Communism and Nationalism in Postwar Cyprus, 1945-1955: Politics and Ideologies Under British Rule

192 Pages·2016·1.781 MB·English

by  Alexios Alecou (auth.)

Communism and
Nationalism in
Postwar Cyprus,
1945-1955
Politics and Ideologies
Under British Rule
Alexios Alecou
Communism and Nationalism in Postwar Cyprus,
1945-1955

Alexios   Alecou
Communism and
Nationalism in
Postwar Cyprus,
1945-1955
Politics and Ideologies Under British Rule
Alexios   Alecou
University of London
London , UK
ISBN 978-3-319-29208-3 ISBN 978-3-319-29209-0 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-29209-0
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016943796
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A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS
The process of writing a book is often long and full of obstacles, dis-
appointments, sorrow, joy, excitement and enthusiasm. The effect of
these confl icting emotions, especially when that path is lonely, is often
therapeutic for writers: they only realize all these benefi ts at the end of
the route. The feeling that I, as a writer, have contributed, even in the
least, to the revelation of some aspects of the history of my homeland is
priceless.
This book could not have been written without the help of Professors
Andreas Kapardis and Costa Gouliamos: their comments on the general
idea and arguments were decisive. Special thanks to David Porter for his
support in editing and proofreading this book: his professionalism made
the whole procedure less stressful, and I owe him a huge debt of gratitude.
Also thanks to Kristin Purdy and Michelle Smith at Palgrave Macmillan for
their great help in fi nalizing the book.
I am also grateful to Vassos Constandinou and Christos Spyrou at the
Press and Information Offi ce of the Republic of Cyprus, for helping me
with my research at the press archive, and to Professor Philip Murphy,
Director of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies of the University of
London, for awarding me a visiting fellowship at the Institute: without
this fellowship, I would not have been able to conduct in-depth research
at the National Archives in London.
Finally, many thanks to my family for having patience with me while I
took on yet another challenge which reduced the amount of time I have
had to spend with them. This includes my parents and sisters for their
v
vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
encouragement and especially my wife, Stavri, for believing in me and
supporting me all the way. Lastly, I dedicate this book to my son Christos,
my greatest source of love, my personal relief from weariness, my best
motivation.
Alexis Alecou
November 2015
C
ONTENTS
1 Introduction 1
2 The Formation of Cypriot Society 7
3 Communism and Nationalism in Cyprus 23
4 British Methods of Rule: Political Liberties
and the Constitutional Assembly 47
5 External Infl uences: Cyprus as a Refl ection of Greece 75
6 Communism vs. Nationalism: Fields of Confl ict 97
7 Leading the Anti-colonial Movement 119
8 The Internationalization of Enosis 143
9 Armed Struggle: A One-Way Path? 157
vii
viii CONTENTS
10 Conclusions 169
Bibliography 175
Index 183
A
BBREVIATIONS
AKEL P rogressive Party of Working People
DSE D emocratic Army of Greece
EAKX National Agrarian Party of Chites
EAM N ational Liberation Front
EAS N ational Liberation Coalition
ELAS N ational Popular Liberation Army
EMAK N ational Liberation Front of Cyprus
EOKA N ational Organization of Cypriot Fighters
EREK N ational Radical Union of Cyprus
KARI C ypriot Fighters, Daring Leaders
KEK C yprus National Party
KKE C ommunist Party of Greece
KKK C ommunist Party of Cyprus
KME Cyprus Mining Company
KPO Cypriot Civil Organization
KTIVK Turkish Trade Unions
NEK Y outh of National Party
PEK C yprian Farmers’ Union
PEO P ancyprian Federation of Labor
PES N ational Cooperation Wing
POK Political Organization of Cyprus
PSE P ancyprian Trade Union Committee
RIK C yprus Broadcasting Corporation
SEK Cyprus Workers Confederation
SEKA C oordinating Committee of the Cyprus Struggle
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