Figure 1.--The press caption for this 1967 photograph taken in Nicoisea read, "Symbol of tension on Cyprus: A little Greek Cypriot boy watches a Swedish soldier of the United Natins force here clean his weapon. The ctensioin between Greece and Turkey over the Cyprus question continued November 25th, with both Greece and Turkey prepared for a possible armed confrontation."

The Cypriots and British negotiated the Zurich-London Treaty recognizing Cyprus as an independent republic (Auygust 1960). Cyprus joined the United Nations, the Council of Europe and the Commonwealth as well as the Non-Aligned Movement. Britain was allowed to retains two bases (Dhekelia and Akrotiri-Episkopi). Independent Cyprus had a largely Greek population of 430,000. This was the largest concentrated group of Greeks outside Greece itself. (America has a larger Greek population, but it is dispersed around the country.) There was a substantial Turkish minority of about 95,000 people. The Turks did not feel threatened under British rule, this changed with independence and a Greek-majority government and enosis with Greek was even more threatening. Archbishop Makarios III was elected president. He was an Orthodox cleric who was the leader of the Cypriot Greek community. His three terms as president (1959-77) were not uneventful. He managed to survived four assassination attempts and a 1974 coup. Archbishop Makarios spported enosis, but an independent Cyprus was acceptable as political compromise to avoid violence. Independence was, however, not acceptable to EOKA and Grivas or to Greek nationalists on the mainland.

Enosis and EOKA (1950s)

British control of Cyprus was at first favorably received by its mostly ethnic Greek population. Britain had been a major support for the Greeks in their war for independence (1820s). Most Cypriots assumed assumed that Britain eventually come to terms with the Greek Governent and arange for enosis (union with Greece), although no commitment was made. Turkish Cypriots, however, were not enthusiastic about such a union. World war I increased the possibility of enosis. The British Government offered to unite Cyprus with Greece (1915). The condition was that Greece fwould fulfill its treaty obligations with Serbia if attacked by Bulgaria. The Serbs had managed to resist an Austrian offensive in the north. The Central powers prepared a new offensive with Austrian abd German forced attabking in the north and Bulgaria entering the war and attacking in the south. The Greek Government was conflicted anout the war, with important elements desiring to stay out of the fighting or even supporting theGermans. The Greeks refused the British offer and the British never repeated the offer, although Greece did finally join the Allies. After World War I, enosis sentiment on Cyprus grew. There were pro-enosis riots (1931), but it wasn’t until several years after World War II (1950s) that the enosis movement began to garner widesread support. Cypriot lieutenant colonel, Georgos ‘Digenis’ Grivas, who mobilied the Ethniki Organosi tou Kypriakou Agona (National Organisation for the Cypriot Struggle--EOKA). Greek Cypriots had organized EOKA during World War II to resist the Communists. Now the target became the British. EOKA launched a resistance campaign gainst the British administration and military. They also targeted Cypriots seen as oposing enosis. The Greek Government responding to events on Cypris proposed the enosis of Greece and Cyprus (1954).

Independence (August 1960)

The Cypriots and British negotiated the Zurich-London Treaty recognizing Cyprus as an independent republic. The Turks bought in. The country became independent August 16, 1960. Cyprus joined the United Nations, the Council of Europe and the Commonwealth as well as the Non-Aligned Movement. Britain was allowed to retains two bases (Dhekelia and Akrotiri-Episkopi). The new country transition from colony to independence was not an easy one. Cypriots expected the tensions and violence of the independence movement to abate. They did not. The targets, however, were no longer the British. The viloence on Cyprus became more ethnically based.

Ethnicity

Independent Cyprus had a largely Greek population of 430,000. This was the largest concentrated group of Greeks outside Greece itself. (America has a larger Greek population, but it is dispersed around the country.) There was a substantial Turkish minority of about 95,000 people. The Turks did not feel threatened under British rule, this changed with independence and a Greek-majority government and enosis with Greek was even more threatening. Incidents between Greks and Turks began soon after independence (1963).

Archbishop Makarios

Archbishop Makarios III was elected Cyprus' first president. He was an Orthodox cleric who was the leader of the Cypriot Greek community. His name was Michael Mouskos. He was elected bishop of Kition (1948) and archbishop of Cyprus (1950). Under British rule, this made him the most influential Cypriot leader. And he assume leadership after Worlkd War II of the Greek Cypriots in the movement for enosis (union with Greece). As the struggle for indeoendence intensified, the British charged him with promoting terrorism and exiled him (1956). With independence, his three terms as president (1959-77) were not uneventful. He managed to survived four assassination attempts and a 1974 coup. Archbishop Makarios spported enosis, but an independent Cyprus was acceptable as political compromise to avoid violence. Independence was, however, not acceptable to EOKA and Grivas or to Greek nationalists on the mainland.

