Provisional Democratic Government
Provisional Democratic Government Προσωρινή Δημοκρατική Κυβέρνηση Prosoriní Dimokratikí Kyvérnisi | |||||||||||
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| 1947–1950 ( in exile ) | |||||||||||
| Motto: "Ψυχή βαθιά!" Deep Soul! Psihí Vathià[ Markos Vafiadis | |||||||||||
• 1949–1950 (in exile) | Dimitrios Partsalidis | ||||||||||
General Secretary | |||||||||||
• 1931–1956 | Nikos Zachariadis | ||||||||||
| Historical era | in exile ) | ||||||||||
| Currency | Greek drachma (₯) | ||||||||||
| ISO 3166 code | GR | ||||||||||
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| Today part of | Greece | ||||||||||
The Provisional Democratic Government (
History
The Greek Civil War had broken out in spring 1946, but it was not until June 1947 that the Greek Communists announced their intention to form a separate government. This move was announced by leading Party member Miltiadis Porfyrogennis at the Congress of the French Communist Party, in a move designed to garner publicity and highlight the support of other Communist parties and governments to the Greek Communists' cause.[1] The formation of a separate government was not only a renunciation of any chances of reconciliation with the royal government in Athens, but also implied also a move away from guerrilla warfare towards a more "regular" structure. This was in accordance with the Yugoslav-inspired "Lakes Plan", which envisaged the creation of a regular army of 50,000–60,000 men and the occupation of large parts of northern Greece, ultimately including Greece's second city, Thessaloniki, where the new government would base itself.[1]
The new government's formation was announced on 23 December 1947, with
On 25 December, the DSE attacked the town of Konitsa, intending to seize the city as the new government's headquarters. According to testimony by Vafiadis, Zachariadis had expressed the hope that if the city fell and became the Communists' capital, the PDG would be recognized by the Soviet Union and other Eastern Bloc states. The attack lasted until 4 January 1948, but ended in failure.[1][2] In the end, the PDG was never recognized by any government, because the Soviets feared a widening of the conflict into general warfare between the West and their satellite states in the Balkans. Soviet premier Joseph Stalin told Zachariadis in February 1948 that the neighbouring governments would only recognize the PDG after other countries had first done so.[1]
As the national government pushed the DSE back in 1948, Vafiadis clashed with Zachariadis over the pursuit of the war. Finally, he was ousted from his position as PDG chairman on 7 February 1949. In 3 April 1949, he was succeeded by
References
- ^ a b c d e f Marantzidis, Nikos (7 January 2012). Η Προσωρινή Δημοκρατική Κυβέρνηση (in Greek). Kathimerini. Archived from the original on 2 February 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
- ^ a b Oikonomidis, Foivos (23 December 2009). Η αντάρτικη κυβέρνηση και η μάχη της Κόνιτσας (in Greek). Eleftherotypia. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
- ^ "Communist "Mountain Governments"". worldstatesmen.org. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
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