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2018 | OriginalPaper | Buchkapitel

4. The Varvaressos Experiment

verfasst von : George Politakis

Erschienen in: The Post-War Reconstruction of Greece

Verlag: Palgrave Macmillan US

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Abstract

Peaceful demobilization of the guerilla forces was a crucial test of the National Unity Government’s coherence and authority. Papandreou had realized the importance the demobilization issue held for the fragile political consensus upon which the existence of his National Unity Government relied. However a tentative political agreement Papandreou reached with the Left came short of the cast iron guarantees the British Government required for their future presence in Greece. Under pressure from the British Ambassador and the British Military Commander, who were acting on Churchill’s direct instructions, Papandreou withdrew from the agreement. Civil Conflict ensued. It ended with the defeat of the Left and brought the downfall of Papandreou and the Government of National Unity. An armistice was signed which provided for the demobilization of guerillas in exchange for an amnesty. In order to split republicans from communists, Churchill consented that the King could not return before a plebiscite was held. In the interim period, Archbishop Damaskinos would act as Regent.

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Vorheriges Kapitel Wartime and Liberation Economic Policy

Nächstes Kapitel Greek External Economic Relations Until the End of 1946

(a) G. Alexander British Policy in Greece 1944–1947, The Prelude to the Truman Doctrine, Clarendon Press, Oxford 1982, p. 72; (b) Alexander in Iatrides (1984) pp. 272–273.

They were headed successively by: (a) General Nikolaos Plastiras, 4/1–8/4; (b) Admiral P. Voulgaris, 8/4–17/10; (c) Archbishop Damaskinos, 17/10–1/11; (d) Panayotis Kanellopoulos, 1–22/11; (e) Themoistoclis Sofoulis, 22/11/1945–3/4/1946.

Alexander (1982) pp. 139, 153.

Γιώργος Κατηφόρης, Η νομοθεσία των βαρβάρων, Athens 1975 pp. 44–45; Dionyssios Moschopoulos Εκτελέσεις Θανατικών Ποινών στη Νησίδα Λαζαρέτο της Κέρκυρας, ανάτυπο από τον 15ο τόμο των «Κεφαλληνιακών Χρονικών» (Αργοστόλι, 2014).

Two prominent American historians have dealt with the dilemmas of Western intervention in the Greek Civil War: William Hector McNeill The Greek Dilemma, War And Aftermath London 1947; L. Stavrianos, Greece: American Dilemmas and Opportunities, American Book-Stratford Press Inc., New York 1952; On the condition of the Left in the post-Varkiza “normalization”, ibid., pp. 147–157.

Alexander (1982) pp. 32–33, 96, 118.

(a) Alexander (1982) pp. 106, 109; (b) Baerentzen in Iatrides (1984) p. 238.

See Spencer (1952) p. 91, on the reasons for the opposition of the Populist Party to the economic policy of Liberals.

R. Clogg in M. McCauley, ed., Communist Power in Europe, 1944–49, Macmillan, London 1977, p. 193. On the ineffective implementation of the Varkiza agreement’s provision on amnesty and protection of leftist sympathizers, see Baerentzen in Iatrides (1984) p. 238.

Alexander (1982) p. 109.

FRUS;1945/VIII/195–196.

Delivanis and Cleveland (1949) p. 121.

Delivanis and Cleveland (1949) p. 119.

Henry A. Hill, Special Assistant to the US Ambassador; Gardner Patterson, Treasury Representative, and second American member of the Joint Coordinating Committee, an allied institution advising the Government in financial matters.

FRUS;1945/VIII/196–197.

MacVeagh (1980) p. 684.

FRUS;1945/VIII/204–205.

As expressed by Diomidis in the monthly review Νέα Οικονομία [hereafter N.O.] issues A-6/Apr-1947/299–303, A-7/May-1947362–363. Nea Oikonomia was published by Angelos Angelopoulos between late 1946 and 1967.

It seems rather the case that his appointment was opposed and took time to get accepted, time, which enhanced his prestige.

Pre-war imports not necessarily a satisfactory reference point given the decline in output which had occurred during Occupation.

