History Characters / TNOSouthernEurope

* LetByTheOutsider: Nikolai was born in France to an exiled Romanov family before moving to Italy at a young age. He was offered to become the King of Montenegro because of his close association with the Italian royal court, his status as an Orthodox prince, and a connection with the previous ruling houses of the country.

* OccupiersOutOfOurCountry: Montenegro is plagued with partisans that have continued to resist Italian occupation of their country. CASNO is the largest anti-fascist movement, in which they base themselves in the mountains and forests, while also helping other Yugoslav resistance movements.
* PuppetState: They're one of several satellite states that have been carved from the former Yugoslavia and are now tied to Italy.

** Rumania has a tumultuous relationship with fellow Pakt member, Hungary, specifically bickering over the ownership of Northern Transnistria. When Mihai Antonescu took over and modernized the Rumanian army, the two nations fought over the territory in the 1950's, during the West Russian War, as the Rumanian government supported guerrilla movements within northern Transylvania. Domestic instability and the deployment of German soldiers on the border as a [[ThreateningMediator threat]] halted these plans, but Rumania hasn't given up yet. Inevitably, these tensions can flare up again in 1969, as Rumania starts a new wave of weapon smuggling to Rumanian nationalists within Hungary and gives them the means to launch more attacks. Hungary denounces this treachery and Rumania [[PlausibleDeniability plausibly denies]] any involvement beyond expressed sympathy for the Rumanians living there, forcing Germany to act as a mediator in the situation.

** Rumania has a tumultuous relationship with fellow Pakt member, Hungary, specifically bickering over the ownership of Northern Transnistria. When Mihai Antonescu took over and modernized the Rumanian army, the two nations fought over the territory in the 1950's, during the West Russian War, as the Rumanian government supported guerrilla movements within northern Transylvania. Domestic instability and the deployment of German soldiers on the border as a [[ThreateningMediator threat]] halted these plans, but Rumania hasn't given up yet. Specifically, these tensions can flare up again in 1969, as Rumania starts a new wave of weapon smuggling to Rumanian nationalists within Hungary and gives them the means to launch more attacks. Hungary denounces this treachery and Rumania [[PlausibleDeniability plausibly denies]] any involvement beyond expressed sympathy for the Rumanians living there, forcing Germany to act as a mediator in the situation.

* ArmyOfThievesAndWhores: The Security Battalions (Tagmata Asfaleias) established during the Second World War is a ragtag anti-partisan paramilitary unit largely made up of members from the National Union of Greece (EEE) and the Greek National Socialist Party (EESK) that frequently partakes in banditry in the name of fighting the National Liberation Front (EAM). Many of their members are also regular farmers who oppose the EAM, fearing that they would destroy their livelihoods. With greater autonomy granted under President Pangalos, they are also exempt from most legal punishment.
* LesCollaborateurs: The current Greek government was set up by the Axis during World War II. It continues to survive only because of the Italian occupation.

* TheFamine: During the Second World War, a combination of plunder and anti-partisan warfare led to an apocalyptic famine within Greece, killing hundreds of thousands. Greece still struggles to recover economically, and the people continue to be haunted by memories of the famine. The government blames the partisans on the famine and Prime Minister Georgios Mercouris issued the Food Requisition Order in 1947 to allow the Ministry of Agriculture to seize foodstuffs and prioritize the distribution of food towards those who work for the Greek and Italian governments. Anyone who refuses to comply is accused of working with the partisans and regarded as traitors, being [[DeadlyEuphemism "dealt with as such"]].

* TheRemnant: If the EAM successfully leads the socialist revolution to victory in Greece and subsequently neither fully beats back the Italian invaders nor gets fully defeated, the Italian collaborators will set up a rival government in the territories that the socialists failed to hold on to.
* LaResistance: The collaborationist government is burdened by two resistance groups, the left-wing National Liberation Movement led by Aris Velouchiotis which includes the banned Communist Party of Greece and the liberal National Republican Greek League led by Dimitrios Psarros.

->'''Role:''' Head of State

->'''Role:''' Head of State (EDES Revolt)

* BrokenPedestal: During Metaxas' reign, Velouchiotis was tortured and forced to renounce his communist ideology. Though he was freed after this, many of his fellow ideologues lost their trust in him for his recantation. Fortunately, he won their faith back when he played an instrumental role in the communist guerrillas' activities against the Axis collaborators, where he's since become recognized as the face of the movement.

->'''Role:''' Head of State (First election)

* TheDeterminator: Pyromaglou has been fighting for the liberation of Greece, since he was 17 years old and he hasn't given up since the Italians have arrived after World War II.

->'''Role:''' Head of State (First election)

* TheExile: Papandreou was forced to leave Greece during Metaxas' regime due to his left-wing beliefs, where he wandered throughout North America as a professor. During Greece's 1968 elections, he is invited back to continue Pyromaglou's welfare policies.

* ChummyCommies: Kyrkos has long fought against the Italian regime of Greece to create a socialist state that helps the peasant class, while avoiding the mistakes made by the Soviet Union.

* AmbitionIsEvil: He craves power above all and he joined the military to pursue it.

* {{Cincinnatus}}: After a certain time period, Grivas will surrender some of his authority to set up elections in Greece.

* RightfulKingReturns: Constantine II, the current pretender to the Greek throne, can come back home and be crowned if Italy puts down the EAM's revolution and puts the monarchist NOX in charge of Greece.

* His consolidation over the Chetniks and the Italo-German split prompted him to make a break for Belgrade and gamble that the Chetniks would be integrated into the collaborationist regime there. The risk paid off.

* WeUsedToBeFriends: Apostolski stood alongside Čento in fighting for Macedonia's freedom. Unfortunately, this relationship rapidly deteriorates if Čento starts negotiating with the Fatherland Front, which can culminate in Čento overthrowing and exiling Čento.

* TheAce: Coposu has a long list of occupations. He's a law student, a journalist, a boxer and a pupil of Iulia Maniu, the PNȚ's founder.

* TheFederation: Following a potential success in the Gorna Dzhumaya Agreement, Bulgaria, Macedonia, and possibly Serbia will unite together in a single federation. The autonomy of Macedonia in that federation will depend on the outcome of the negotiations.

* OnlyFriend: Bulgaria is the only non-puppet Balkan nation that has remained allied to Germany, though that status can change when Boris III dies, leaving Germany and Italy to compete and win Bulgaria's allegiance.

* WeAreStrugglingTogether: The military is a powerful force that can even cow the Tsar himself, but factionalism plagues the armed forces, which allows Boris to hold onto some of his authority and avoid becoming a full PuppetKing.

->'''Role:''' Head of State

* PuppetKing: Inverted. Though the Kingdom of Bulgaria is technically a constitutional monarchy, Parliament's edicts and bills mean nothing in comparison compared to the powers of the Tsar, who rules Bulgaria as effectively an absolute monarch.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: In the wake of Macedonian uprisings, Tsar Boris may flee his own country if they aren't quelled, leaving Simeon II to take up the reins where he left off.
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Everyone knows he's a stubborn dictator and talk of his retirement has become increasingly more common in his advanced age, but most still admire his past accomplishments, which gave even a brief period of prosperity to Bulgaria.

