National Council, (PEEA), Koryschades, 1944
National Council (PEEA) was the name given to the council of representatives of the Greek people that resulted from the secret elections held in the village of Koryschades in Evrytania during the German-Italian occupation of Greece, in the spring of 1944 (May 14-27) under the auspices of the Political Committee of National Liberation , (PEEA), which had been founded two months before, on March 10, 1944, in Viniani, Evrytania, on the initiative of EAM, but not exclusively by communists.
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Snapshot from a meeting of the National Council (photo by Spyros Meletzis)
It is noted that despite the difficulties that prevailed due to the occupation, approximately 1,800,000 Greeks took part in the elections, men and women from the above regions aged 18 and over, who elected 184 representatives belonging to various social strata such as workers, farmers, intellectuals , military, clergy, public and private employees, professionals, etc. as well as women. Politically, these representatives belonged to the KKE, the Agrarian Party of Greece, the Union of People's Democracy, the Party of Left Liberals and the Reform Party, while several were also independent.
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| The building of the first National Council of Greece during the 2nd World War in the village of Korishades in the prefecture of Evrytania. |
Generally
The National Council (PEEA) was the Legislative body, which resulted from secret elections held in Koryschades of Evrytania in the spring of 1944, by decision of the Political Committee of National Liberation (PEEA). It was convened in the village of Koryschades in Evrytania from 14 to 27 May 1944 and the programmatic statements of the "Mountain Government", the first free government during the German Occupation, were discussed, where important decisions were taken and the historic Resolution of Koryschades was approved, the charter of Free Greece. The liberal General Neokosmos Grigoriadis was elected President of the Council and Metropolitan Joakim of Kozani was elected Vice President.
History
Establishment of a Political Committee for National Liberation (PEEA)
In the winter of 1943-44, the EAM approached George Papandreou and personalities from the progressive space, in order to lead the provisional government. Papandreou refused, considering that the KKE had too much power in EAM. However, liberal and social democratic politicians, such as Alexandros Svolos, were more positive about the proposal, who were finally convinced that their participation in PEEA would reduce the influence of the KKE. On March 10, 1944, the Political Committee of National Liberation was sworn in as the highest political authority in Free Greece, headed by the military man Euripides Bakirtzis. In April, it was transformed on a wider basis when Svolos and Bakirtzis assumed portfolios, the glamor of which was great, but their real power within Free Greece, very limited.
The electoral process
PEEA had committed to holding elections for the nomination of the National Council, which were mainly organized by EAM. Due to the diplomatic developments taking place at the time in Cairo, they went almost unnoticed, although the EAM claimed that more than 1.5 million people participated in them. The electoral process was quite different from that in peacetime. EAM teams delivered ballots and information to homes, then returned to collect them. During the elections, OPLA groups performed guard duty in Thessaloniki. Voters could change the names on the list but could hardly campaign for different candidates while having to sign the ballot before submitting it. In this way, the candidates selected by the EAM were sure to win even though the elections were ostensibly open to candidates from all parties. However, not all EAM candidates were members of the KKE. They were the first parliamentary elections in Greece in which women could also vote.
Evaluation of the process
According to George Kouvaras, a Greek-American agent of the US Office of Strategic Services, who was in liberated Greece at the time, "the elections were fairly fair", and showed the rise of the EAM over the pre-war political system as well as the mass rejection of the monarchy. from the population. On the contrary, the historian Mark Mazauer states that they had several similarities with those of the post-war People's Republics, but they should not be equated as they took place in a period of war, while at the same time the EAM was not a symbol of Soviet oppression but a national liberation organization.
Members of the National Council
The elected National Councilors:
Attikovoiotia
Athens: Alexandros Svolos, Angelos Angelopoulos, Ptolemios Sarigiannis, Georgios Georgalas, Petros Kokkalis, Yannis Zevgos, Thanasis Hatzis, D. Mariolis, Stavros Kanellopoulos, Dimitris Vlantas, Konstantinos Sotiriou, Nikos Karvounis, Kaiti Nisyriou -Zevgou, Yiannis Kalomiris, Dimitrios Stratis, Savvas Papapolitis, Ioannis Miliadis, S. Vlahoulis and Maria Svolou.
