Date

7-21-2026

Department

College of Arts and Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in History (PhD)

Chair

John T. Broom

Keywords

Containment, Greek Civil War, Soviet Union, U.S.A., Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, James Van Fleet, Dean Acheson, Cold War, Joseph Stalin

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities

Abstract

This dissertation examines the origins, implementation, and consequences of United States intervention in Greece during the Greek Civil War (1946-1949), situating the conflict within the broader development of early Cold War strategy. It argues that American involvement in Greece represented the first fully realized application of containment policy and established precedents that shaped subsequent United States foreign interventions throughout the Cold War. The study begins by tracing the political and military fragmentation of Greece during the Axis occupation (1941-1944) and the subsequent breakdown of political reconciliation following the Varkiza Agreement in 1945. It demonstrates how the resurgence of political violence and the growth of communist insurgency created conditions that compelled Britain to assume responsibility for stabilizing Greece in the immediate postwar period. However, Britain’s severe financial crisis and strategic retrenchment in early 1947 forced the transfer of responsibility to the United States, marking a decisive turning point in international involvement in Greece. Drawing upon primary sources from the United States, British, and Greek archives, including diplomatic correspondence, military reports, and government memoranda, this dissertation reconstructs the decision-making process that culminated in the Truman Doctrine of March 12, 1947. It demonstrates that American policymakers viewed Greece not merely as a regional crisis but as a strategic test case for resisting perceived Soviet expansion. The doctrine articulated the principle that the United States would support governments threatened by insurgency, establishing Greece as the first major theater of containment. Subsequent chapters examine the creation of the American Mission for Aid to Greece (AMAG), the restructuring of the Greek military and administrative apparatus, and the implementation of counterinsurgency strategies designed to defeat the Democratic Army of Greece (DSE). The dissertation gives particular attention to the development of detention and reeducation systems, including Makronisos, and to the role of economic assistance programs in stabilizing the Greek state. The dissertation concludes by analyzing Greece as a foundational model for later American interventions during the Cold War. It argues that policies developed in Greece, including coordinated economic aid, military advisory programs, political oversight, and international diplomatic engagement, became integral components of the United States intervention strategy in subsequent conflicts. By examining Greece as a formative case in the evolution of containment, this study contributes to broader discussions of Cold War policymaking and the long-term consequences of foreign intervention.

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