From 1941 to 1949, a relentless race, a stubborn struggle, took place across Greece, culminating in a total civil war. Starting as a fight for material and national survival amidst the nightmarish conditions of a triple hostile occupation, it continued as a confrontation between two political factions, divisively shaped against a backdrop of radical social and political upheavals within the country, transforming with external aid and interventions into a generalized armed conflict, the first in the post-war global scene of the Cold War. It was the struggle for the future of Greece. Chris Woodhouse, one of the main protagonists of this struggle, was called upon as the head of the British mission in Greece to handle the explosive onset of the Resistance in the Greek mountains. He was deeply knowledgeable about Greece and its history and was able to later recount this struggle until its final outcome. The author attempts to provide answers to questions such as: What were the deeper causes of the rupture between the EAM and other resistance organizations? Is it true, and to what extent, that British aid nurtured and magnified the power of the EAM, namely the KKE? Was the conflict with the British in the December events inevitable? What was the role of the Yugoslavs and Bulgarians, with their claims on Greek Macedonia, in exacerbating internal and external contradictions? What processes prompted the KKE to resort to arms again in 1946-1949? Why did Greece become the apple of discord between the two emerging superpowers, the USA and the Soviet Union? Was the civil war unavoidable? What would have been the fate of Greece if the outcome of this struggle narrated by Woodhouse had been different? Based on the utilization of documents, interviews with protagonists, the study of recent literature, and the distillation of his invaluable personal experience and judgment, Woodhouse analyzes with penetrating insight the characters, ideologies, and events that shook Greece and the entire world during the period 1941-1949. [Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]