Abstract
D.Litt. et Phil. (Greek)
The aim of the present essay was the study of the Greek Civil War which took
place in the area of Kalavrita and Aegialia between 1946-1949. More specifically, we
wanted to describe the facts of the war that happened in the areas of Kalavrita and
Aegialia and the study of the facts that had an impact on the social relationships and
structure between the members of the province, through references and memories of
the people who lived these facts. We also examined if the special geomorphology of
North Peloponnese had an impact on the political views of the two enemies of the
Civil War (conservatives and communists). Finally, focused on children's education
during the Civil War, which, although it should have been one of the main priorities
of the government, it did not get proper attention.
Although there had been quiet a lot of studies and books about this period of
time, the history of the Civil War was still not complete, as there was not enough
evidences about the local history of Greek province. Most of the researchers had been
concerned either with the national history and the effects of the Civil War on the
Greek country, or with the important people of the times, like politicians or general
commanders, or with the British diplomacy, which had a major impact, especially
after the Dekemvriana (December 1944). Thus, it seems they ignored the local
history, which might validate or negate the national history, as known till now. The
present study wanted to add to the national history and give some light on the “dark”
sides of the national and local history of Aegialia and Kalavrita.
In this specific research, both quantitative and qualitative methods had been
used. The major priority was the study of both public and private archives. Moreover,
we studied the national and local press of the times, and the memoires (diaries or
personal notes) of the people who took part or were alive during the Civil War (both
conservatives and communists). Additionally, the oral history, through interviews,
was used so as to cross check the information and to keep alive the memories of the
common people. Quantitative method had been used to compare the local and national
history, so as to find out both their similarities and differences.
Τhe first part of the study focused on the way the Kalavrita and Aegialia areas
were conducted into the Civil War, and the political and ideological state of the
people in these areas. Throughout the study of primary sources, we have approached...