Sbarounis (1951) p. 300.

US $442 million+208 million=650 million or the GNP at pre-war prices.

Also the British Military Authority undertook to repair bridges and to supply the materials for this purpose [Delivanis and Cleveland (1949) p. 131]. Given the poor state of Greek internal transportation, this was not an offer devoid of value.

P. Oikonomou Gouras Το Δόγμα Τρούμαν και η Σωτηρία της Ελλάδος (The Truman Doctrine and the Salvation of Greece), Athens 1957, pp. 24–25.

FRUS;1945/VIII/213; Memo, d. April 1945, in HABoG_A4S1Y5F13T1.

This matter was also brought to the attention of the State Department on 5 May by the designated head of the UNRRA Greek Mission, Buell Maben. He specifically asked “not only for relief commodities, but for those commodities which can contribute to the resumption of normal economic life”. FRUS;1945/VIII/216–217. Maben assumed direction of the UNRRA Greek operations on 17 May 1945.

FRUS;1945/VIII/213–216.

Varvaressos to Colonel Eliot Bailen of the FEA, dated 5 May 1945. V.A. HABoG_A4S1Y3F17T1.

See p. 71.

FRUS;1945/VIII/203–204.

FRUS;1945/VIII/205–206. This was the only gain out of the understanding of October 1944 with Stalin, a position defended by force only three months before.

Though this is not to suggest that had Churchill accepted, the Soviet Union would have consented to the plan, which had significant implications for Eastern Europe.

Alexander (1982) pp. 106–107. His views were not necessarily unique: both PM Metaxas and his Communist opponent N. Zachariadis had suggested that Greece should have followed its winning campaign in Albania against Italy with some sort of negotiated exit from the War, in order to avoid German intervention and a two-front war.

On Plastiras’ resignation, see Stavrianos (1952) pp. 150–152.

Source: Own calculations based on Delivanis and Cleveland (1949).

FRUS;1945/VIII/211–212.

V.A. HABoG_A4S2Y2F2T22, p. 28.

Gardner Patterson: financial advisor of UNRRA and US Treasury representative.

FRUS;1945/VIII/222.

Bank II pp. 253–254; V. Kontis, Η Αγγλοαμερικανική Πολιτική και το Ελληνικό Ζήτημα (The Anglo-American Policy and the Greek Question) Paratiritis, Thessaloniki 1984, pp. 86–87.

UNRRA IV p. 8.

UNRRA IV p. 9.

UNRRA IV pp. 9–10.

To Vima 30/Dec/1979.

However, Varvaressos did take active steps to release remittances and restore restrictions in trading with the UK and the USA; Varvaressos archive F (18) Τ 4(B) HABoG_A4S1Y3F23.

Delivanis and Cleveland (1949) p. 131.

Delivanis and Cleveland (1949) p. 132.

Bank I 1941–1946, p. 44.

Equal to US $ 0.3 million.

The figure for March covers remittances received 12–31 March only.

UNRRA I pp. 26–27.

UNRRA III p. 24.

Alexander (1982) p. 132.

What kind of good deal were they really looking for? Three years later, on 18 October 1948, industrialists declared themselves ready to deliver 30% of the quantity of the cloth produced from UNRRA raw wool only if they were offered “a good price”. N.O. Γ-1/Nov-1948/23.

R. Leeper, When Greek Meets Greek, London 1950, pp. 176–177.

Vergopoulos in Iatrides (1984) pp. 529–556 and in particular pp. 538–541; also Thomadakis ibid. pp. 117–121. In support of this line of argument one could quote the account given by UNRRA itself in its contemporary surveys of the Greek economy, in UNRRA I-IV. See also the articles of D. Philaretos in the Athens daily Ασύρματος.

Alexander (1982) p. 124; G. Daphnis, Συνοπτική Ιστορία της Συγχρόνου Ελλάδος (A Concise History of Modern Greece) OEΔB, Athens 1969, pp. 199–200.

Daphnis (1969). Daphnis’ book was distributed by the Greek military junta in 1969 as the textbook for the teaching of the political history of modern Greece in the High Schools.

