Georgios Siantos facts for kids

Georgios Siantos (nicknames: Geros "Old man", Theios "Uncle"; Greek: Γεώργιος "Γιώργης" Σιάντος; 1890 – 20 May 1947) was a very important person in Greece. He was a leader of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE). During World War II, when Germany occupied Greece, Siantos helped lead the National Liberation Front (EAM) and its army, the Greek People's Liberation Army (ELAS). These groups were part of the Greek Resistance movement.

Early Life and Work

Georgios Siantos was born in 1890 in a place called Karditsa, in Thessaly, Greece. His parents were farmers. After finishing primary school, Siantos started working with tobacco. He served in the Greek army as a sergeant during the Balkan Wars (1912–1913) and World War I.

Around 1916, he joined the Liberal Party. Siantos also became active in groups that helped workers. After leaving the army in 1920, he was chosen to lead the trade union for tobacco workers in Karditsa.

Joining Politics

In 1922, Siantos became the Secretary General of the Greek Confederacy of Tobacco Workers. Around the same time, he joined the Socialist Labour Party of Greece (SEKE). This party later became the Communist Party of Greece (KKE).

By 1927, Siantos was a member of the main leadership group of the KKE. He traveled to Moscow during a time of disagreement within the party. After returning to Greece, he continued to be involved in worker organizations. In 1934, he was again chosen for the KKE's main leadership.

In 1936, Siantos was elected to the Greek Parliament. However, he was arrested because of his communist activities. He was sent away to Anafi island, but he managed to escape. In 1939, he was arrested again and put in prison in Corfu. He escaped from prison in 1941.

Leading the Resistance in World War II

In 1941, the leader of the KKE, Nikolaos Zachariadis, was sent to the Dachau concentration camp by the Germans. Georgios Siantos then took over as the acting leader of the party.

During the German occupation of Greece (1941–1944), Siantos led the Greek National Liberation Army (EAM), which was mainly communist. He also played a big part in setting up the Political Committee of National Liberation in 1944. This was like a temporary government for the resistance.

Later in 1944, leaders from different political parties and resistance groups met in Lebanon. They wanted to agree on a government that would unite everyone. Another agreement was signed in Caserta, Italy, in September 1944. This agreement put all Greek resistance groups under the command of a British officer, General Ronald Scobie. Siantos did not want to sign these agreements at first. But then he argued that they should be fully followed.

After the War

During a period of fighting in Athens in December 1944, Siantos led the military forces of EAM. After the British forces helped the Greek government, EAM was defeated. Siantos faced strong criticism from his own party members for his decisions.

In February 1945, Siantos led the KKE and EAM group that talked with the Greek government. They negotiated the Treaty of Varkiza. He signed this treaty. But after only four months, he gave the party leadership back to Zachariadis, who had returned to Greece. Siantos remained a member of the main leadership group, but he no longer had much power in the party. The defeat in 1944 had damaged his standing.

Death and Legacy

Georgios Siantos died from a heart attack on May 20, 1947. He passed away at the home of a well-known Greek doctor, Petros Kokkalis. In 1957, a special committee of the KKE officially restored Siantos's good name within the party.