Ekaterina O. Nikonova

The article examines the parliamentary debates held in Greece in August 1982, which preceded the adoption of Law No. 1285 “On the Recognition of the National Resistance of the Greek People against the Armed Occupation of 1941–1944.” Drawing on parliamentary transcripts, memoirs, and legislative documents, the study explores the process of historical and political rehabilitation of leftist forces—primarily the communist-led organizations EAM–ELAS — whose contribution to the struggle against Nazi occupation had been officially denied following their defeat in the Greek Civil War (1946–1949). Particular attention is paid to the positions of the ruling PASOK party and the opposition New Democracy, as well as to the role of Andreas Papandreou in advancing the idea of national reconciliation. The analysis demonstrates that the law represented not only an act of historical justice but also a crucial step toward healing a deep societal rift, legitimizing the participation of all anti-fascist forces in the narrative of the Resistance and laying the foundations for a new state policy of memory and education.