Cyprus Crisis (1963)

The Cyprus crisis had deep historical roots embedded in the tension between the Greek and Turkish communities, resuting from cnturies of Ottoman rule. The 1960 Constitution under which Cyporius chieved independenc proved unworkable because of the new country's ethnic divide. This ws not probln under Britidh rule, but became a huge problem as an independent country. The problems came to a head over the proportion of Greeks and Turks in the Cypriot parliament and in the police and in the bureaucracy. Greek Cypriots proposed amendments that threatened the power-sharing arrangements that had been a fundamental part of the independence agreement. As a result, Turkish Cypriots withdrew from the government. After Turkish ministers withdrew from the Cabinet and the Turkish civil servants stoped working (1963). Inter-ethnic dctsariam violence began to appear on the streets. Turkey threatened to intervene. The Turkish Cypriot leadership apparently was acing under instructions from the Turkish Government with the goal of partitioning Cyprus and annexing the Turkish area. This only served to hardening and intensify the existing divisions between the Greek and Turkish communities. The United Nations dispatched a peacekeeping force to Cyprus (1964). They were used to support British troops that had rmined in the country and were attempting to man the ‘Green Line’ dividing Lefkosia. Turkish Cypriots retreated to heavily Turkish sectors and protected enclaves in an effort to protect themselves from Greek attacks. The U.N. peave-keeping force did its best to control the violence and prevent a Turkish military intervention. Both the Greek and Turkish Governments made military threats, but held back from actual hostilities. Cypriots began to consider the possible separation of the two ethnic communities.

Cold War

There were also Cold War complicatiions. The Cold War was raging at the time Cyprus becane indeopendent. , although the Berlin Wall acted to defuse the most volitale hot point (1961). The wotld, however, was in a flux with decolonization. There were other problem spots, including the China, Congo, Cuba, Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, and other countries. Cyprus had some strategic importance in the eastern Mediterranean. which is why the British occupied the island in the first place. Cyprus was an important istening base for America and Britain. The two Cold War allies could monitor Soviet nuclear-missile testing in central Asia. The British even after Cypriot independence maintained an airforce garrison. The RAF Akrotiri base had an arsenel that included nuclear weapons.

Non-Aligned Movenent

President Makarios positioned Cyprus with the not very accurately named Non-alignment Movement which often served as a proxy for anti-western positions and initiatives. The non-aligned movement included countries like Cuba aligned with the Soviets, but no countries aligned with the West. The movement included developing countries that thought Socialism was the answer to economic development and the future. While the make-up of the Non-Aligned movement was diverse (including democratic India and totalitarian Cuba), the common threads were criticism of Western free market capitalism and adopotion of socialist policies that proved to lead to economic failure. Makarios sought weapons and political support from the Soviet Union and Soviet satellites like Czechoslovakia. At the same time he covertly encouraged enosis with Greece where Socialists and Communists were also gaining political support. As the Communist Party encouraged President Makarios gained support, Turkey and Turkish Cypriots became increasingly apprehensive. The Communists had little support in Turkey and the Turks had joined NATO primarily to protect themselves from Soviet aggressin. The thought of a Communist Greek Cypriot Government was deeply dusturbing. And the Americans and British began to see another Cuban crisis unfolding – this one i the Mediterranean.

Greek Military Coup (1967)

The Greek military concerned about the increasingly left-wing drift of Greek politics staged a coup, seizing control of the government. This affected relations with Archbishop Makarios and his left-wing government.

Cyprus Coup (July 1974)

The Greek military organized a coup on Cyprus. The objective was to eliminate Archbishop Makarios' government and replace it with a pro-Western governmentin power. They also hoped to unite Cyprus to Greece. Greek officers led a unit of the National Guard (July 15). They attacked the presidential palace, but Makarios managed to narrowly escape. The Guardsmen declared a former EOKA leader, Nikos Sampson, president of Cyprus.

Turkish Invasion (July 1974)

The Turks immediately responded to the Greek coup and threat of enosis by invading northern Cyprus with 40,000 well-armed troops (July 20). The Turks landed at Kyrenia (Girne) to protect the ethnic Turks and overturn Sampson’s government. The Turks quickly established a bridgehead around Kyrenia and despite vigorus Greek Cypriot reistance drive on Nicosia (Lefkoşa). The more lightly armed Greek Cypriot National Guard was unable to stop them. They finally linked up with the Turkish sector of northern Nicosia (Lefkoşa).

Political Developments amd Talks (July-December 1974)

Events on Cyprus were affected by developments in Greece itself. The Greek Junta was unable to confront the Turks militarily. While the Turkish Army was advancing towaed Nicosea, the Greek military junta fell (July 23). The colonels were reolaced by a democratic regime led by Konstantinos Karamanlis. Glafkos Clerides, the president of the Cypriot House of Representatives, replaced Sampson. The three guarantor powers of Cypriot indepedence were: Britain, Greece and Turkey. They met for discussions in Geneva. Thec Turks participated, but did not halt their military offensive until August 16. By that time Turkey controlled the northern 37 percent of the island. Archbishop Makarios returned to resume the presidency (Decenber), but by tht time Cyprus was divided along ethbic lines.

Partition

The Turks eventually occupied nearly 40 percent of the Island. About 200,000 Greek Cypriots were forced out of the Turkish occupied area. The Turkish-held area declared itself the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" (1983), but it is recognized only by Turkey. UN-led talks on the status of Cyprus resumed (December 1999). The goal was to prepare the ground for meaningful negotiations leading to a comprehensive settlement, but in fact no profress was made.

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Crerated: 1:55 AM 4/18/2012
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