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Communist Party of Greece

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The Communist Party of Greece, better known by its acronym ΚΚΕ (Greek: Κομμουνιστικό Κόμμα Ελλάδας, Kommunistiko Komma Elladas), is the major communist party in Greece.

History

Foundation

It was founded on 4 November 1918 as the Socialist Labour Party of Greece or SEKE (Greek: Σοσιαλιστικό Εργατικό Κόμμα Ελλάδας, Sosialistiko Ergatiko Komma Elladas) by Avraam Benaroya, a Greek Jewish teacher. The party was run by a five-member central committee which included N. Dimitratos, D. Ligdopoulos, M. Sideris, Arvanitis and Kokkinos.

At the Second Congress of the SEKE in April 1920, the party decided to affiliate to the Third International. In addition, it extended its name to Socialist Labour Party of Greece-Communist or SEKE-K. A new central committee was elected, which included N. and P. Dimitratos, Y. Kordatos, G. Doumas and M. Sideris.

At the Third Extraordinary Congress of the SEKE-K in November 1924, the party was renamed the Communist Party of Greece and adopted the principles of Marxism-Leninism. It has been functioning ever since on the basis of "democratic centralism".

With a few exceptions it was banned from 1918 to 1974.

KKE Logo
KKE Logo

German Occupation

During the German occupation of Greece during World War II, the Communists together with other parts of the Greek Left formed a resistance army called the National People's Liberation Army (in Greek the Ethnikos Laikos Apeleftherotikos Stratos or ELAS), which by 1944 controlled three-fifths of the country. At the end of the war fighting broke out between ELAS and Greek government backed by the British army. Following a cease fire agreement known as Barkiza pact, ELAS laid down arms with the idea of a political process. The disarmament of ELAS trigged a mass purges, percecutions and assasinations of communists and leftists. This led to the Hellenic Civil War which lasted until 1949 and ended with the defeat of the Democratic Army.

Split

On 1968 a small group slit from KKE, forming the so-called "KKE esoterikou" (known as the KKE Interior) following a Eurocommunist line.

Legalisation

After the restoration of Democracy in 1974, the KKE appeared in the first elections together with the KKE Interior and the EDA under the name United Left (Greek: Enomeni Aristera, Ενωμένη Αριστερά), receiving 9.36% of the vote. This first form could be hardly considered a coalition though, and from 1977 to 1989, the KKE appeared by itself in all elections, receiving usually around 10% of the vote.

Participation in government

In 1989 KKE and KKE esoterikou, along with some other left organisations, formed Coalition of the Left and Progress (Greek: Synaspismos tis Aristeras kai tis Proodou, Συνασπισμός της Αριστεράς και της Προόδου). In 1991, it withdrew itself from the coalition; a part of its members, however, split from the party and remained in Synaspismos which evolved into a new singe Party.

Organisation

KKE's youth section is the Communist Youth of Greece (Greek: Κομμουνιστική Νεολαία Ελλαδας, KNE).

Current activities

The Communist Party stands in elections and has members in local government, national government and the European Parliament. In the European Parliament they are part of the European United Left - Nordic Green Left group.

In all elections that took place after 1993, the KKE received a 4.54% to 5.9% of the vote, thus remaining the third party inside the Greek Parliament.

It publishes a daily organ, Rizospastis.

General Secretaries

See also

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