In the critical period at the end of World War II, Europe was shaken by the political confrontation between the forces that formed the Resistance and claimed a central role in the post-war political developments, and the exiled European governments that sought to return to power.

Greece was the only European country where the intensity of this confrontation led to armed conflict between the previously allied forces of the EAM and the British, even before the end of the war. In December 1944, just a month and a half after the triumphant liberation of the capital, the "Battle of Athens" erupted, the fiercest military confrontation ever to take place in the capital.

Seventy years later, many questions surrounding the "December events" remain unanswered. Their central role in the political developments that led to the Civil War and to the divisive socio-political regime of the following decades has fostered ideologically charged interpretations. Like any general and politically targeted narrative, the "heroic December" of the Left and the "second round of communist insurgency" of the Right are characterized by the selective use of the past, the concealment or distortion of facts, and the cover-up of political responsibilities.

This book, the first scientific study focusing on the events themselves based primarily on unpublished sources, aims to provide answers to the crucial questions: What were the causes that led to the outbreak of the battles and in what political and social context did they manifest? How did the conflicts that transformed the city into a battleground evolve, day by day? Finally, by documenting the actions of the National Guard, the research seeks to illuminate the difficult issues of executions, the identity of the victims, and the civilian casualties from British bombings, which continue to shape the memory of the December events.