Georgios Siantos (Greek: Γεώργιος or Γιώργης Σιάντος, 1890 - May 20, 1947) was a prominent figure of the Greek Communist party (Greek: Κομμουνιστικό Κόμμα Ελλάδας, Kommunistiko Komma Elladas) who served as acting general secretary of the party and as a leader of the EAM/ELAS Resistance movement during the German occupation of Greece in World War II. 1890 (MDCCCXC) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar). ... May 20 is the 140th day of the year (141st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... KKE sticker The Communist Party of Greece, better known by its acronym KKE (Greek: Κομμουνιστικό Κόμμα Ελλάδας, Kommunistiko Komma Elladas), is the major communist party in Greece. ... The Ethniko Apeleftherotiko Metopo (EAM) (Greek Εθνικό Απελευθερωτικό Μέτωπο (ΕΑΜ), National Liberation Front) was the main resistance movement in Greece during World War II. It was founded in 27 September 1941 by representatives of four left-wing parties : Lefteris Apostolou for the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), Christos Chomenidis, for the Socialist Party of... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... An ELAS fighter The Greek Resistance (Greek: , i. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

Early years

Siantos was born in Karditsa, Thessaly in 1890; his parents were farmers. When he graduated from primary school, Siantos started working as a tobacco worker. He served in the Greek army as a sergeant during the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913 and World War I. By 1916 he had went over to the liberals of Eleftherios Venizelos. Siantos also became involved in the labor movement, and, soon after his demobilization in 1920, he was elected president of the trade union of the tobacco workers in Karditsa.^[1] Karditsa (Greek: Καρδίτσα) is a city in western Thessaly in mainland Greece. ... Map showing Thessaly periphery in Greece Thessaly (Θεσσαλια; modern Greek Thessalía; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is one of the 13 peripheries of Greece, and is further sub-divided into 4 prefectures. ... Primary or elementary education is the first years of formal, structured education that occurs during childhood. ... This article is about the product manufactured from Tobacco plants (Nicotiana spp. ... In classical economics and all micro-economics labour is one of three factors of production, the others being land and capital. ... Combatants Ottoman Empire Balkan League Bulgaria Greece Serbia Montenegro Commanders Ottoman Empire: Nizam Paşa, Zeki Paşa, Esat Paşa, Abdullah Paşa, Ali Rıza Paşa Bulgaria: Vladimir Vazov, Vasil Kutinchev, Nikola Ivanov, Radko Dimitriev Greece:Crown Prince Constantine, Panagiotis Danglis, Pavlos Kountouriotis Serbia:Radomir Putnik, Petar... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... Komma Fileleftheron (Greek: Κόμμα Φιλελευθέρων - literally Party of the Friends of Liberty; usually translated as Liberal Party) was one of the major Greek political parties of the early 20th Century. ... Eleftherios Venizelos (1864-1936), Greek statesman and diplomat. ... Demobilization is the process of standing down a nations armed forces from combat-ready status. ... A trade union or labor union is a continuous association of wage-earners for the purpose of maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment. ...

Political career until World War II

In 1922, Siantos was elected Secretary General of the Greek Confederacy of Tobacco Workers, while, during the same period, he became a member of the Socialist Labour Party of Greece (Acronym: SEKE, Greek: Σοσιαλιστικό Εργατικό Κόμμα Ελλάδας, Sosialistiko Ergatiko Komma Elladas), the forerunner of KKE.^[2] In 1927 Siantos became meber of the central committee of the politburo of the party. During the internal ideological struggle of 1929-1931, Siantos as a leading member of the "left faction" was called to Moscow, where he accepted the admonitions of Comintern for unity in KKE. After his returning to Greece, Siantos participated in the administration of General Confederation of Greek Workers, and in 1934 he was reelected in the central committee and the politburo of the party.^[1] Central Committee most commonly refers to the central executive unit of a communist party, whether ruling or non-ruling. ... Politburo is short for Political Bureau. ... Position of Moscow in Europe Coordinates: Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Government  - Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Area  - City 1,081 km²  (417. ... The Comintern (Russian: Коммунистический Интернационал, Kommunisticheskiy Internatsional – Communist International, also known as the Third International) was an international Communist organization founded in March 1919, in the midst of the war communism period (1918-1921), by Vladimir Lenin and the Russian Communist Party (Bolshevik), which intended to fight by all available means, including... The General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE), in Greek Γ.Σ.Ε.Ε, is a trade union in Greece. ...

