Series of cultural and historical documentaries.

In a period as critical as the one Greece is currently experiencing, “Paraskinio” turns its lens to an old, seemingly forgotten newspaper and the people who supported it.

The newspaper was “Machi” (“Battle”), and creating a portrait of a publication rather than a person may not be so unconventional.

“Machi” was founded as an underground paper in 1941, during the German occupation. From the beginning, as its title suggested, it aimed to give voice to Greeks enduring multiple hardships.

The newspaper was supported by leading journalists and intellectuals. Nikos Kazantzakis, Angelos Sikelianos, Dimitris Psathas, and Alekos Sakellarios were among those who contributed articles.

This journalistic team later formed the backbone of Athens’ most important newspapers in the following decades.

Three prominent figures were the soul of “Machi”: Professor Alexandros Svolos, Ilias Tsirimokos, and Stratis Someritis. All three envisioned socialism for Greece. As leading members of the Democratic Popular Union party—the most significant socialist formation of the time— “Machi” served as its official organ.

However, the newspaper was not a blindly partisan publication like many that followed. It was essentially the refuge of a small group of romantics who proposed an alternative path for Greece.

After the war, “Machi” actively promoted reconciliation to prevent the impending civil conflict. During the civil war, it stood up against the authorities, denouncing persecution of the left and mass executions—the only publication daring to do so in a time of extreme terror. At the same time, it maintained a clear distance from the Zachariadis-led Communist Party, advocating for a different vision of socialism in Greece than the Stalinist model that everyone else regarded as the only one.

“Machi”’s greatest struggle was exposing the tragedy of Makronisos. Through courageous investigative journalism, it challenged the victorious regime. Despite legal prosecutions against its members, it not only survived but ultimately contributed to ending the Makronisos prison-camp.

The newspaper enjoyed immense popularity until the early 1950s. Its people envisioned socialism and acted to put their beliefs into practice. Their ideas and visions found themselves caught between the Right, the Center, and the Communist Party. While they never fully thrived within any single political formation, the core of their thinking—and the people themselves—remained influential in Greek politics for decades.

Ilias Tsirimokos’ story perhaps vividly illustrates the dead-end of such an endeavor in Greece. A gifted political mind and member of the Mountain government led by Alexandros Svolos, he later joined the Center Union and in 1965 became a central figure of the political crisis of Apostasia in Greece.

The program, through rich archival material, examines not only the trajectory of the newspaper but also the evolution of the socialist experiment in Greece—from then until today.

In today's era, when ideological concepts have lost their meaning and empty rhetoric and demagoguery prevail, it is particularly interesting to consider how things might have evolved under different choices and what led to the distortion of the socialist idea in Greece.

Ultimately, we see that an example of committed activism—characterized by consistency, rationality, adherence to institutions, and a positive spirit—could serve as a guide for facing today’s dark times.