Violent Resistance : From the Baltics to Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe 1944–1956

The end of the Second World war did not mean the end of violence for many regions in Eastern Europe. The establishment of Communist-led governments often met not only civil but also armed resistance. These actions were taken by partisan groups and paramilitary forces which in some cases had been formed already during the war to support axis forces. In other cases - like Poland's Armia Krajowa - they fought Nazi and Soviet occupiers with the same fervour. The aims of the fighters were the end of Communist rule and - like in the Baltic region - independence from the Soviet Union. Difficulties in accessing sources and research taboos as well as a focus on other aspects of the Cold War are reasons why violent resistance in Europe after the Second World War is a topic yet rather underestimated and comparably little investigated by historiography. This book gives a comprehensive first overview of the ultimately futile attempts to end the rule of Moscow and her proxies. -- (from back cover) Contents Foreword Overview of Maps included in the Volume Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Understanding Resistance Movements as Asymmetric Warfare: Lessons for Today Chapter 3 The Armed Anti-Soviet Resistance in Estonia after 1944 Chapter 4 A History of the Lithuanian Partisan Underground State (1944–1953) Chapter 5 Seeking a Path to Independence: Belarusian Anti-Soviet Activity from 1944–1953 Chapter 6 Armed Anti-Communist Resistance in Poland, 1944–1956 Chapter 7 Between Ideology and War Reality: Forming the Relations and Principles of Co-existence between the UPA and Red Army from Spring to Autumn 1944 Chapter 8 The Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists as the Leader of a Unique Fascist Armed Resistance Chapter 9 The Volhynian Czechs against Communism: An Example of Anti-communist Resistance in Czechoslovakia Chapter 10 Armed Anti-communist Resistance in Slovakia in the Postwar Years, 1948–1953. The Cases of Augustín Lednický and Ján Rešetko Chapter 11 The Anti-communist Resistance in Czechoslovakia in a Pedagogical Perspective Chapter 12 From Non-violent Resistance to Uprising by Force: The Case of Hungary 1945–1956 Chapter 13 The Armed Anti-communist Resistance in North-Western Romania. Causes, Evolution, Consequences, and the Role of Families and Local Communities Chapter 14 Spectres of Fascism: Anti-communist Resistance and the Legacy of the Legion of the Archangel Michael in 1940s Romania Chapter 15 Women in the Armed Anti-communist Romanian Resistance, between Loyalty, Support and Betrayal. Case Studies: The Banat and Nucșoara Areas Chapter 16 Communist Action, the Perception by the Serbian Urban Elite and Anti-communist Resistance in Serbia Chapter 17 Tito’s Chetnik Hunters: The Dynamics of Asymmetric Warfare in Yugoslavia Chapter 18 The Goryani Movement against the Communist Regime in Bulgaria (1944–1956): Prerequisites, Resistance, Consequences Chapter 19 Armed Albanian Resistance to the Hoxha Regime in Albania 1948–1953 Index