Will the Greek Crisis End in Civil War?

As the economic situation in Greece continues to unravel, many Greeks are beginning to wonder how it will all end. Will there be a default and a return to the Drachma? Or will they continue to stay in the EU, and let their children pay down their massive debt obligations for the foreseeable future?

Well, there is third possibility that many Greeks are quietly contemplating. There is a subtle, but widespread fear that their country may fall into civil war. What started as a debate between those who wanted a memorandum and those who don’t, has quickly turned into a vitriolic argument. There’s a significant political divide brewing in Greece, and many are starting to see this as a precursor to a civil war. While such terms were thrown about before in a purely rhetorical sense, there seems to be a growing fear that there may be a real shooting war now.

For those who don’t think it could happen, consider this; it has already happened before, and it’s not some distant memory. Over a 150,000 Greeks were killed between 1946 and 1949 during a civil war between Soviet backed guerrillas, and the Western backed government. What may be fueling the current fears, is the fact that the country is being dividing along the same exact battle lines as before. There are millions of people who want Greece to stay in the European Union, but there is a popular leftist government that is considering leaving the Euro, and aligning with Russia.

The more things change, the more they stay the same I suppose.