!!''Simeon II''
[[quoteright:158:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_bulgaria_simeon_ii_8.png]]
->'''Role:''' Head of State (Boris succession, Monarchist coup)

->'''Ideology:''' Absolute Monarchy[[note]]Despotism[[/note]], Semi-Constitutional Monarchy[[note]]Paternalism[[/note]] (Boris III succession), Left-Wing Corporatism[[note]]Paternalism[[/note]] (Puppet)
->'''In-Game Biography''' (Boris III succession, Macedonian Thaw) [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Simeon Borisov von Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, now Simeon II, Tsar of Bulgaria, surveys the vistas of his beautiful homeland and eagerly begins to set apart his difficult work after decades spent as his late father's heir.\\\
A reformist, the Tsar spent much of his schooling in the West--or at least those parts of it accessible from within the grasp of Germany and Italy--and came back with hopes of transitioning the Bulgarian state away from the old oligarchical system towards a more free market. Boris III dismissed such suggestions as the fancies of a callow youth... until Bulgaria nearly collapsed during the Macedonian War. That terrible experience was more than enough to convince even Simeon's conservative father that reforms were needed--so the father followed the son, if hesitantly and with small steps of the sort that Simeon had taken when he was young.\\\
But all things come to an end, and Boris has shaken off the mortal coil. The new Tsar has many ambitious ideas, but it is unclear whether he will have as easy a time at convincing the public of his ideas as his gregarious father did.[[/labelnote]]
->'''In-Game Biography''' (Boris III succession, Boris III fled) [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Simeon Borisov von Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, now Simeon II, Tsar of Bulgaria, surveys the vistas of his beautiful homeland. It is all he can do to distract himself from the untenability of his situation, for he is woefully underprepared for real rule.\\\
As Crown Prince, the Tsar was educated in those parts of the West that were accessible from within Germany and Italy's grasp. He was taught many theoretically useful things and came back with many ideals and proposals. But the intellectuals that educated him could not give him any hints on how to hold his father's collapsing coalition together, let alone bring it back into prominence. Small wonder, then, that the new Tsar is in such a quandary.\\\
The Macedonian War brought Bulgaria to near-collapse, and now another near-collapse is playing out--the communists and fascists fight amidst each other for control over the Bulgarian nation. But Tsar Simeon Second-of-that-Name can only watch passively as his nation bleeds. What choice does he really have, since his words mean little and his actions still less?[[/labelnote]]
->'''In-Game Biography''' (Monarchist Coup) [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Simeon Borisov von Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, now Simeon II, Tsar of Bulgaria, surveys the vistas of his beautiful homeland, and shakes his head grimly. There is much work to be done, and he must be about it.\\\
As Crown Prince, the Tsar was educated in those parts of the West that were accessible from within Germany and Italy's grasp. He was taught many theoretically useful things and came back with many ideals and proposals. But the intellectuals that educated him could not give him any hints on stabilising Bulgaria after Simeon's puppet-masters used him, threw him aside, and were then thrown aside by the Fatherland Front. He needed no Western teachings to call loyal policemen and soldiers to his side and seize power for himself.\\\
The Tsar and his prime minister, the communist-hunting retired police chief Nikola Geshev, are in agreement; Simeon's old reformism is a foible that Bulgaria cannot risk when the situation is as grave as this. Authoritarianism, which after all had kept Bulgaria stable from its re-establishment, must be reembraced if there is to be stability in Bulgaria ever again.[[/labelnote]]

* InternalReformist: Being groomed to succeed his father, Simeon plans to implement free-market reforms, stepping away from the dirigisme policies of his predecessor. How far he goes in this respect depends on his own will.
* OverlyLongName: His full name is Simeon Borisov von Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.
* ThePuppetCutsHisStrings: After being puppetted by the Fatherland Front, Simeon II may regain control over his country through a coup and an alliance with police chief Nikola Geshev.
* PuppetKing: When the Fatherland Front succeeds in their coup, they'll put Simeon under house arrest and turn him into a powerless figurehead, potentially abolishing the monarchy at some point.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Unlike Boris, Simeon does want to reduce the autocratic powers of the Tsar and turn Bulgaria into a constitutional monarchy. {{Downplayed}} in the anti-Fatherland Front coup, as he rejects his old reformist mindset and embraces authoritarianism for the sake of restoring Bulgaria's stability.
* TookALevelInCynic: After being treated as a puppet by the Fatherland Front, Simeon II disdains his old reformist mindset and decides that Bulgaria can only be kept stable by a firm hand.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: If the Monarchist coup takes place and Simeon II is restored to power, he decides that the authoritarianism he rejected for reformism must be embraced if there is to be stability in Bulgaria ever again.

!!''Jordan Sevov''
->'''Role:''' Prime Minister[[note]]Head of Government[[/note]] (Reactionary Boris III cabinet)

->'''Ideology:''' Stratocracy[[note]]Ultranationalism[[/note]]

* EvilReactionary: After Boris III purges his cabinet of any reformists, he nominates Sevov as his new Prime Minister, who will take Bulgaria down a far-right direction.
* RedBaron: The press calls Sevov "Bulgaria's Rasputin", due to being the leading conservative voice in Boris III's cabinet.

!!''Kimon Georgiev''
[[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/klimongeorgiev.png]]
->'''Role:''' Prime Minister[[note]]Head of Government[[/note]] (Puppet Simeon II cabinet)
->'''Party:''' Zveno[[note]]Link[[/note]]
->'''Ideology:''' Left-Wing Corporatism[[note]]Paternalism[[/note]]
->'''In-Game Biography''' (Prime Minister) [[labelnote: Click to Show]] Kimon Georgiev, the old coup-maker, is perhaps the only man in Bulgaria to near the veneration and respect of Boris III himself. Involved in three separate coup d'etats over five decades, Georgiev founded the Zveno organization, even briefly ruling as Prime Minister in 1934. Though he has been under house arrest ever since, he remained influential in the armed forces. Using these connections, he aided in the revival of the long-shelved Fatherland Front - and with his skills, got them to power.\\\
Since then, Georgiev has been a fairly quiet ruler, content to let younger members of his staff work beneath him. Georgiev is old now - and the true work, liberation, is already complete. [[/labelnote]]

* AllohistoricalAllusion: Like in our timeline, Georgiev and the Fatherland Front can launch a coup against the Tsarist, pro-German government after Germany's sphere of influence becomes unstable, albeit two decades later than the one which happened in real life.
* {{Cincinnatus}}: By the time the Fatherland Front overthrows the monarchy, Georgiev himself begins to move away from the center stage and lets his younger allies work more independently, now that his mission for Bulgaria's independence has been fulfilled.
* TheCoup: With Macedonia's split from Bulgaria, Georgiev and the Fatherland Front may launch a coup against the autocratic Tsardom and declare a return to democracy in its wake.
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: He had a personal feud with Dimo Kazasov, a high-ranking member of Zveno. This contributed to the latter being sidelined most of the time.

!!''Todor Zhivkov''
[[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_bulgaria_todor_zhivkov.png]]
->'''Role:''' Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship[[note]]Foreign Minister[[/note]] (Puppet Simeon II cabinet), Head of State (Fatherland Front election)
->'''Party:''' Balgarska Komunisticheska Partiya[[note]]Bulgarian Communist Party[[/note]]
->'''Ideology:''' National Communism[[note]]Communism[[/note]]
->'''In-Game Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Todor Zhivkov has spent the last decades consolidating his power - the power of himself over his state, and the power of his state over his party. The result, after a failed monarchist coup, is a communist Bulgaria - with Zhivkov at the head.\\\
Despite his decades of struggle in the name of the revolution, Zhivkov is not without controversy, both from within communist circles and without. Unlike figures such as Ranković, Zhivkov is not especially expansionist, but he still has incorporated nationalist views hailing from the monarchist-era into his vision for Bulgaria. He continues to claim Macedonia, to connect his reign to traditional Bulgarian national heroes, and to maintain a relationship with the Church. His promotion of his own daughter to the ministry of Art and Culture had also ruffled some feathers.\\\
Not only does Zhivkov draw ire from many communists for his nationalism, but also for his internationalism. He readily works with capitalist powers such as the OFN, and even works to normalize relations with nearby Balkan states. Nevertheless, while these decisions may anger hardliners, Zhivkov's same policies have made him beloved in the eyes of the common people.[[/labelnote]]

* EnemyMine: Zhivkov is a communist[[note]]He was the most pro-Soviet leader among the Eastern Bloc in OTL[[/note]], but he will work with the OFN, Italy and Turkey to back his regime and discourage a German invasion.
* InSpiteOfANail: Zhivkov and the BKP can still come to power and he has similar policies to the ones he had in real life, including nationalist views and the promotion of his daughter to the Ministry of Art and Culture.
* {{Nepotism}}: Zhivkov promotes his daughter to the Ministry of Art and Culture, which makes all the more controversial in his party.
* PatrioticFervor: Though not hawkish, Zhivkov uses nationalist rhetoric to inspire morale from the people, pushing Bulgaria's claim over Macedonia and comparing himself to traditional Bulgarian heroes.
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: Zhivkov has a divisive reputation in his party, as some criticize his open nationalism and internationalist foreign policy with Bulgaria's neighbors and the capitalist OFN.

