EUS 3930/CLA 3930
Greece during the Second World War
Fall 2015
7, 7-8 T, R Florida Gym FLG 0280
______________________________________________________________________________
INSTRUCTOR: DR. CHRYSOSTOMOS KOSTOPOULOS, Turlington Hall 3328, (352)
392-8902
X209, CKOSTOPO@UFL.EDU
OFFICE HOURS: 10-11:45 AM M-F, OR BY APPOINTMENT
COURSE CONTENT: Along with England, Greece was the only European country that
stood against the fascist forces of Mussolini and Hitler. In 1940 the valiant Greek forces
not only succeeded in pushing back from Greece the Italian invaders of Mussolini but
also pushed them out of the southern one third of Albania. Although Hitler conquered
Greece in 1941, the Greek people, organized in numerous resistance groups, continued
to fight bravely against the Nazi occupation until the final day of liberation.
This is a broad course that aims at providing an overview of Greece during the Second
World War. The course is taught in English and there are no special requirements.
During the semester we will focus on the German occupation of Greece and the rise of
the resistance movement. We will discuss also the fate of Greek Jewry between 1941 and
1944 as well as the Greek Civil War. We will also analyze how Greece became the first
battlefield of the Cold War.
COURSE OBJECTIVES/LEARNING OUTCOMES:
• To become familiar with the role of Greece in the key events and the outcome of the
WWII.
• To become familiar with the major aspects of Greek history of the period 1930 - 1950
and its relation to contemporary European historical circumstances.
• To become familiar with the important events of the WWII both in Greece and
Europe.
• To become familiar with the major aspects of life of the Greek society and culture
during the aforementioned period.
• To become familiar with the role of the Allies and especially the United States of
America in the development and modernization of the Greek economy and society after
the end of WWII.
TEXTBOOK: MARK MAZOWER, INSIDE HITLER'S GREECE: THE EXPERIENCE OF
OCCUPATION 1941-44.
The lecture powerpoints will be posted online in a timely fashion.
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Secondary material will be distributed during the semester and will be also posted on
line.
GRADING POLICY:
• Mid-Term 1, 25 points (OCTOBER 1)
• Mid-Term 2, 25 points (NOVEMBER 12)
• Final, 25 points (DECEMBER 8)
• Attendance, quizzes, assignments 25 points
Please note that all readings, written assignments and exams must be completed by or
on the date indicated on the syllabus and will not be rescheduled or accepted late.
Requests of any special accommodations must be made to the course instructor in
writing and in advance of the class or exam time.
You are more than welcome to discuss any of these requirements or assignments with
the professor.
ATTENDANCE: Note that class attendance is required for this course and constitutes
5% of your grade. You will be permitted 3 unexcused absences, after which you lose
your attendance points. The instructor will regularly circulate an attendance sheet,
which you should sign. Signing for others is considered academic dishonesty. Repeated
absences may affect your performance on final exam and quizzes since they will be
based on the class lectures. Also missing class means possibly missing quizzes
(unannounced quizzes) and late submission of homework assignments.
According to the Office of the University Registrar, “acceptable reasons for absence
from class include illness, serious family emergencies, special curricular requirements
(e.g., judging trips, field trips, professional conferences), military obligation, severe
weather conditions, religious holidays and participation in official university activities
such as music performances, athletic competition or debate. Absences from class for
court-imposed legal obligations (e.g., jury duty or subpoena) must be excused.”
For further information about the University of Florida’s attendance policy, please see
the current Undergraduate Catalogue
(http://www.registrar.ufl.edu/catalog/policies/regulationattendance.html).
QUIZZES: There will be quizzes during the semester based on course readings and
class discussion and lectures. The format will multiple-choice questions. These will not
be difficult, but will be intended to test whether you have done the readings and are
prepared for class.
Together with attendance and other assignments these quizes will constitute 25% of
your grade.
ACADEMIC HONESTY
Academic dishonesty, including cheating on exams and plagiarism, will not be
tolerated. Any student engaging in such activities will be dealt with in accordance with
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University policy. It is your responsibility to know what constitutes plagiarism, and
what the university policies are. If you have doubts, we would be happy to discuss with
you. Please refer to the current Undergraduate Catalog for more information on the
Student Honor code
(http://www.registrar.ufl.edu/catalog/policies/students.html).
If you have questions about these policies, we would be happy to discuss them with
you.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
If you have a disability that may affect your performance in this class, you should
contact the Dean of Students Office (www.dso.ufl.edu/drp/) so that special
arrangements can be made to accommodate you. It is your responsibility to do so at the
beginning of the semester.
GRADING SCALE:
A
94-100
A-
90-93
B+
85-89
B
80-84
B-
75-79
C+
70-74
C
65-69
C-
60-64
D+
56-59
D
52-55
D-
48-51
E
47 or below
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Class Schedule
Week 1
August 25: Syllabus, discussion of course objectives, requirements, exam format, important
course dates etc.
