Greek Boys Clothes Chronology: The 1940s


Figure 1.--This Greek boy in 1946 studies the election posters. Like many boys at the time, he had to earn money for his family by seeling on the street.

The 1940s as in most of Europe were tumultuous times in Greece. Two things that one must consider when it come to boys clothing in Greece during the 1940s is that climate and economics. The climate was (and still is) very warm especially in the southern part of Greece. Greece was also a very poor country at the time, as it struggled with the NAZI occupation (1941-44) and the bloody civil war (1944-49). Elections return to Greece after the War, but were hotly contested. When the Communists failed to gain electoral victory, they began a bloody guerilla campaign that amounted to a Civil War. The economy which had been desvestated by World War II was further crippled by the Civil War. Most Greeks struggled to survive. There was little money available for basic clothing, let alone fashionalble garments. Children's clothes in particular were very basic. Boys wore very cheap and minimal clothing. It would be a pair of short pants, a shirt and a knitted sweater. Shoes and socks were optional during the summer. (In general in Greece, boys tend to wear sandals during the summer instead of shoes) Two exceptions to the rule were rich families, whose clothing styles were influenced from U.K. or France, and formal clothing at Sundays. People usually saved their best clothing to wear for church on Sunday.

Climate and Economics

The 1940s as in most of Europe were tumultuous times in Greece. Two things that one must consider when it come to boys clothing in Greece during the 1940s is that climate and economics. The climate was (and still is) very warm especially in the southern part of Greece. Greece was also a very poor country at the time, as it struggled with the NAZI occupation (1941-44) and the bloody civil war (1944-49). The economy which had been desvestated by World War II was further crippled by the Civil War. Most Greeks struggled to survive. There was little money available for basic clothing, let alone fashionalble garments. Children's clothes in particular were very basic. Boys wore very cheap and minimal clothing. It would be a pair of short pants, a shirt and a knitted sweater. Shoes and socks were optional during the summer. (In general in Greece, boys tend to wear sandals during the summer instead of shoes) Two exceptions to the rule were rich families, whose clothing styles were influenced from U.K. or France, and formal clothing at Sundays. People usually saved their best clothing to wear for church on Sunday.

World War II (1940-44)

Itlainan Duche Benito Mussolini launched an invasion of Greece on October 28, 1940 from Albania. Mussolini had earlier invaded an occupied Albania in 1939. In contarast to the close coordination that developed among the Allied countries, Mussolini not only did not coordinate his attack with the Germans, but did not even inform them of his plans until the attack was underway. Mussolini assumed that the Greeks woukd easily fall to his conquering army. Greek's small army of 150,000 men not only stopped the Italian thrust toward Salonika using rugged mountaneous terraine to their advantage, but with British assistance including RAF units, drove the Italians back into Albania. The Italain attack had been unwanted by Hitler who was preoccupied with the Battle of Braitan and forming a grand coalition of NAZI satellites, occupied countries, Fascist Spain, and Vichy France for an uncoming invasio of the Soviet Union. Mussolini's invasion had turned the sympathetic Metaxis Fascist Government in Greece into a British ally. This was of emense strategic significance because from bases in Greece, the British could threaten the Romanian oil fields--NAZI Germany's primary source of oil. The Greeks by November 1940 had seized Korçë, the principal Italian base in Albania. The lack of martial ardour of Italian soldies during the War is surprising given the pretentions of military greatness by Mussolini and the Fascists which had governed Italy since the 1920s. This was in sharp contrast to Hitler's success in ideoligically preparing the German soldier. The threat to the Balkans and Germny's souther flank forced Hitler to fivert his attention south away from Britain. Hitler forced the Balkan states to join the Axis: Hungary (November 20, 1940), Romania (November 23, 1940), Bulagaria (March 1, 1941), and Yugoslavia (March 25). Had Mussolini not invaded Greece, Hitler may have forced Metaxis into the Axis as well or at least he would have remained neutral and there would have been no British forces threatening the Balkans. The Wehrmacht in April 1941 invaded Greece, quickly defeating the Greek and British armies. While the Germans rapidly achieved their goals, the effort was a dissater fpr the German war effoty. The invasion of Yugoslavia and Greece forced the Wehrmacht to delay operation Barbarossa--the invasion of the Soviet Union. This lead to 4 years of hideous barbarism. The Greeks did not sibmit meekly to Axis (German, Italian, and Bulgarian) occupation and Ressistance groups soon fornmed. The German reactiin was brutal beyond description. The war and the experience of the occupation threw traditional family roles into question as women became breadwinners and children took up arms. NAZI reprisals were severe. The Greek children were especially affected by the German occupation. In addition, the NAZI program of plundering the occupied countries resulting in large quantities of food being shipped from Greece to Germany. This caused a mass famine in Greece. Thoysands of children starved.

Civil War (1947-49)

The Greek Civil War was one of the opening phases of the Cold War which decended on Europe after the defeat of the NAZIs. The Wehrmact was in 1944 being relentlessly pushed west by the Recd Army. Rather than being cut off in the Balkans and Greece, the Wehrmacht begam to withdraw in 1944. British troops in 1944 entered Greece as the Wehrmact withdrew north. The Resistance groups attacked the fleeing Germans. Elections return to Greece after the the Germans withdrew in 1944, but were hotly contested. When the Communists failed to gain electoral victory, they began a bloody guerilla campaign that amounted to a Civil War which tore the country apart. The Greek People's Liberation Army (ELAS) organized by the Greek Communist Party tried to seize control of Greece. Only 2 months after the departure of the Germans from Athens, the ELAS and British fought strret battles. An armistice was signed with the British in 1945, but a civil war developed among the Greek political parties. The British were weakened by nearly 6 years of War and were unable to support the non-communists in Greece and asked for American assistance. The United States beginning in 1947 began supplying arms to the Greek Government. The Americans helped construct damaged infrastructure like air fields, bridges, docks, railways and communication networks. Fighting in the Civil War continued for 3 years. The Communists finally in 1949 declared d a cease fire.







HBC






Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Introduction] [Activities] [Biographies] [Chronology] [Clothing styles] [Countries]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] [FAQs] [Glossaries] [Satellite sites] [Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]




Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Belgin pages:
[Return to the Main Greek 20th century chronology page]
[Greek choirs] [Greek folk costumes] [Greek movies] [Greek royals] [Greek schools] [Greek youth groups]



Created: April 24, 20021
Last updated: March 15, 2003