!!''Nikola Petkov''
[[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_bulgaria_nikola_petkov.png]]
->'''Role:''' Minister of Finance[[note]]Economy Minister[[/note]] (Puppet Simeon II cabinet), Head of State (Fatherland Front election)
->'''Party:''' Balgarski Zemedelski Naroden Sayuz "Pladne"[[note]]Bulgarian Agrarian National Union "Pladne"[[/note]]
->'''Ideology:''' Agrarian Socialism[[note]]Socialism[[/note]]
->'''In-Game Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Nikola Dimitro Petkov lived more than long enough to see Bulgarian democracy die once before, and that despite his every attempt to save it. He saw Aleksander Stamboliyski fall in a coup and fled to Paris. When he returned he was sent to and from prison camps throughout Bulgaria until the repression at last began to ease up a bit. Many people who met Petkov came to believe what one journalist said of him: "I have known no nobler friend of common people, no stauncher anti-Fascist, no more devoted democrat."\\\
The Fatherland Front's reign progressed, autocracy grew, and Petkov realized that democracy could well die a second time unless he unified his efforts with that of the whole of the BZNS (instead of the factions closest to him) and formed a front against autocrats on all sides.\\\
When Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha's failed coup began, Petkov seized the opportunity that the Lord had clearly presented him and used it as a pretext to remove not just the Tsar but all the autocratic scum that had been ruining Bulgaria for years. In their place, Petkov enthroned true multiparty democracy in Bulgaria.\\\
The question of democracy remains up in the air. Bulgarian Agrarianism as represented by the BZNS has struggled with party democracy because of the long and often antidemocratic legacy of Stamboliyski. But Nikola Petkov has sworn a vow to the God he loves, and who loves him: so long as he remains on Earth, Bulgarian parliamentary democracy will not die without a fight.[[/labelnote]]

* TheDeterminator: He vows that he will not rest until Bulgaria has fully democratized and will push this goal until his dying breath.
* HonorBeforeReason: Witnessing the Fatherland Front begin to backslide into autocracy, Petkov unified the BZNS to stand against them rather than continue favoring the factions closest to him.
* ThePurge: After Simeon II's failed coup, Petkov can seize the opportunity to purge Bulgaria of any potential dictatorial figures who would dare overthrow the country's fragile democratic system.
* RealMenLoveJesus: Petkov is a Christian who prays for God's blessing in his difficult mission to protect Bulgaria's multiparty democracy.

!!''Hristo Stoykov''
[[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_bulgaria_hristo_stoykov.png]]
->'''Role:''' Head of State (Fatherland Front election)
->'''Party:''' Zveno[[note]]Link[[/note]]
->'''Ideology:''' Left-Wing Corporatism[[note]]Paternalism[[/note]]
->'''In-Game Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Hristo Styokov is not the true leader of the Zveno-ruled Independent Republic of Bulgaria. In the aftermath of the death of Kimon Georgiev Stoyanov, neither Stoykov nor anyone else had the stature to lead alone. No, Stoykov merely forms part of a trifecta of leaders, each playing to a different side of the coalition that props up the Zveno regime, which sorely needs propping up. With resistance to the unpopular authoritarianism and inefficient corporatism of Zveno growing left, right, and center, the triumvirate's services will all be needed - at least for the moment.\\\
Stoykov, who connected Georgiev to the nationalists and the agrarians, is the champion of the radical militarists, those closest to the late Georgiev's technocratic, authoritarian vision. Stancho Cholakov, the Prime Minister, is the visionary in charge of the crowd of Zveno-aligned bureaucrats, who form the heart of the Bulgarian government. Then there is Dimo Kazasov, minister of defense - easily the most distinguished, but sidelined due to his right-wing alignment and personal feud with Georgiev.\\\
These three will now govern. But until they can grow their influence, even this trifecta when unified cannot hope to match the strength of the man they have lost.[[/labelnote]]

* NonIndicativeName: {{Downplayed}}. While Stoykov's Independent Republic of Bulgaria is not under direct control by another country, Italy does dominate their economic trade and has significant control over their foreign policy (forcing them to align with either the CPS or the OFN if Italy joins either bloc).
* TakingUpTheMantle: After Georgiev's passing, Stoykov was part of the triumvirate to take his place as Zveno's leader.
* UnfitForGreatness: Neither he or the senior members of Zveno have been able to match the greatness of Georgiev's legacy and the best Stoykov can do is rule Bulgaria in a triumvirate, unable to hold power alone.

!!''Todor Zhekov''
[[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_bulgaria_todor_zhekov.png]]
->'''Role:''' Minister of War[[note]]Security Minister[[/note]] (Cheren Offensive Simeon II cabinet), Head of State (Sofia Bombing coup)
->'''Party:''' Sayuz na Balgarskite Natsionalni Legioni[[note]]Union of Bulgarian National Legions[[/note]]
->'''Ideology:''' Fascism
->'''In-Game Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]When Todor Zhekov first found glory on the battlefield, the poison of fascism was already in his head. Already, he imagined a better Bulgaria, one in which the Macedonians knew their place, one in which all its lost land returned home. Yet on that fateful day, he could not have known that he would one day be the man to lead it.\\\
His life as a dictator began that day in Vranya. In the last days of the uprising, it was his army who took the town of Vranya and sent Koliševski to be hanged. He returned to Sofia a hero, emboldened to speak openly on his far-right ideals. In a nation reeling from the loss of Thrace and the instability in Macedonia, he found his audience: a youthful rabble to call his own.\\\
Soon, Zhekov became the favorite child of the fascist idolizer, a man who represented the aggressive and violent individualism of fascism movement. When Hristo Lukov died, the UNBL elected Zhekov to lead it, placing the general in charge of Bulgaria's largest fascist movement and functionally at the head of the far-right overall.\\\
Over his life, Zhekov has seen many movements like his fail. He watched the old UNBL calcify under Lukov and his uncle. He watched Alexander Tsankov flail and collapse. Those men refused the call of their nation - but Zhekov will listen, and Zhekov will fight. On the battlefield, he fought to the death - now, his country will do the same.[[/labelnote]]

* BloodKnight: Zhekov relishes in the glory of fighting on the battlefield and is the biggest representative for the aggressive and violent individualism of fascism movement in Bulgaria.
* TheCoup: Zhekov rises to power in an orchestrated assassination of Simeon II and subsequent purge by the UNBL that secures his hold over the country.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Given his heavy saber-rattling and belligerence, Zhekov is treated as an outcast by the other Balkan nations.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: He considers Macedonians as a lesser race occupying "rightful" Bulgarian territory.
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: His hanging of Lazar Koliševski, a communist partisan, made him a hero in the Bulgarians' eyes. More unpromisingly, it allowed Zhekov to become more open about his far-right views.
* {{Warhawk}}: Militarism is given heavy focus by Zhekov and he expects every person in Bulgaria to carry out his hawkish vision.

