The book provides an integrative analysis of Greece’s role in international affairs the day before and during the early stages of World War II. Based on previously unstudied historical sources, such as materials of the Russian foreign policy archive and the Russian state military archive, and already published Greek, British, German, Italian and Russian diplomatic documents, memoirs, diaries and periodicals, it covers the Greek foreign policy from 1936, when the Metaxas regime was established, up to the Axis occupation in spring 1941 and investigates such issues as a policy of manoeuvring in late 1930’s, mutual relations of the Balkan countries, Soviet-Greek economic and political cooperation, reasons for the defeat of coalition troops in April 1941, preparation of British expeditionary forces for the Battle of Crete, the historical value of Greece’s participation in World War II.