the central capacity belonged to the occupant, but went against communist centralization. The KKE was thus in a relatively ambiguous situation during the second world war.

The civil war

Very important in resistance to the Fascism and the Nazism, the KKE could not accept the return of a mode monarchist protected by the American Britanniques and . More especially as this monarchical government had passed all the war in exile, half-compartment of Greek realities. In the same way, the Westerners could not accept a powerful Communist party in Greece. It is thought, in addition, that at the time of the Conférence of Teheran, Churchill and Stalin would have exchanged the Poland against Greece: one for the Soviet block, the other for the block of the West. That could lead only to the Greek Civil war. Many Communists took refuge then in the countries brothers of the block of Est.
Repression against the KKE did not stop with the end of the Greek Civil war. Thousands of its members and frameworks were tortured or, quite simply, assassinated, thus, Nicos Beloyannis, one of its leaders stopped and carried out in 1952.

Scission

At the time of the Dictatorship of the colonels, the KKE was divided into two. Certain Communists considered the repression of the Printemps of Prague too violent. They approached the Eurocommuniste line recommended for example by the Italian Communists. They took the name of KKE of the interior (" ΚΚΕ εσωτερικού ") and by derision those called which continued to obey Moscow the KKE of outside.

In 1974, Constantin Caramanlis legalized the Greek Communist party. He united then with the EDA (Ενιαία Δημοκρατική Αριστερά), Democratic Union of the Left which he had already supported during his prohibition. The KKE had then, and until 1989 a legislative score turning around 10%. Since 1993, the KKE reaches a maximum to 6%, but remains the third party in Greek Parlemement.

In 1989, the KKE entered a vast left majority, the Συνασπισμός της Αριστεράς και της Προόδου. Synaspismos was a beginning of reconciliation between KKE and KKE of the Interior. The fact that Synaspismos decided to form a government with the Nea Dimokratia, of right-hand side, in order to prevent PASOK Andreas Papandreou from remaining with the capacity was badly included/understood by its voters.

Political positioning

The KKE is against the membership of the Greece to the European Community and also invited to vote against the Traité of Maastricht or the widening of the Union.

The KKE at the Greek Parliament

With the legislative elections of September 2007, the KKE exceeded the 8% of voice and account currently 22 deputies, thus confirming his place of third left Greece.

See too

External bond

the official site of the party

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