!!''Asen Kantardzhiev''
[[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_bulgaria_asen_kantardzhiev_1.png]]
->'''Role:''' Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship[[note]]Foreign Minister[[/note]] (Cheren Offensive Simeon II cabinet), Head of State (Sofia Bombing Coup)
->'''Party:''' Ratnitsi[[note]]Ratniks[[/note]]
->'''Ideology:''' National Socialism
->'''In-Game Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Even as he ascends to the head of Bulgaria, Asen Kantardzhiev is an unknown, an anonymous Führer. Even close followers of his party know him as little more than a name on a wall. Yet make no mistake - all of this was planned. This moment, this revolution, was the dream.\\\
The dream began three decades earlier, in a small room in Sofia. A veteran of the Great War, Kantardzhiev came back to a nation in need of order, stability, purity. Yet in the paranoia that followed Zveno's fall, Kantardzhiev knew Boris would destroy any threatening organization - at least, any he could see.\\\
Instead of integrating with the military as the UBNL did, Kantardzhiev moved to the shadows. His "party" proved more conspiracy than party, influenced by Freemason societies. It worked. No matter how often he was arrested, beaten, banned, his party grew behind him, organizing autonomous pogroms, worming into Boris III's cabinet.\\\
Now, surrounded by the blood of fallen allies, Kantardzhiev rules alone. Now, few can tell what will follow next. Kantardzhiev always spoke of violence and might, saving a nation by reminding it of God and Tsar - but these are the words of a fascist, as weak and disposable as tissues. What will truly follow, no one can say but Kantardzhiev - and he is not one to tell.[[/labelnote]]

* BeneathNotice: Kantardzhiev knew that Boris would eliminate any organization he viewed as a threat to his power, so he took his supporters underground, slowly building his power and avoiding as much attention as possible.
* TheCoup: If the Cheren Offensive takes place or the Fatherland Front takes over Bulgaria, Kantardzhiev may launch a coup by assassinating Simeon II and launching a relentless series of purges against the UNBL.
* ThePurge: Even after he secures leadership of Bulgaria, he publicly announces a renewed series of purges in the government to "renew" the country in his vision.
* TheSpook: Kantardzhiev is an enigmatic figure and not even his close followers know him as anything but a name on a wall. By the time he seizes power, he outwardly sets typical far-right goals of using violence and reminding Bulgaria of God and the Tsar. However, no one knows how much of this is a façade or how he will carry them out.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Macedonia]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flag_macedonia2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the People's Republic of Macedonia]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/macedonia_9.png[[/labelnote]]]]
%%flag recreated by Chaner75
->'''Official Name:''' Democratic Federal Macedonia, People's Republic of Macedonia (Failed Gorna Dzhumaya talks)
->'''Ruling Party:''' Narodnoosloboditelna vojska i partizanski odredi na Makedonija[[note]]National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Macedonia[[/note]]
->'''Ideology:''' Partisan Movement[[note]]Despotism[[/note]]

* HatedByAll: Macedonia is hated by nearly every one of its neighbors, except for Turkey, because they place claims on their territory.
* OccupiersOutOfOurCountry: Macedonia has struggled for its independence in the past 50 years, with Bulgaria being their latest occupier after World War II.
* SinisterSurveillance: Under Apostolski, the people of Macedonia are surveilled for any sign of treachery to his regime.
* StillWearingTheOldColors: The NOV i POM partisans have shifted away from communist doctrine in favor of nationalism, but they still utilize communist imagery to represent themselves, such as a red star on their flag.

!!''Metodija Andonov-Čento''
[[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_mac_metodija_andonov_cento.png]]
->'''Role:''' Head of State
->'''Party:''' Narodnoosloboditelna vojska i partizanski odredi na Makedonija[[note]]National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Macedonia[[/note]]
->'''Ideology:''' Partisan Movement[[note]]Despotism[[/note]], Social Nationalism[[note]]Paternalism[[/note]] (Potentially), National Communism[[note]]Communism[[/note]] (Potentially)
->'''In-Game Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]The battle for Macedonia has been endless. Over twenty years, Metodija Andonov-Čento has watched his friends and family perish, as his nation burned under royalist captors. But take one look in his eyes, and you will know that the war has been worth it. Macedonia would be worth anything he could give.\\\
Born under the chains of the Ottoman Empire, Andonov-Čento has watched his nation fall under every one of Macedonia's conquerors. After thirty years, he took to protesting - and later, to arms. Andonov-Čento proved to be an adept general, and soon the de-facto leader of the partisans.\\\
Under his rule, the Partisans moved away from strict communism and towards inclusive, unfettered nationalism. It has proven effective, despite the qualms of former hardliners. Almost every Macedonian has something to support in Andonov-Čento; almost every Macedonian joined him in the streets when his forces took Skopje.\\\
Now, Macedonia is free at last - a fifty-year struggle has been realized. There is far more to be done - a language to codify, lands to liberate, a government to define. Yet for just a moment, there is time to take a breath. Nowhere on Earth is the air as sweet as in Macedonia.[[/labelnote]]

* CategoryTraitor: Čento's willingness to compromise with Bulgaria makes him perceived as a traitor by his more radical allies, especially by Apostolski.
* TheDeterminator: Čento's decades-long fight for Macedonian independence since the days of Bulgarian occupation. During his time as a partisan, he's witnessed most of his family and friends get killed, but his efforts finally pay off when Macedonia is finally freed during the German Civil War.
* TheExile: If Apostolski takes over Macedonia, Čento will be forced into exile, while his country shrinks into isolation.
* PunishedForSympathy: His potential negotiations to join Bulgaria in a federation may incite a coup from Apostolski, who refuses to align with Bulgaria in any capacity.
* RebelLeader: A Macedonian nationalist, Čento has waged a guerrilla war against Bulgaria for his country's independence.

!!''Mijajlo Apostolski''
[[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mihajlo_apostoloski_0.jpg]]
->'''Role:''' Security Minister (Andonov-Čento cabinet), Head of State (Failed Gorna Dzhumaya talks)
->'''Party:''' Sojuz na Komunistite na Makedonija[[note]]League of Communists of Macedonia[[/note]]
->'''Ideology:''' National Communism[[note]]Communism[[/note]]
->'''In-Game Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]In another world, perhaps Mihajlo Apostolski and Metodija Andonov-Čento could have lived each other's lives. Two men stood ready to save Macedonia. Two men devoted their lives to its liberation. Two men lived to see it free.\\\
Yet one became lost. Too willing to accommodate the Bulgarian reactionaries, he gradually alienated his base of Macedonian youths, whose dreams of independence he slowly sold away. When Andonov-Čento flew too close to the sun, Apostolski returned to cut off his wings.\\\
Now leader of Macedonia, Apostolski's fears has come to dominate Macedonian life. A scholar as much as a warrior, he has long written of Bulgaria as a nation of oppressors, from which Macedonia must defend. With hostile forces surrounding him, the chairman saw no choice but to lock Macedonia off from the world.\\\
Now, Macedonia is independent - fiercely independent, with a growing army and a mess of fortifications in every city. Yet Bulgarians live as second-class citizens, and even Macedonians must watch for government eyes. Apostolski is not a cruel man, but he demands freedom for his nation. Until the world accepts Macedonia, he will never emerge from the fortress he has made.[[/labelnote]]

* DirtyCommunists: Despite having good intentions, he rules as an iron-fisted dictator who oppresses his own people and especially the Bulgarians in Macedonia.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Out of revenge for Bulgaria's oppression against Macedonians, Apostolski treats the Bulgarians in his country like second-class citizens, even if they had nothing to do with Boris III's regime.
* RebelLeader: Apostolski stood alongside Čento in his mission to liberate Macedonia from Bulgarian occupation.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: He obeys a belligerent foreign policy against his neighbors and often resorts to dictatorial actions because he deems them precautions against a seemingly hostile world out to destroy Macedonia.

