• Embed Doc
  • Copy Link
  • Readcast
  • Collections
  • CommentGo Back
Download
 
Cyprus
Early History
Famous for its copper resource around 3000 B.C., the island of Cyprus had seen manyinvaders since then. Greek colonizers arrived in sizable numbers first after the end of theTrojan War (1184 B.C) and secondly after several Greek poets and playwrights started tomention the myth of Aphrodite’s influence on the island. According to the poets,Aphrodite, the Grecian goddess of love and beauty, had been born out of sea foam atCyprus western coast, where Paphos is present day. Soon after that the cult of Aphroditewas founded and many temples devoted to the goddess were built in Paphos.Although, celebrated by its multi-cultural influences, Cyprus has been first and last,always an outpost of the Hellenic world. But coveted by every powerful civilization inreign, its has been taken throughout history first by Egypt, Persians, Alexander the Great,Rome, the Byzantine Empire and invaded several times by the Arabs.It would be, however, the Roman occupation that would have more influence on Cyprus.For illustration, although the Roman’s main concern with the island was to exploit itsresources for the Roman treasury, the reign bought new technology, economic prosperityand education to its inhabitors. Moreover, forgotten for many years, it was also the firstarea of the Roman Empire to be governed by a Christian.As history goes, when the apostle Paul arrived in Salamis in 45 A.D., the apostleBarnabas, who was also a convert and a native of Salamis, arrived with him. As theytraveled the island at Paphos they converted not only the first Roman of noble birth butalso one who was the proconsul, Sergius Paulus.It would be centuries later, however, that Cyprus would once exchange hands to another empire. With Diocletian’s successor, Constantine, the island would eventually become part of the Byzantium Empire, and be taken away from its Byzantine governor IsaacComnenus in 1191 by Richard the Lion Heart during the Third Crusade.It was then with the transfer of Cyprus to Guy de Lusignan, the then ruler of the LatinKingdom of Jerusalem, because of debts owed by the Knights of Templar, that nearly aeight hundred years of Byzantine rule would come to an end, as the Lusignan Dynastywould establish a western feudal system in the isle of Cyprus for the next 300 years until1468- 1489 A.D. when it was linked with Venetian rule by marriage and 1571-1878 A.D.with the Ottoman Empire reigning.
The British Rule
It would be a while for British occupation to occur in Cyprus for it was until after thesixteenth century, that the Ottoman’s military power would finally decline, and theywould be considered for many years to come as “the sick man of Europe.” This title,unfortunately, for them, would be working against them for it is then that various nationswould then seek to profit at its expense and one of them would be the island’s populationmajority-the Greek Cypriots.
 
