‘It really is the book for the P[olitical] C[ommissar]’: Soviet war literature and the quest for the ideal political commissar and fighter in the Democratic Army of Greece

The Greek Civil War (1946–49) witnessed the introduction of the institution of the political commissar in the Democratic Army of Greece (DSE). The new reality of US intervention forced the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) to seek and establish total political control of its troops in order to transform its guerrilla force into a regular revolutionary army. The KKE understood that such a transition would benefit the DSE, its training procedures and its military capabilities, and would limit desertion by producing conscious and willing fighters. They hoped that the deployment of political commissars within the army’s ranks would allow this. Simultaneously, the KKE and the DSE set about importing Soviet war experience and war culture into Greece in order to achieve the intended politicization, militarization and centralization of the army. They undertook a huge translation and publication project that allowed them to circulate Greek translations of Soviet war literature among their troops. The goal was to galvanize and train them, as the Soviets had with their own troops during the Second World War, emphasizing the decisive role of the human factor in the revolutionary struggle. War novels were used as educational material for both DSE political commissars and fighters, and their simple and relatable plots made them accessible to the men and women of the DSE, facilitating the transfer of a communist class consciousness, culture and sense of comradeship, as well as an anti-reactionary and anti-fascist culture of war. Many DSE commissars and fighters viewed the novels’ fictional and non-fictional heroes as examples to follow.