! Greece

[[folder:Hellenic State]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flag_of_greece_1822_1978.png]]
[[quoteright:350:]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the Provisional Democratic Government of Greece]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/800px_elas_flagsvg.png[[/labelnote]]]]
[[quoteright:350:]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the Greek People's Republic]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/eam_flag_2.png[[/labelnote]]]]
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[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote: Flag of the Kingdom of Greece/Hellenic Union]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/greece.png[[/labelnote]]]]
->'''Official Name:''' Hellenic State, Provisional Democratic Government of Greece (EAM war), Greek People's Republic (EAM victory), Kingdom of Greece (Monarchy reestablished), Hellenic Union (Grivas), Hellenic National State (Poulos)
->'''Ruling Party:''' Ethniki Enosis Ellados[[note]]National Union of Greece[[/note]]
->'''Ideology:''' Fascism

* ArmyOfThievesAndWhores: The Security Battalions (Tagmata Asfaleias) established during the Second World War is a ragtag anti-partisan paramilitary unit largely made up of members from the National Union of Greece (EEE) and the Greek National Socialist Party (EESK) that frequently partakes in banditry in the name of fighting the National Liberation Front (EAM). Many of their members are also regular farmers who oppose the EAM, fearing that they would destroy their livelihoods. With greater autonomy granted under President Pangalos, they are also exempt from most legal punishment.
* LesCollaborateurs: The current Greek government was set up by the Axis during World War II. It continues to survive only because of the Italian occupation.
* CorruptPolitician: The Greek government is plagued by rampant corruption and cronyism.
* TheFamine: During the Second World War, a combination of plunder and anti-partisan warfare led to an apocalyptic famine within Greece, killing hundreds of thousands. Greece still struggles to recover economically, and the people continue to be haunted by memories of the famine. The government blames the partisans on the famine and Prime Minister Georgios Mercouris issued the Food Requisition Order in 1947 to allow the Ministry of Agriculture to seize foodstuffs and prioritize the distribution of food towards those who work for the Greek and Italian governments. Anyone who refuses to comply is accused of working with the partisans and regarded as traitors, being [[DeadlyEuphemism "dealt with as such"]].
* GovernmentInExile: The old king George II fled Greece after its invasion, with the monarchy being eventually abolished in his absense by Theodoros Pangalos and a republic being declared. However, George's grandson, Constantine, can potentially return to Greece if Velouchiotis' revolution is put down by a democratic Italy, leading to the staunchly royalist NOX taking power and restoring the monarchy.
* PuppetState: The Greek government is filled with Italian staff who have the authority to approve, counter-sign and override decisions made by the Hellenic State, a constant reminder that their state's existence is solely due to the Italian Empire's "generosity".
* PyrrhicVictory: When the Greek resistance movements liberate their country from the collaborators, Italy will invade them again to bring Greece back into their sphere of influence. However, if the Italians win, they'll be stuck managing a restless population that still despises their presence and awaits an opportunity to rebel in the future.
* RedScare: The KKE and associated EAM are treated as the primary antagonist by the collaborationist government. The KKE has been banned in Greece since 1938 and most of the efforts of the Security Battalions in the 1950s were targeted towards the EAM. Some KKE meetings are still allowed to continue to bring disillusioned communist partisans out of the EAM and into the open, so long as they continue to be a controlled opposition.
* TheRemnant: If the EAM successfully leads the socialist revolution to victory in Greece and subsequently neither fully beats back the Italian invaders nor gets fully defeated, the Italian collaborators will set up a rival government in the territories that the socialists failed to hold on to.
* LaResistance: The collaborationist government is burdened by two resistance groups, the left-wing National Liberation Movement led by Aris Velouchiotis which includes the banned Communist Party of Greece and the liberal National Republican Greek League led by Dimitrios Psarros.
* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Even if the Greek partisans overthrow the EEE regime, their influence won't magically disappear overnight. Many of the collaborators evade capture and are near impossible to track down, while the corrupt elite who benefited from the old system will throw their support to the retaliatory Italian invasion, crippling the rebels' defensive positions and stacking the odds against them.

!!''Georgios Themelis''
[[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_gre_georgios_themelis_4.png]]

->'''Party:''' Ethniki Enosis Ellados[[note]]National Union of Greece[[/note]]
->'''Ideology:''' Fascism
->'''In-Game Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Just as modern Greece is a dim shadow of the world-spanning empire of Alexander, so Georgios Themelis is to his deceased predecessor, Theodoros Pangalos. Where Pangalos was defined by bold action, seizing power from the collaborator government and convincing Italy to allow him to restore stability to Greece, Themelis has muddled his way through leadership with little action of distinction. Where Pangalos commanded the loyalty of the Security Battalions and had at least the appearance of a plan for Greece, Themelis barely commands the loyalty of his own government and has allowed its endemic corruption to bubble over into the public eye.\\\
The president is not unaware of the precarious situation in which his state exists, despite the grumblings about his inaction which can be heard in every bar and eatery of Athens, but he has greater concerns than the petty worries of the common people. He is first beholden to his Italian overlords, who have tolerated his government for the lack of trouble it presents to them, and second to the clique of officers who have been appeased by what they have been permitted to steal. Themelis himself is no stranger to feathering his own nest at the expense of the Greek people, but sometimes he does wonder how long this state of affairs can last.[[/labelnote]]

* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: Themelis commands little loyalty from the government he leads, much less the people of Greece, while his Italian overlords just see him as a useful tool to maintain their control over the country.
* PuppetKing: President Themelis is but a puppet for the Italian occupation authority and the collaborator militias, who hold true power.

!!''Dimitrios Psarros''
[[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dimitrios_psarros.png]]
->'''Role:''' Head of State (EDES Revolt)
->'''Party:''' Prosoriní Dimokratikí Ethnikí Kyvérnisi[[note]]Provisional Democratic National Government[[/note]]
->'''Ideology:''' Interim Government[[note]]Despotism[[/note]]
->'''In-Game Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Whether the King in Athens or the King in Rome, Greece has long been vexed by the various cruelties imposed by despots on the people. After decades of plunder by amoral tyrants, the country has never been poorer or weaker. Yet the spirit of resistance remains deeply embedded in the people, as Greece's bravest sons risk their lives to build a future they may never live to see. Few have risked as much or fought as long as Dimitrios Psarros, one of the most respected figures of the Greek resistance.\\\
Psarros, born in an unremarkable village in central Greece, became a steadfast servant of his country at a young age, fighting in a variety of conflicts throughout the 1910's. A fervent believer in the liberal-nationalist ideology of Eleftherios Venezelos, Psarros eagerly defected to the pro-Entente National Defense government during the First World War and would later join the failed Venizelist coup in 1935. While certain other Venizelists saw the Italian invasion as an opportunity to topple the monarchy, Psarros saw only the replacement of one King with another, and he went underground as a freedom fighter. His resistance group EKKA was small but well respected, and ideological similarities to EDES saw their consolidation postwar.\\\
After the collapse of the Gizikis government, Psarros received the temporary title of president due to his status and popularity. He and his brothers in arms at EDES are at the cusp of achieving their dream of a free Greek republic, but a number of challenges still sit in their path. An ongoing communist insurgency and utter economic devastation imperil the new Greece, but if Psarros can successfully manage them he has all he needs to establish a nation that would make Venizelos proud.[[/labelnote]]

* {{Cincinnatus}}: After the EDES successfully frees Greece from Italian occupation, Psarros will be sworn in as the Hellenic Republic's first president, but only intends to retain power until the nation is stable enough for him to step down.
* RebelLeader: Psarros is the leader of the EDES, the Venizelist resistance group fighting against the Italian-aligned regime over Greece.

