This book follows the paths of people from the interwar years to the end of the Occupation. It records the consequences of the Occupation, such as the collapse of the economy, the terror of the conquerors, famine, and the impact these had on their lives.

Through their testimonies, it delves into the reasons they decided to join the Resistance. The study focuses on the EAM resistance movement in Athens, particularly in the refugee neighborhoods, and explains why the refugees of Kaisariani and Vyronas, with the help of their comrades from Pangrati, Gouvou, and Hymettus, turned their neighborhoods into bastions of EAM.

It observes how through street battles, the distribution of illegal press, or participation in demonstrations, the resistance experience forms a new political identity and a new collective subject.

On this basis, the research traces the process of radicalization of entire social groups (students, public employees, workers), which contributed to the transformation of the struggle for survival into a resistance struggle.

It investigates the reasons for the escalation of political confrontation between EAM, the German occupying authorities, and the governments appointed by them. It examines the role that violence played in the transformation of politics into armed conflict and the practices each side used to achieve its goals.

The checkpoints of the Security Battalions, the tortures and executions of the Special Security, the raids of the 'X' organization, the battles of ELAS, and the murders of OPLA composed the diversity of violence that divided Athenian society.

Through the lens of social history, the book places focus on the people and their experiences and highlights occupied Athens as one of the most characteristic examples of how a society reacts in times of crisis.