August 27: Introduction
Readings: Textbook (Introduction, Prologue: Swastika over the Acropolis), lecture notes
Week 2
September 1: The Rise of Fascism in Greece and Europe.
Readings: B. Mussolini, The Political and Social Doctrine of Fascism (1932); Dennis Mack
Smith, Mussolini: A Biography (1982): 200-223; lecture notes
September 3: The fascist regimes of Hitler and Mussolini
Readings: Richard Evans, The Coming of the Third Reich (2003); Ian Kershaw, The Nazi
Dictatorship: Problems and Perspectives of Interpretation (2000); lecture notes
Week 3
September 8: Fascism in Greece: The dictatorship of Metaxas
Readings: Aristotle Kallis, Fascism and Religion: The Metaxas Regime in Greece and the 'Third
Hellenic Civilization': Some Theoretical Observations on 'Fascism', 'Political Religion' and
'Clerical Fascism', "Totalitarian Movements and Political Religions, 8, 2 (2007) 229-246;
lecture notes
September 10: The outbreak of WWII: Long and Short-term Causes. Greece's stance of
neutrality
Readings: P. M. H. Bell, The Origins of the Second World War in Europe (1986) 25-36; Y.
Bauer, Why did World War II Break Out, online lecture,yadvashem.org; lecture notes
Week 4
September 15: The Italian attack against Greece
Readings: Textbook (Venizelos' Funeral); James J. Sadkovich, The Italo-Greek War in Context:
Italian Priorities and Axis Diplomacy, Journal of Contemporary History, 28, 3 (1993) 439-464;
lecture notes
September 17: The Greek victory against the Italians and its significance
Readings: same as above, lecture notes
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Week 5
September 22: The Battle of Crete. The first and last airborne invasion of the WWII
Readings: S.W.C. Pack, The Battle for Crete, Naval Institute Press (1973); John Sadler, Op
Mercury, The Fall of Crete 1941 (2007); lecture notes
September 24: The fall of Greece and the beginning of German occupation
Readings: Textbook (The Occupation Begins); lecture notes
Week 6
September 29: Athens during the occupation: Famine, black market
Readings: Textbook (The Famine, Black Market Axioms); lecture notes
October 1: First mid-Term exam
Week 7
October 6: The emergence of armed resistance: EAM, ELAS and EDES
Readings: Textbook (The Resistance of Daily Life, Becoming Organized); lecture notes
October 8: The organization and politics of the resistant movement
Readings: Textbook (Urban Protest, Politics of the Antartiko); lecture notes
Week 8
October 13: Bridge of Gorgopotamos and other major operations of the Greek resistance
movement
Readings: Textbook (Freedom or Death); lecture notes
October 15: The answer of the German forces: Retaliation, Violence and terror
Readings: Textbook (The Logic of Violence); lecture notes
Week 9
October 20: Kalavryta: Anatomy of a massacre. The role of the SS
Readings: Textbook (Anatomy of a Massacre: 16 August 1943); lecture notes
October 22: Greek Jewry and the final solution
Readings: Textbook (The SS and the Terror System, Greek Jewry and the Final Solution);
lecture notes
Week 9
October 27: The role of the Greek church: Escape routes for the Greek Jewish
communities
Readings: same as above; lecture notes
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Week 10
November 3: Greek civil war 1944 – 9: Its causes and consequences
Readings: Textbook (People's Democracy in Free Greece, ELAS: The People's Liberation
Army); lecture notes
November 5: Interest and involvement of the Allies in the outcome of the Greek Civil
War
Readings: Textbook ('Tired Out by History': Athens '44); lecture notes
Week 11
November 10: Europe divided: Greece as the first battlefield of the Cold War
Readings: Stathis Kalyvas, The Greek Civil War in Retrospect; Voglis Polymeris, Political
Prisoners in the Greek Civil War, 1945-50: Greece in Comparative Perspective, Journal of
Contemporary History, 37, 4, (2002), 523-40; lecture notes
November 12: Second mid-Term exam
Week 12
November 17: A brief overview of the post-war Greece
Readings: Textbook (Epilogue: 'No Peace without Victory'); lecture notes
November 19: Politics and divisions in the post war Greece
Readings: same as above; lecture notes
Week 13
November 24: A long conflict: Communist versus Nationalists
Readings: John O. Iatrides, Revolution or Self-Defence? Communist Goals, Strategy and
Tactics in the Greek Civil War, Journal of Cold War Studies, 7, 3, (2005) 3-33; lecture notes
November 26: Holiday-No Class
Week 14
December 1 The rebuilding of Greece: The American involvement, the Marshall plan.
Readings: lecture notes
December 3 Conclusion
Week 15
December 8: Final Exam
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