!!''Aris Velouchiotis''
[[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_greece_athanasios_klaras_6.png]]
->'''Role:''' Head of State (EAM revolt)
->'''Party''': Ethnikó Apeleftherotikó Métopo[[note]]National Liberation Front[[/note]], Kommounistikó Kómma Elládas[[note]]Communist Party of Greece[[/note]]
->'''Ideology:''' Revolutionary Front[[note]]Socialism[[/note]]
->'''In-Game Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Born to an upper class urban family, the life of Aris Velouchiotis seemed set. Yet during his education, he became infatuated with leftist ideals, eventually joining the communist party and participating in left-wing movements. When Metaxas cracked down, Velouchiotis was jailed, tortured and forced to recant his beliefs.\\\
Aimless for a time, he joined the military and participated in the Greco-Italian War, before being forced to retreat as the Axis stormed the country. He was instrumental in organizing a guerrilla resistance, which eventually merged into the EAM.\\\
While the remnants of the KKE were initially skeptical due to his forced recantation, Velouchiotis regained their trust as he struck blow after blow against the Hellenic State, year after year, no matter how bleak or hopeless things become, becoming the de-facto leader of the partisan organization.\\\
Above all else, Velouchiotis is driven by the dream of a true communist Greece - a vision that he will fight to the death to see realized, regardless of how many democrats, republicans, and fascists stand in his way.[[/labelnote]]

* BrokenPedestal: During Metaxas' reign, Velouchiotis was tortured and forced to renounce his communist ideology. Though he was freed after this, many of his fellow ideologues lost their trust in him for his recantation. Fortunately, he won their faith back when he played an instrumental role in the communist guerrillas' activities against the Axis collaborators, where he's since become recognized as the face of the movement.
* ChummyCommies: Velouchiotis is a communist partisan leader who has been working against the collaborationist regime and the emancipation of the workers.
* TheDeterminator: Velouchiotis has faced many struggles in his war of resistance, but he's endured through it all and fought back to realize his dream for a communist Greece.
* NecessarilyEvil: While Velouchiotis recognises that Lenin's model of war communism is not a pleasant policy, he sees the necessity in doing so to fight off the inevitable Italian invasion.

!!! Tropes pertaining to upcoming content

* FeelingTheirAge: The Red Greek victory teaser suggests that Velouchiotis has a bad back from his advanced age, but he powers through it so that he doesn't show any weakness.
* UniversallyBelovedLeader: {{Downplayed}} in the Red Greek victory teaser. While some pine for the old order in this scenario, practically everyone in Greek society hails Velouchiotis for liberating their country.

!!''Komninos Pyromaglou''
[[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_greece_komninos_pyromaglou.png]]
->'''Role:''' Head of State (First election)
->'''Party:''' Ethnikós Dimokratikós Ellinikós Sýndesmo[[note]]National Republican Greek League[[/note]]
->'''Ideology:''' Progressivism
->'''In-Game Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Since he was a teenager, Komninos Pyromaglou has fought for the liberation of the Greek people. At only 17 years old, a year before Greek entry into the First World War, he travelled into Ottoman territory to join with miltia fighters resisting the ongoing Greek Genocide. For six years he fought the Turks, his bold rescue of 200 encircled Greek soldiers in 1922, and involvement in the 1922 revolution, would later earn him enormous respect among Greek liberals. Exiled by the Metaxas dictatorship in 1938 for his liberal activism, he returned to Greece in 1941 to resist the Italian puppet government, quickly rising to become one of the top leaders of the EDES resistance.\\\
Throughout the 40s and 50s, Pyromaglou worked to unite liberals and reformist socialists alike behind EDES' mission to establish a representative democracy in Greece. Alas, the iron fist of fascism forced him to treat into the most remote areas of the Greek countryside, while violent clashes with the communist EAM stifled effective anti-fascist resistance. With the death of EDES founder Napoleon Zervas in 1957, Pyromaglou became the official head of the organization. He was the main architect of the 1963 truce between EDES and EAM, allowing both organizations to establish a united front against the Themelis government and establish a provisional republic in 1964. With four decades of patriotic struggle behind him, Pyromaglou was shortly thereafter swept into office to become the first democratically elected president of Greece in three decades.\\\
His ambitious platform, which garnered support from hardline socialists and left-leaning capitalists alike, emphasizes universal healthcare and education for all Greek citizens. His right-leaning opponents argue that his plans are too expensive and would stifle Greek efforts to industrialize the economy. Even the far-left of his own party criticize Pyromaglou for his supposed neglect of industrialization and labor rights.[[/labelnote]]

* ContemptCrossfire: Pyromaglou's emphasis on universal healthcare and education is well-liked by his supporters, but he's otherwise disliked by his right-wing opponents and the far-left of his own party. Specifically, the former criticize him for stifling efforts to industrialize the economy and the latter dislike him for his supposed neglect of industrialization and worker's rights.
* TheDeterminator: Pyromaglou has been fighting for the liberation of Greece, since he was 17 years old and he hasn't given up since the Italians have arrived after World War II.
* TakingUpTheMantle: EDES' founder, Napoleon Zervas, died in 1957, so Pyromaglou had to take his place as the official head of the faction.

!!''Panagiotis Kanellopoulos''
[[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_greece_panagiotis_kanellopoulos.png]]
->'''Role:''' Head of State (First election)
->'''Party:''' Ethnikós Dimokratikós Ellinikós Sýndesmos[[note]]National Republican Greek League[[/note]]
->'''Ideology:''' Paternalistic Conservatism[[note]]Conservatism[[/note]]
->'''In-Game Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Born to a wealthy family in 1902, Panagiotis Kanellopoulos developed a passion for political science early in his life, and was an accomplished lawyer and respected scholar before his 30th birthday. Elected president of the Social Insurance Institution in 1934, Kanellopoulos was a rising star in the Greek republic, but alas, with the fall of Greek democracy, he found himself exiled to a small island in the Cyclades. Arrested by Italian forces in 1942 after attempting to establish a resistance group, he miraculously escaped captivity and shortly thereafter joined EDES.\\\
Kanellopoulos was an unusual fit within the largely republican EDES, being a conservative-leaning monarchist. A hindrance to his influence within EDES for most of his time in the resistance, it became an enormously valuable asset to himself--and the resistance movement more generally--in gaining moderate conservatives' support for the provisional government. It was for his ability to appeal to the provisional government's many skeptics that Psarros appointed him interim deputy prime minister. Shortly thereafter, his promises of an economic golden era for Greece earned him the presidency, becoming the first democratically elected head of state Greece had seen in three decades.\\\
Now Kanellopoulos seeks to rapidly industrialize and modernize the Greek economy, to escape from the poverty which the Greek people endured through decades of dictatorship and warfare. By abolishing most of the stringent financial regulations put in place by the collaborationist government, he believes that both foreign and domestic investment will naturally follow, and transform Greece from forgotten backwater into a bonafide jewel of the Mediterranean.[[/labelnote]]

* NonIdleRich: Despite being born into a rich family, he had a good work ethic and aided the EDES in their resistance to the Italian occupation. If Greece is liberated by Psarros, Kanellopoulos will run for election and can become the first democratically elected president in three decades.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Despite being a conservative-leaning monarchist in an otherwise republican party, Kannellopoulos is good at appealing to moderate conservatives and garnering their support his industrialization plans.

