“This book makes a significant contribution to the literature published in the English language pertaining to Greek political history from 1941 to 1974. By drawing on primary sources and engaging in extensive archival work, the author offers some new and very important insights that help the reader to better understand the political developments during this historical period. The book would be of value to scholars, practitioners, graduate and upper-level undergraduate students, academic libraries and anyone interested in the political history of Greece during the period of 1941-1974.”

Yannis Stivachtis, Department of Political Science, Virginia Tech

Writing a book about modern Greek history is no mean feat. In less than thirty-five years (from 1940–74), the country saw a savage tripartite occupation (Germany, Italy, and Bulgaria), a brutal civil war, and a military dictatorship, as well as constant political instability and frequent changes of government. That turbulent period is the focus of Greece (1941–1974): Years of Occupation, Years of Strife, and Years of Exclusion, by Professor Emeritus George Kaloudis. The author does a fine job in presenting this complicated story and manages do so in less than 150 pages of text. He makes extensive use of important secondary works on the subject, which he cites directly but without burdening readers with a dull compilation of quotes lacking any connecting thread. To his great credit, Kaloudis remains objective and explores the interests and excesses of all sides. He skillfully demonstrates the continuities and discontinuities and presents developments from a wide perspective... In reading his book, one feels the author’s intense connection to the story he is telling but also his even-handedness, which is revealed in his efforts to present the suffering of all sides, especially that of ordinary Greek citizens. Nowhere is this more evident than in the final words of the book, where, after a small recap of recent events, Kaloudis concludes: “Maybe better days lay ahead” (p. 143).

Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs