The Political Committee of National Liberation (, ''Politiki Epitropi Ethnikis Apeleftherosis'', PEEA), commonly known as the "Mountain Government" (, ''Kivernisi tou Vounou''), was a
Communist Party-dominated government established in
Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
in 1944 in opposition to both the
collaborationist German-controlled government in Athens and to the
royal
Royal may refer to:
People
* Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name
* A member of a royal family or Royalty (disambiguation), royalty
Places United States
* Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Royal, Ill ...
government-in-exile in
Cairo
Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...
who were in support of the collaborationists. It was integrated with the Greek government-in-exile in a
national unity government
A national unity government, government of national unity (GNU), or national union government is a broad coalition government consisting of all parties (or all major parties) in the legislature, usually formed during a time of war or other na ...
at the
Lebanon conference in May 1944.
Background
Establishment

The PEEA was established on 10 March 1944 by the leftist
National Liberation Front (EAM)/
Greek People's Liberation Army (ELAS) movement, which was then in control of much of the country. Its aims, according to its founding charter, were, "to intensify the struggle against the conquerors ... for full national liberation, for the consolidation of the independence and integrity of our country (...) and for the annihilation of domestic fascism and armed traitor formations".
The PEEA's authority was significantly reinforced after the establishment of the
National Council () in 1944. The National Council was an assembly elected by secret elections organised by the PEEA in late April 1944 in both the liberated parts of Greece and the still-occupied cities, mainly Athens. Between 1.5 and 1.8 million Greeks voted in these elections, which are notable for the fact that for the first time in Greece, women were
allowed to vote. The Council first converged in
Koryschades, a mountain village of
Evrytania
Evrytania ( ; ) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the modern regions of Greece, region of Central Greece (administrative region), Central Greece. Its capital is Karpenisi (approx. 8,000 inhabitants).
Geography
Evrytania is ...
, from 14 to 27 May 1944. Its main act was voting a resolution, an extract of which is quoted:
The PEEA's first president was
Evripidis Bakirtzis, the former leader of
National and Social Liberation (EKKA). On April 18
Alexandros Svolos, a prominent professor of constitutional law of the
University of Athens
The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA; , ''Ethnikó kai Kapodistriakó Panepistímio Athinón''), usually referred to simply as the University of Athens (UoA), is a public university in Athens, Greece, with various campuses alo ...
, took his position and Bakirtzis became vice-president. Not only communist leaders but also many progressive bourgeois, who had nothing to do with communist ideas, participated in the PEEA.
ELAS not only resisted German and Italian occupation forces but also re-organised life in
Free Greece, the mountainous areas (i.e. the biggest part of Greece) it controlled. EAM, with the co-ordination and organization of the PEEA, helped the local people organise schools, hospitalise refugees from the big cities and protect the crops from German looting. Amateur actors and musicians created travelling theatres and bands, something that most rural communities had never seen or heard before. Another achievement of ELAS (due partially to the progressive ideas and partially to the lack of men) was to promote women's rights. Young girls, who until then were working at home or the fields, had the opportunity to educate and express themselves. There were also improvised telecommunications either by telephone lines or by messengers and systems of re-distribution of food-resources, so that no village would starve.
Mountain Government
Interim Government
References
Sources
*
*
*
{{Socialism in Greece
Greece in World War II
National Liberation Front (Greece)
Political history of Greece
Provisional governments
1944 establishments in Greece
1944 disestablishments in Greece
Organizations established in 1944
Organizations disestablished in 1944
1940s in Greek politics
States and territories established in 1944
States and territories disestablished in 1944
Former socialist republics