!!''Andreas Papandreou''
[[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_greece_andreas_georgios_papandreou_8.png]]
->'''Role:''' Head of State (1968 election)
->'''Party:''' Ethnikós Dimokratikós Ellinikós Sýndesmos[[note]]National Republican Greek League[[/note]]
->'''Ideology:''' Democratic Socialism[[note]]Progressivism[[/note]]
->'''In-Game Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]In a world where extremes are the norm, Andreas Papandreou and the EDA seem out of place. Himself son of EPEK's party leader Georgios Papandreou, Andreas is a relative newcomer in Greek politics, having fled his homeland due to his leftist inclinations during Metaxas's regime. He found himself studying economics at Harvard in America, graduating with a [=PhD=] before joining the United States Navy in its war efforts until its inevitable defeat, after which he worked as a professor in numerous universities across North America.\\\
During the late 50's, after a little over a decade spent in the New World, Papandreou came back to Greece at the enquiry of various EDES figures - namely Konstantinos Karamanlis - in prevision of post EEE Greece. Now, a few years after setting foot back on his homeland, Andreas finds himself President of Greece after its second elections since the fall of the EEE.\\\
Marking a stark contrast with the first members of the EDES, Andreas is intent on following his predecessor's measures in establishing a welfare state. Some speculate he might even further them, as his supporters chant his slogan "Allagí! - Change!"[[/labelnote]]

* TheExile: Papandreou was forced to leave Greece during Metaxas' regime due to his left-wing beliefs, where he wandered throughout North America as a professor. During Greece's 1968 elections, he is invited back to continue Pyromaglou's welfare policies.

!!''Konstantinos Karamanlis''
[[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_greece_konstantinos_karamanlis_7.png]]
->'''Role:''' Head of State (1968 election)
->'''Party:''' Ethnikós Dimokratikós Ellinikós Sýndesmos[[note]]National Republican Greek League[[/note]]
->'''Ideology:''' Paternalistic Conservatism[[note]]Conservatism[[/note]]

* OddFriendship: Despite their conflicting ideologies, Karamanlis was a major figure who convinced Papandreou to return to Greece from his exile in North America.

!!''Georgios Mavros''
[[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_gre_georgios_mavros.png]]

->'''Party:''' Ethniki Proodeftiki Enosis Kentrou[[note]]National Progressive Center Union[[/note]]
->'''Ideology:''' Liberalism
->'''In-Game Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]It is not often that an obscure figure like Georgios Mavros, a man few outside of politics have heard of, rises to the position of national leader. However, Mavros' meteoric rise over the course of a short and chaotic election cycle - only the second such cycle in Greece's renewed democracy - cannot be denied.\\\
Born on a small Greek island off the coast of Anatolia, Mavros went on to study law in Athens and Berlin. When the Italian invasion began, he took up arms like many Greeks, and fought on the Albanian front. Upon the Italian landing in Athens, he quickly found his way into the administrative arm of the EDES, where he served in various administrative posts before national liberation was achieved. Following the reinstatement of democracy, he founded the Center Party, a small, liberal party positioned between Greece's main political blocs.\\\
Mavros now leads - through happenstance and luck - a massive realignment in Greek politics. A man of ideals he might need to break and of positions he may be forced to compromise, the helmsman of Greece's ship of state sails through seemingly perpetually-choppy waters - and failure to successfully navigate them may bring him crashing down as quickly as he rose.[[/labelnote]]

* DarkHorseVictory: His political party is relatively small and caught between the major power blocs in Greece. If he somehow gets elected in 1968, most observers will mostly link it to pure luck.
* PragmaticHero: With his election bring a major realignment in Greek politics, Mavros may need to compromise on his ideals to achieve progress and prevent his administration from being toppled.

!!''Leonidas Kyrkos''
[[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/leonidas_kyrkos.png]]

->'''Party:''' Eniéa Dimokratikí Aristerá - Kommounistes[[note]]United Democratic Left - Communists[[/note]]
->'''Ideology:''' Reformist Socialism[[note]]Socialism[[/note]]
->'''In-Game Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Leonidas Kyrkos and his wing of the EDA truly are anomalies: himself a member of the Communist Youth in his teens, he joined the Greek resistance at a young age following Greece's fall in the Second Great War. True to his leanings, Leonidas and his clique intend to make Greece a true socialist state, one where workers are equal to one another.\\\
Following Pyromaglou's presidency and the EDA shifting ever so to the left, Kyrkos now finds himself as President of the country. The scars of the occupation are still fresh in his mind as one of his goals is to improve the lot of the peasants by mechanizing Greek agriculture methods so as to not repeat the Great Famine, as well as quickly industrializing Greece. Yet, despite his party's eagerness - and his own - in silencing their opposition, the President seems set on keeping the young democracy alive - or at least to keep parts of its apparatus, something discerning the movement from the more authoritarian regime that was the USSR.\\\
Time shall tell whether democracy endures in Greece, or if Kyrkos buries its embers in his effort to make Greece a socialist state.[[/labelnote]]

* ChummyCommies: Kyrkos has long fought against the Italian regime of Greece to create a socialist state that helps the peasant class, while avoiding the mistakes made by the Soviet Union.

!!''Georgios Papadopoulos''
[[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_greece_georgios_papadopoulos_0.png]]
[[quoteright:156:]]
[[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:Civilian outfit]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/greece_georgios_papadopoulos.png[[/labelnote]]]]
->'''Role:''' Head of State (Military coup)
->'''Party:''' Diktatoría ton Syntagmatarchón[[note]]Regime of the Colonels[[/note]]
->'''Ideology:''' Military Junta[[note]]Despotism[[/note]]
->'''In-Game Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Few had ever heard of Georgios Papadopoulos before 1964. The son of a schoolteacher in a remote village, young Georgios saw enrolling in the Military Academy as a path out of poverty--and perhaps more importantly in his mind--a path towards greater power. He has been clawing his way to greater power ever since. He sought military glory as an artillery second lieutenant in the Second World War, and only two years later joined his erstwhile enemies to find power within their ranks. Through the 1940s and 1950s he gradually rose through the ranks of the Security Battalions. But while Papadopoulos could tolerate working under Theodoros Pangalos, he had nothing but loathing for the weak-willed and incompetent Themelis. Thus, Papadopoulous established IDEA, a secretive group which aimed to replace the government and put Papadopoulos at its head.\\\
It was treason of the highest order, and necessitated the greatest secrecy to succeed. On the eve of revolution, Papadopoulos had established an extensive network of contacts within both the Greek government and with Greek insurgent groups. He was trusted by the Italian Duce and not suspected by Themelis. When EAM and EDES combined forces and ousted Themelis, he appealed to the Italians to assist him in a coup to restore order and prevent the spread of communism. They agreed, and now Georgios Papadopoulos and IDEA reign over the Greek nation.\\\
His stated aims are ambitious, bordering on quixotic, to rapidly industrialize the Greek nation, to purge it of communism, unite the nation behind traditional Christian values, and achieve economic independence from Italy. His administration is brutal and arbitrary in its punishments, acting with consequentialism taken to its most violent extreme. His ability to remain in power will depend on maintaining amiable relations with Italy, securing his regime against the threat of terrorists in the hills and nefarious agents within his own government. Most importantly, he must ensure that the Greek people remain tightly under his thumb--sufficiently respectful and fearful of the security forces so as not to boldly protest in the streets, and not desperate enough to rise up anyway.[[/labelnote]]

* AmbitionIsEvil: He craves power above all and he joined the military to pursue it.
* LesCollaborateurs: Papadopoulos shamelessly collaborates with the Italians and keeps Greece under their thumb, so long as they support his regime.
* DisproportionateRetribution: His dictatorship is extremely draconian and brutal punishments are dished out to those who commit minor transgressions.
* MilitaryCoup: After the EAM and EDES overthrow Themelis, Papadopoulos can launch a coup against them with Italian aid, ushering in a Regime of the Colonels and bringing Greece back into their sphere.
* RedScare: His coup against a liberated Greece is to prevent the spread of communism, which he feared the EAM and EDES would do.
* VillainHasAPoint: For how despicable he is, he makes a fair assessment about Themelis being weak-willed and incompetent.
* VisionaryVillain: He has very ambitious plans to industrialize Greece, purge it of communist influence, instill Christian values, and work towards economic independence from Italy.