In 1936 Siantos was elected member of the Greek Parliament, but he was arrested for Communist-related activities after the declaration of the 4th of August Regime. He was displaced in Anafi, but he managed to escape.^[3] A year late, in 1939, he was re-arrested and served time in prison in Corfu, from where he escaped in 1941.^[1] The Hellenic Parliament (Greek: Βουλή των Ελλήνων; transliterated Vouli ton Ellinon; literally Council of the Greeks) is the parliament of Greece, located in Syntagma Square in Athens. ... Ioannis Metaxas From 1936 to 1941, Greece was ruled by an authoritarian regime under the leadership of General Ioannis Metaxas akin to that of Francos Spain. ... Anafi is a Greek island in the Cyclades. ... Pontikonisi island in the background with the Vlaheraina Monastery in the foreground. ...

Role during the Resistance and the Civil War

The same year Nikolaos Zachariadis, the General Secretary of KKE was transferred by the Germans to the Dachau concentration camp, and Siantos undertook the leadership of the party as acting Secretary General. During the German occupation of Greece from 1941-1944, Siantos led the Communist-dominated Greek National Liberation Army, and he also palyed an important role in the establishment of the Political Committee of National Liberation in 1944. The same year representatives from all political parties and resistance groups came together at a conference in Lebanon, seeking an agreement about a government of national unity. According to another agreement signed in Caserta of Italy in September 1944, all the resistance forces in Greece were placed under the command of a British officer, General Ronald Scobie. Siantos opposed the signing of both agreements, but he then was one of those who argued for their full implementation.^[1] Nikolaos Zachariadis ( 1903- 1973) has been the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Greece ( KKE) from 1931 to 1956. ... The main entrance just after the liberation Memorial at the camp, 1997. ... Caserta, near Naples was certainly the largest palace and probably the largest building erected in Europe in the 18th century. ... Sir Ronald MacKenzie Scobie KBE, CBE, CB, MC was a British Army officer. ...

During the Dekevriana Siantos undertook the conduct of the military forces of EAM.^[4] After the intervention of the British forces in Greece led by Scobie in favor of the government, EAM was defeated, and Siantos faced a fierce criticism by his own comrades for his choices; even Zachariadis called him "agent of the British".^[1] In February 1945 Siantos led the delegation of KKE and EAM that negotiated the Treaty of Varkiza with the Greek government and the other political parties.^[4] He signed the Treaty but after only four months he turned the command of the party over to Zachariadis, who returned to Greece. He typically remained member of the politburo, but had no leverage on the party; the defeat of 1944 had casted a slur on his reputation within the party.^[1] Combatants Hellenic Army, Royalist forces, Republicans, British troops Communist guerillas (ELAS, DSE) Commanders Alexander Papagos, Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos, James Van Fleet Markos Vafiadis Strength 150,000 men 50,000 men and women Casualties 15,000 killed 32,000+ killed or captured The Greek Civil War (Greek: ) was fought between 1946 and... The armed forces of the United Kingdom are invariably known as the British Armed Forces or Her Majestys Armed Forces, officially the Armed Forces of the Crown. ... Comrade is a term meaning friend, colleague, or ally. ... Combatants Hellenic Army, Royalist forces, Republicans, British troops Communist guerillas (ELAS, DSE) Commanders Alexander Papagos, Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos, James Van Fleet Markos Vafiadis Strength 150,000 men 50,000 men and women Casualties 15,000 killed 32,000+ killed or captured The Greek Civil War (Greek: ) was fought between 1946 and...

Death and legacy

Siantos died of heart attack on May 20, 1947, in the private clinic of the prominent Greek communist doctor, Petros Kokkalis. In 1957 a special committee of KKE rehabilitated Siantos in the party's esteem.^[1]

Notes

References