Contrary to the criticism that he was reluctant to contract foreign loans; On that accusation, see Minutes of Parliament [hereafter referred to as Min.Par.] for 23/06/1947 p. 1423.

(a) Bickham Sweet–Escott, Greece, A Political and economic Survey, RIIA, London, New York 1954, p. 101; (b) Bank II p. 253; (c) Alexander (1982) p. 132.

Alexander (1982) p. 132.

Min.Par. for 23/Jun/1947, p. 1427.

This is in contrast to the resignation of Governor Zolotas and his deputy I. Pesmatzoglou in protest to the military regime of 1967.

N.O. A-6/Apr-1947/302.

Statement by conservative MP Kouloumvakis, Min.Par. for 12/Jun/1946 p. 200.

Bank I 1941–1946, p. 44.

Following the departure of Varvaressos in September 1945, this was transferred to the Minister of Coordination.

Later the Ministers of Public Works, Reconstruction and Transport were included; S. Poulopoulos, Η Νέα Οικονομική Πολιτική Στην Ελλάδα (The New Economic Policy in Greece) Papazissis, Athens 1958, pp. 42–45.

FRUS;1945/VIII/224–226. Even so, the British provided clerical support.

FRUS;1945/VIII/226.

Copies of the Minutes of the EAC, V.A. F (18) Τ 4(B) HABoG_A4S1Y3F23.

Seferis (1985) p. 17.

V.A. HABoG_A4S2Y2F2T22, p. 31.

In the sense of non-communist.

N.O. Δ-11/Nov-1950/644–645.

See pp. 88 note 79, 191, 216 note 20, 266 ff. also for Zolotas’ public opposition to the pessimism of Varvaressos on Greece’s Development prospects as expressed in the Report.

For example, in 1952 when Varvaressos advised the Greek Government that the future of Greece should be restricted to the development of agriculture and some light industry, see “Critique of the Varvaressos Report”, special issue of the quarterly Review of Economic and Social Sciences, Athens, January to March 1953 [7th vol. No. 1].

Ioannis Pesmatzoglou, a member of the European Parliament and one-time deputy governor of the Bank of Greece, claimed in a televised discussion on 9 March 1983, that sound management was indeed Varvaressos’ heritage at the Bank. For text, see magazine Προσανατολισμοί, issue no. 65, April 1983, p. 37.

Varvaressos was regrettably right to claim in 1953 that after eight years and $2 billion of American aid, little had been accomplished. V.A. HABoG_A4S2Y2F2T22, p. 32 Varvaressos (1952) p. 12. He compares the grant of 2 billion dollars to the accumulated debt over a century, whose nominal value was 500 million (the equivalent of $1 billion at 1952 prices).

Daphnis, G., Συνοπτική Ιστορία της Συγχρόνου Ελλάδος (OEDB), Athens 1969.

MacVeagh, L., Ambassador MacVeagh’s Reports from Greece, edited by John Iatrides, Princeton University Press, Princeton 1980.

Sbarounis, A., Μελέται και Αναμνήσεις εκ του Δευτέρου Παγκοσμιίου Πολέμου (Studies and Reminiscences from the 2nd World War), Government Printing Office, Athens 1951.

Seferis, G., Πολιτικό Ημερολόγιο, (Political Journal), A. Xydis (ed.), volume A, 1935–1944, Ikaros, Athens 1979, volume B, 1945–1947, 1949, 1952, Ikaros, Athens 1985.

Spencer, F. D., War and Post–War Greece, An Analysis Based on Greek Writings, Washington 1952.

Stavrianos, L. S., Greece: American Dilemmas and Opportunities, American Book-Stratford Press Inc., New York 1952.

Titel: The Varvaressos Experiment
verfasst von: George Politakis
Verlag: Palgrave Macmillan US
Buch: The Post-War Reconstruction of Greece
Print ISBN: 978-1-137-57569-2

Electronic ISBN: 978-1-137-57734-4

Copyright-Jahr: 2018
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-57734-4_4