!!''Ioannis Ladas''
[[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_greece_ioannis_ladas_3.png]]
->'''Role:''' Head of State (post-Italian invasion)
->'''Party:''' Diktatoría ton Syntagmatarchón[[note]]Regime of the Colonels[[/note]]
->'''Ideology:''' Military Junta[[note]]Despotism[[/note]], Fascism (Scorza-led Italy)

* TheQuisling: If a liberated Greece ends up conquered by a retaliatory Italian invasion, Ladas can be put in charge of his home country to keep them leashed to Italy's sphere.

!!''Georgios Grivas''
[[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/georgios_grivas_1968_1971.png]]

[[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:70's portrait]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/georgios_grivas_1972.png[[/labelnote]]]]
->'''Role:''' Head of State (liberal Italian Invasion)
->'''Party:''' Nea Organosi X[[note]]New Organization X[[/note]]

->'''In-Game Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]The European political landscape following World War Two saw many self-styled patriots collaborating with the fascist invader and Georgios Grivas is no different. Grivas was born in Cyprus and moved to Greece in his early adulthood to embark on a career as an officer in the Greek Army, against his family's wishes. Right after his graduation in 1919, he was immediately posted on the Asia Minor front of the Greco-Turkish War, where he distinguished himself for his bravery. The failures of the war convinced him that only a strong hand could save Greece and bring forth Enosis, the reunification of all rightfully Greek territories. For that purpose, he created Organization X, an ultranationalist, monarchist cell within the Greek army and plotted for the eventual revolution that would defeat the liberal traitors in the government and give Greece her rightful place in the world.\\\
But even the best plans laid by men can still be thwarted and that's what happened to Grivas. The revolution actually happened in Greece, but a liberal one. The fascist regime in Rome needed a loyal man in Athens and Grivas was just what they needed. Enticed by promises of power and wealth, Grivas aligned himself with the fascist invader, Organization X became the Party X of National Resistance, and from Athens he heralds a new era of strength, glory and prosperity for Greece. All while the Italian fascist jackboot rests on the neck of his motherland. While he might think otherwise, Grivas is no longer a loyal son of Greece. He is nothing but another puppet for a foreign regime like any other.[[/labelnote]]

* {{Cincinnatus}}: After a certain time period, Grivas will surrender some of his authority to set up elections in Greece.
* TheQuisling: Grivas sides with Italy when they invade Red Greece, and is chosen to lead the new Greek collaborationist government if Italy wins after having transitioned to liberal democracy.

!!''Georgios Poulos''
[[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_greece_georgios_poulos.png]]
->'''Role:''' Head of State (fascist Italian invasion)
->'''Party:''' Kyvérnisi Ellinikis Katharótitas[[note]]Government of Hellenic Purity[[/note]]
->'''Ideology:''' Stratocracy[[note]]Ultranationalism[[/note]]

* TheDreaded: Poulos is feared and hated throughout Greece for his brutality and shameless collaboration with the Italians.
* GeneralRipper: Poulos leads the Poulos Verband, the most feared collaborationist death squad in occupied Greece, and rules the country in a similarly-brutal manner after being propped up by Italy.
* TheQuisling: Poulos is the leader of the collaborationist government created by fascist Italy after it defeats the Greek rebels.

!!''Constantine II''
[[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_greece_konstantine_ii.png]]
->'''Role:''' King of the Hellenes

* TheQuisling: Grivas will invite Constantine to become the new monarch of his proclaimed Hellenic Union, an offer that Constantine couldn't refuse.
* RightfulKingReturns: Constantine II, the current pretender to the Greek throne, can come back home and be crowned if Italy puts down the EAM's revolution and puts the monarchist NOX in charge of Greece.

!! "Penelope's Web" Update
Upcoming content coming in the "Penelope's Web" update.

* RedScare: Every single collaborator faction maes extensive use of anti-communist rhetoric against the partisans.

* HopeSpringsEternal: After the German invasion of Serbia, a wounded partisan fighter, suffering from necrosis and hiding in Belgrade, curses those he hears celebrating in the distance. Matters seem to get worse when the doctor treating his wounds tells him who has been captured and executed, while footsteps are heard outside the apartment and raises the possibility that the doctor has sold the partisan out. As it turns out, the crowd heart celebrating is not praising the Germans, but expressing delight upon the assassination of the new mayor of Belgrade, giving the partisan renewed optimism that their fight isn't over yet.

* ThisCannotBe: The various Serbian collaborators react with despair if the National Liberation Front wins the civil war. One event shows a Serbian sollaborator mourning the death of Hitler and Ljotić before ranting about how the communists are ruining Serbian traditions and threatening the church and family. He cannot comprehend why the partisans are so popular in Serbia and surmises that it must be due to some "all-encompassing" propaganda.

* LetNoCrisisGoToWaste: Ćosić used the Italo-German split and subsequent militarization of the Serbian-Croatian border to propagate Serbian nationalism against pan-Yugoslavism, which would become relevant as the partisan movement in Serbia was separated from the rest of Yugoslavia.

->'''Official Name:''' Independent State of Serbia, Government of National Salvation (Serbian Civil War), Reichsprotektorat Serbien[[labelnote:Tr.]]Reich Protectorate of Serbia[[/labelnote]] (Return to Einheitspakt), Kingdom of Serbia (Đujić)

* AuthorityInNameOnly: The Germans in Serbia really only control the major roads and cities of the country, with everything else plagued with anti-German partisans. Even worse, the Serb collaborators don't even govern some of the few areas they are officially responsible for, as some places like Banat are more autonomous zones governed by the local German populace instead.

->'''Role:''' Head of State

->'''Role:''' Head of State (Serbian Civil War)

* TheQuisling: Jovanović has collaborated with the Axis since Yugoslavia was conquered by them, serving as mayor of Belgrade during World War II and returning Serbia back to the German sphere of influence if they align with them over Italy.

->'''Role:''' Head of State (Serbian Civil War victory)

* LesCollaborateurs: Under Đujić's command, the Chetniks have become a tool of oppression for the fascist Serbian government and part of the Serbian National Army, being more than happy to collaborate with the Germans and Italians to survive.

->'''Role:''' Head of State (Serbian Civil War victory)

* MeetTheNewBoss: His ascension to Head of State marks a return to the previous fascist Zbor regime that was in place when his brother ruled Serbia.

* TeethClenchedTeamwork: The Serbian resistance movement is divided between the old guard who still adhere to Tito's dream of a communist Yugoslavia and the newer generation of rebels who desire a nationalist Serbia instead. Both groups are willing to work together against the Germans, but once their common foe is taken care of, these factions will fight for control of Serbia. Even the communists are divided themselves, split between moderate and conservative factions who debate over how Yugoslavia should be governed.

->'''Role:''' Head of State

->'''Role:''' Head of State (Post-War Election)

* AllohistoricalAllusion: The overthrow of Ćosić's government during the Oil Crisis bears some similarities to the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overthrow_of_Slobodan_Milosevic overthrow of Slobodan Milosevic's government in OTL's Yugoslavia]], with the Otpor movement and the Democratic Opposition of Serbia also emerging far earlier in this timeline.

* PresidentForLife: By sidelining the communists and employing intimidation tactics, Ćosić easily wins the restored democratic election, taking control of the Presidency and legislature. Ćosić doesn't get better from there, running unopposed by either employing more anti-democratic practices or forming a coalition with the People's Radical Party.

* RevolvingDoorRevolution: Soon after taking power for himself, Ćosić's government can end up collapsing as a result of the Oil Crisis, leading to his removal from power, and leading to Serbia becoming a true, liberal democracy.

->'''Role:''' Head of State (Post-Serbian Spring Election)

* TheDeterminator: Pekić is a man of strong principles and an unwavering commitment to liberalism against dictatorships.

->'''Role:''' Head of State (Post-Serbian Spring Election)

->'''Role:''' Head of State (Post-Serbian Spring Election)

* AmbiguousSituation: The Hungarian fascists can retain power, but they cannot stop Imrédy from passing away eventually. Many on the streets for his death, but it is left unclear how many are doing so out of coercion.