Like any general and politically targeted narrative, those concerning the December Events – the "second round of communist insurgency" for the Right, or the "heroic December" for the Left – are characterized by the selective use of the past, the "silences" about the difficult aspects of the battle, or even the distortions of events. Behind all these narratives lie the political responsibilities of the sides involved in the battle.

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 position in post-war political developments and the exiled European governments that sought their return to power. Greece was the only European country where the intensity of this confrontation led to armed conflict between the until then allied forces of 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 about the "December Events" remain unanswered. Their central role in the political developments that led to the Civil War and the divisive socio-political regime of the following decades has formed 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 suppression or distortion of events, and the concealment of political responsibilities.

This book, the first scientific study focusing on the events themselves based mainly on unpublished sources, attempts to provide answers to the critical questions: What were the causes that led to the outbreak of the battles and in what political and social context did they occur? How did the conflicts develop, day by day, transforming the city into a battlefield (from the major military operations in Goudi, Makrygianni, the barracks of Parapigmata in Kolonaki and Ampelokipi to the street battles in Omonia, Exarchia, and Metaxourgeio, from the deadly battles on the hills of Ardittos and Alepovouni to the bombing of Kaisariani and the British advance from Faliro to the center of Athens)? Finally, by recording the actions of the National Guard, the research tries to shed light on the difficult issues of executions, the identity of the victims, and the civilian casualties from the British bombings, which continue to define the memory of the December Events.