National Union of Greece
Encyclopedia
The National Union of Greece was an anti-Semitic nationalist party established in Thessaloniki
, Greece
, in 1927.
Registered as a mutual aid society, the EEE was founded by Asia Minor
refugee merchants. According to the organisation's constitution, only Christians could join. Its members were opposed to Thessaloniki's substantial Jewish population.
It was led by Georgios Kosmidis (Γιώργος Κοσμίδης), an illiterate Turkish-speaking trader and D. Charitopoulos (Δ. Χαριτόπουλος), a banking clerk.
The party's leaders were the main defendants in the trial held after the Campbell Riot of 29 June 1931, in which Greek nationalist mobs attacked the Jewish "Campbell" settlement in the city. (A co-defendant was Nikoloas Nikos Fardis (Νίκος Φαρδής), editor-in-chief of the Makedonia
newspaper.)
Estimates put the party's strength at 7,000 members in 1932, and in 1933, it had 3,000 members march to Athens, in apparent imitation of Benito Mussolini
's 1922 March on Rome
. However, it polled miserably in the 1934 city elections in Thessaloniki, and in 1935, the party imploded as a result of in-fighting. It was revived by the German occupation authorities in 1942, during the Axis Occupation of Greece; many members of EEE became prominent collaborators of the Nazis and many more joined the Security Battalions
and helped in the identification of Greek Jews.
Owing to its paramilitary uniforms and organisation, the party was commonly referred to as "The Three Epsilon
s" (τα Τρία Εψιλον) or "The Steelhelmets" (οι Χαλυβδόκρανοι), in allusion to the German paramilitary Stahlhelm
.
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, in 1927.
Registered as a mutual aid society, the EEE was founded by Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
refugee merchants. According to the organisation's constitution, only Christians could join. Its members were opposed to Thessaloniki's substantial Jewish population.
It was led by Georgios Kosmidis (Γιώργος Κοσμίδης), an illiterate Turkish-speaking trader and D. Charitopoulos (Δ. Χαριτόπουλος), a banking clerk.
The party's leaders were the main defendants in the trial held after the Campbell Riot of 29 June 1931, in which Greek nationalist mobs attacked the Jewish "Campbell" settlement in the city. (A co-defendant was Nikoloas Nikos Fardis (Νίκος Φαρδής), editor-in-chief of the Makedonia
Makedonia (newspaper)
Makedonia is a Greek daily newspaper published in Thessaloniki. Being one of the oldest newspapers in Greece, it was first published in 1911 by Konstantinos Vellidis. The present owner is the company Makedoniki Ekdotiki Ektipotiki AE. Currently, director of the newspaper is Dimitrios Gousidis, the...
newspaper.)
Estimates put the party's strength at 7,000 members in 1932, and in 1933, it had 3,000 members march to Athens, in apparent imitation of Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
's 1922 March on Rome
March on Rome
The March on Rome was a march by which Italian dictator Benito Mussolini's National Fascist Party came to power in the Kingdom of Italy...
. However, it polled miserably in the 1934 city elections in Thessaloniki, and in 1935, the party imploded as a result of in-fighting. It was revived by the German occupation authorities in 1942, during the Axis Occupation of Greece; many members of EEE became prominent collaborators of the Nazis and many more joined the Security Battalions
Security Battalions
The Security Battalions were Greek collaborationist military groups, formed during the Axis occupation of Greece during World War II in order to support the German occupation troops.- History :...
and helped in the identification of Greek Jews.
Owing to its paramilitary uniforms and organisation, the party was commonly referred to as "The Three Epsilon
Epsilon
Epsilon is the fifth letter of the Greek alphabet, corresponding phonetically to a close-mid front unrounded vowel . In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 5. It was derived from the Phoenician letter He...
s" (τα Τρία Εψιλον) or "The Steelhelmets" (οι Χαλυβδόκρανοι), in allusion to the German paramilitary Stahlhelm
Stahlhelm, Bund der Frontsoldaten
The Stahlhelm, Bund der Frontsoldaten also known in short form as Der Stahlhelm was one of the many paramilitary organizations that arose after the defeat of World War I in the Weimar Republic...
.
Further reading
- Mark MazowerMark MazowerMark A. Mazower is a British historian. His expertise is Greece, the Balkans and, more generally, 20th century Europe. He is currently a professor of history at Columbia University in New York City.-Career:...
, Salonica, City of Ghosts: Christians, Muslims and Jews, 1430-1950, London: HarperCollins, 2004. ISBN 0-00-712023-0