Attica: Orestis Rammos
Piraeus: Emmanuel Mantakas, Petros Roussos, Chrysa Hatzivasileiou, Georgios Simitis, K. Papagiannis, An. Koutsoyiannis, Al. Bartzis and Stamatios Hatzibeis
Thebes: G. Moschos, S. Saratsis, G. Stamatis
Megaron: S. Peppas
Livadia: L. Protoulas
Salamis: Dimitrios Pallas
Mainland Greece
Agriniou-Trichonidas: Res. Akridas, K. Kazatzis, Thanasis Kakogiannis, Tasos Petridis
Valtou: Pantelis Karasevdas, Kon. Saltauras
Domokou: Aris Velouchiotis
Locridas: G. Thanasekos
Doridos: Vas. Koutsangelou
Evrytania: Arg. Theodoropoulos
Thermo: Municipality Galanopoulos
Messolonghi: K. Makrikostas, Yiannis Tsekos
Nafpaktia: S. Masmanidis
Xiromero: Vas. Tselios (Gerodimos)
Parnasides: Ilias Psarros
Lamias-Fthiotidos: Ilias Tsirimokos, Il. Maniatis, Takis Fitsios, Ioannis Tsirimokos
Thessaly
Larissa: K. Gyftodimos (Karagiorgis), A. Stafylaras, Fotini Filippidou, Ath. Katsaros, Dimitris Psiaris
Almyrou: K. Matikas
Volos: Yannis Ioannidis, Miltiadis Porphyrogenis, Milt. Papakostas, G. Kontoratos, Vas. Apostolidis, An. Sfetzos
Pelion: H. Koufodimos (Piliorite)
Agias: Leon. Kalergis
Elassonos: V. Dadaliaris
Karditsa: Giorgis Siantos, G. Karagiannis, Sol. Alexandris, Ath. Papadopoulos
Kalambakas: S. Koutsis
Trikala: Stefanos Sarafis, Dim. Deligiannis, Z. Papazacharias, Vas. Kokkinos
Tyrnavou: G. Doganis
Farsalon: G. Papathanasiou
Macedonia
Thessaloniki: K. Dileaveris, I. Konstantinidis, Evripidis Bakirtzis, Leonidas Strigos, Markos Vafiadis, Leonidas Karamaounas, Dim. Balaskas, D. Maragos, R. Papadimitriou, Michalis Sinakos, Michael Stamatiou, K. Lolos
Drama: Kostas Theos
Kavala: Dimitris Partsalidis
Kastoria: Chr. Dimos, Michael Keramitzis, Adamantios Tsitsinas
Kozanis: S. Theodosiadis, Phil. Papadopoulos, Konstantinos Pantazopoulos
Kilkis: Kostas Gavrielidis
Polygyrou: Petros Karakousis
Serbion: Metropolitan Joachim
Serres: Dionysis Menichtas
Florinis: Andreas Tzimas, A. Simos
Arneas: A. Markou
Voiou: Ath. Karoutas
Grevenon: Themistocles Iliadis
Edessi: Neokosmos Grigoriadis, Solon Grigoriadis, K. Kostos, X. Kotanidis, X. Turtouris
Katerinis: Io. Levidis
Veroas: I. Iosifidis
Karatzovas (Almopia): K. Kontopoulos
Lagada: H. Chrysafis
Epirus
Artas: H. Gesoulis, H. Kontochristos, El. Koliatsos
Ioannina: Alkiviadis Loulis, A. Papavranousis, K. Kolovos
Friends: D. Theologis
Prevezis: K. Bourazanis
Zagori: N. Tsiantis
Kalamata: Zipas district
Kastanochoriou: Municipality Kotzias
Pogoniou: Univ. Tzitianis
Konitsis: Vas. Sakellaridis
Philippiados: V. Papadimas
Nikopoleos: P. Dousios
Peloponnese
Pyrgou Ilias: Metropolitan Antonios, S. Petralias, G. Argyrakis
Spetson: D. Papageorgiou
Olympia: Fotopoulos
Hydra: A. Georgopapadakos
Kalamon: G. Korontzis, E. Dimitrakopoulos, G. Dalas, Battle of the Blacks
Amaliados: P. Argyropoulos, K. Apostolopoulos
Troizinia: G. Kostelenos
Korinthia: N. Grigoropoulos
Gortynias: T. Galanopoulos
Kynourias: Nikol. Craftsman
Lyricist: Vasilios Giannakouros
Oitylo: G. Sarantakos
Megalopolis: Ioannis Simopoulos
Mantineia: Hon. Papadakis
Tripoli: Gr. Myigas, Ias. Argyropoulos
Philiatron: K. Stathopoulos, Ilias Anargyros
Kalavryton: Dimitris Michos
Patron: Lal. Roussos, Andr. Manousos, G. Kanellatos, Thr. Konstantinou, Jan. Prevezanos
Aigiou: Municipality Schizas, Dim. Troupis
Aegialia: T. Giannopoulos
Lacedaemonia: Pierros Petropoulakis
Epidaurus Limiras: Ap. Makris
Pylias: Vas. Kanellopoulos
Messini: Yiannis Vournas
Triphyllias: Univ. Papadopoulos
Islands
Evia
Chalkidos: V. Karlateris, I. Kalambalikis
Istiaias: G. Souras
Karystias: M. Niascos
Lefkados: priest Stathis Ktenas
Crete: Nikolaos Askoutsis, S. Zachos
Development
Dissolution of the National Council
The action of the National Council ceased, when members of the EAM were decided to participate in the Government of National Unity, after the conclusion of an agreement with PEEA. It was officially disbanded in November 1944.
References / Sources
«76 χρόνια από το Εθνικό Συμβούλιο της ΠΕΕΑ, της ιστορικού Βασιλικής Λάζου». evrytanikospalmos.gr. 25 Μαΐου 2020.
Mazower 1994
Ηλιάδου/Τάχου 2013
Σκαλιαδάκης 2015
«Η «Κυβέρνηση του Βουνού»». evrytan.gr. Αρχειοθετήθηκε από το πρωτότυπο στις 23 Σεπτεμβρίου 2011. Ανακτήθηκε στις 14 Αυγούστου 2011.
Σκαλιδάκης, Γιάννης (2015). «From Resistance to Counterstate: The Making of Revolutionary Power in the Liberated Zones of Occupied Greece, 1943–1944». Journal of Modern Greek Studies 33 (1): 155–184. doi:10.1353/mgs.2015.0000.
Mazower, Mark (1994). Στην Ελλάδα του Χίτλερ: Η εμπειρία της Κατοχής. Αθήνα: Αλεξάνδρεια.
Ηλιάδου/Τάχου, Σοφία (2013). Μέρες της ΟΠΛΑ στη Θεσσαλονίκη:Τα χρώματα της βίας 1941-1945. Θεσσαλονίκη: Επίκεντρο. ISBN 978-960-458-432-1.
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