When the British Empire was given Cyprus it had rejected it three times first in 1833,1841 and 1845, before accepting it from the Ottoman’s in 1878. Nevertheless, it must benoted that when Great Britain took over Cyprus administration, it had been due to boththe Ottoman Empire and the Great Powers fear that Russia would try to fill the power vacuum by expanding west and south of Eastern Europe.The Greek Cypriot administration had some opposition at the thought of Britishcolonization but it made its presence known with a speech given at Larnaca by theBishop of Kition, for the first British high commissioner stating how the British Empireshould expedite the unification of Cyprus to Greece as it had done to the Ionian Islands.The British, nonetheless, refused to consider the Greek Cypriots lobby efforts for enosis.(The idea of enosis is basically the idea of the island becoming a part of the Greek Republic)This, furthermore, would not be the only time that Cyprus would cry for enosis or evenconsider lobbying for it while under the British Empire. In demonstration, at the outbreak of the First World War, the British annexed Cyprus and offered it to Constantine I of Greece, in return for his support in the war. Nevertheless, while Eleftherios Venizelos,the premier of Greece accepted the idea of enosis, the king rejected it and instead tried toremain neutral during WWI.It would be then after the offer lapsed, the Republic of Turkey was established in 1923and the British finally declared Cyprus as a colony under the crown in 1925 that openrebellions would become more violent. In 1931, for demonstration, a riot resulted inseveral deaths and the burning of the British Governments House in Lefkosia. Due tothese revolts the crown would then over the years start to impose harsh restrictions on theisland. All political parties were banned, the constitution was suspended, martial law wasimposed, no nationalist parties were allowed and press censorship prevailed.All the same, while British occupation restricted many of its inhabitants, it also boughtmany benefits to the island. The economy prospered, money was brought for modernization projects, an efficient civil service was put in place, hospitals were built,roads were established to formally isolated towns, after WWII malaria was eliminatedand locusts were practically eradicated.
World War II and Postwar Nationalism in Cyprus
While claims for enosis were put on hold during WWII due to the fact that many Cypriots joined the British Armed Forces, both sides knew that towards the end of the war talkswould have to be discussed for their political support during the war. Except for a seriesof very limited air raids the island itself escaped the war unscathed, nonetheless, as it had been two decades earlier the island was once again the center station for a super power tosupply, train and keep its naval station.During the onset of the war, however, the British never made a move to restore or evenmake a new constitution, seeing how its former one had been revoked in 1931. Nonetheless, it would be after October of 1941, that after years of condemnation, political
 
 parties were granted permission to form and without delay many political parties such asthe Cypriots communist party and national peasant organizations were formed.The campaign towards enosis began on April 1, 1955 with the uprising of EOKA(Ethniki Organosis Kyrprion Agoniston) founded by Cypriot native Colonel GeorgeGrivas and Michael Mouskus, who was Archbishop Makarios III. The campaigns were aseries very well strategized military attacks against British police, military and other government institutions in Limassol, Larnaca, Famagusta, and Nicosia. The results of these riots were the resignation of many Greek Cypriots from the police force and thereplacement of the force by Turkish Cypriots.Problems were approaching rapidly in the island and 1957 because of intercommunaltensions between the Greeks and the Turks, the Turkish Cypriots formed the TMT (Turk Mukavemet Teskilati) to fight the EOKA. The TMT was basically formed under the fear that should enosis occur, the only way to protect the Turkish Cypriots interest andidentity was to divide the island (Taksim) in two with the Greek Cypriots living in oneside and the Turkish Cypriots in another. Nevertheless, when talks for Cyprus independence began in 1958 no mention of enosis or taksim ever happened. And even though the island was in the verge of a civil war, inAugust 1960 after a series of talks in the Zurich-London Agreements, Cyprus achieved itsindependence.
The Republic of Cyprus
The Republic of Cyprus was born out of a compromise. While many Greek Cypriots andthe EOKA were disappointed that enosis had not been possible, a constitutionalagreement was made that Cyprus was to become an independent republic with a Greek Cypriot President and a Turkish Cypriot Vice-President.The constitution was made effective on August 16, 1960, and the first general electionsfor the House of Representatives were held in July 31 of that same year.A month later the island became a member of the United Nations, in the spring a member of the Commonwealth. And a year later in December he became an official member of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. No amount of independence, however, would ensure peace between the Turkish andGrecian community living in Cyprus. After eight years of living under the British entity,the Turkish Cypriots now had enough political power to content its colleges the Greek Cypriots. Contention between the two parties had always been the under lying surface,nevertheless, serious problems became arising when the integration of Turkish and Greek Cypriots in the army would occur, Michael Mouskus, who was Archbishop Makarios III,leader of the Greek Cypriots during the revolution against the British and CyprusPresident, wanted complete integration between the two communities in the nationsarmy, but Fazil Kucuk, Makarios Turkish Cypriot Vice President demanded for segregation. And when the bill came to pass for Kuck’s vote in October 20, 1961, hevetoed any integration between the Greek-Turkish Cypriots in the armed forces.
of 00

Leave a Comment

You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...
You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...