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2017 | OriginalPaper | Chapter

9. A Proxy Civil War and the Forging of Nationalist Party Politics

Author : Yiannos Katsourides

Published in: The Greek Cypriot Nationalist Right in the Era of British Colonialism

Publisher: Springer International Publishing

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Abstract

This chapter examines the way in which the Left and Right became extremely polarised in the late 1940s and early 1950s—so divided that Cyprus was practically on the brink of civil war. I also analyse how this polarisation impacted nationalist party politics, especially in terms of how anti-communism and nationalism were used by the nationalist Right and the Cypriot Church to influence certain critical events, such as the Constitutional Assembly in 1947–1948, municipal and ecclesiastical elections, and the trade union movement. Most important to analyse in this regard is the Church of Cyprus, as it had a strong unifying influence and leadership role in the nationalist milieu. I conclude with an overview and an evaluation of conditions that drove the nationalist Right to radicalise its struggle against the British through an armed guerrilla movement—the clandestine organisation, EOKA.

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previous chapter The Crisis of Nationalism, Political Opposition and the Consolidation of the Nationalist Right

next chapter Conclusions: Old and New Right

See for example, Aneksartitos (Independent), 27 May 1944. Aneksartitos was the unofficial mouthpiece of AKEL in the 1940s.

Eleftheria, 16 November 1944.

Eleftheria, 20 December 1944.

The fact that their total value is more than 100% is due to the electoral system which allowed positive voting to more than one candidate and from more than one list.

For a thorough discussion on the Constitutional Assembly see Katsiaounis (2000).

TNA, CO 926/256, Policy of New Constitution in Cyprus 1954–56, Cyprus Constitution, Despatch dated 7th May 1948 from the Secretary of State for the Colonies to the Governor of Cyprus.

See for example Ethnos, 12 July, 1947.

TNA, CO 926/171, Political Situation Cyprus 1954–56, Enosis: Union of Cyprus with Greece, Governor of Cyprus to Secretary of State for Colonies, 28 August 1954, 6.

‘We enjoyed Palmerocracy and we shout: enosis not autonomy—we prefer Storrs and Palmer than Fifis and Clerides’, Efimeris 10 April 1948. Andreas Ziartides was the Secretary General of PEO and Fifis Ioannou the Secretary General of AKEL at the time.

Cited in Efimeris, 9 October 1948.

Efimeris, 9 October 1948.

‘The minimum’, Efimeris, 13 March 1948.

ASKI, F-20/21/14, ‘A short report on the Cypriot situation and AKEL’, 50. See also Aneksartitos, 3 September 1948; Democratis, 10 September 1948.

‘With the employers’, Eleftheria, 19 August 1948.

TNA, FCO 141/4281, ‘Cyprus: memorandum on the origin and activities of KEK (Cypriot National Party)’, 22 June 1949, Top Secret, Appendix 1, Evidence of nationalist opposition to AKEL in the strikes of 1948. Two examples from the strike in the Cyprus Mining Corporation (CMC) that lasted from 13 January to 16 May 1948 are indicative. On 26 February ‘the New Trade Unions supplied blackleg labour in an attempt to break the power of the Old Trade Union leaders’. On 8 March, ‘lorries carrying 107 strike-breakers to Xeros were stoned’.

TNA, CO 537/4041, Secret, ‘Political Situation in Cyprus during the month of September 1948’.

TNA, FCO 141/4281, ‘Cyprus: memorandum on the origin and activities of KEK (Cypriot National Party)’, 22 June 1949, Top Secret, 4.

‘Archbishopric circular on the strike of the miners’, Ethnos, 21 March 1948.

The Encyclical of the Holy Synod of the Cypriot Church, in Eleftheria, 7 September 1948.

TNA, FCO 141/3205, ‘Cyprus: Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA); Orthodox Christian Union of Youth (OHEN)’, Secret, Censorship of Deportees’ correspondence, 15 October 1956.

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The Office of the Ethnarchy, in Eleftheria, 8 April 1949.

Eleftheria, 30 April 1949.

Eleftheria, 3 June 1949.

Neos Democratis (New Democrat), 19 March 1950; Neos Democratis, 20 May 1950. Neos Democratis was the official press of AKEL.

TNA, CO 67/368/6, ‘K.E.K. The Cyprus National Party: correspondence; memoranda and newspaper clippings’, 90,215/51/50, Confidential, 22 February 1950.

See for example TNA, CO 926/19, ‘Political Situation Reports, Political Situation in Cyprus during the month of December 1952’. See also K. Partasides interview, in Neos Dimokratis, 30 June 1953.

TNA, CO 926/20, ‘Political Situation Reports, Political Situation in Cyprus during the month of July 1953’, 3.

‘Joint declaration of KEK, PEK and SESP’, in Eleftheria, 9 July 1945.

Letter from G. Mylonas, in Ethnos, 23 April 1953. See also the letter from T. Georgiou in Eleftheria, 21 April 1953.

The initiative for the plebiscite was of AKEL but the party decided to leave the Church to carry it out for purposes of unity.

TNA, CO 926/171, ‘Cyprus internal political situation’, Political Situation Cyprus 1954–56, Enosis: Union of Cyprus with Greece, Governor of Cyprus to Secretary of State for Colonies, 28 August 1954, 10.

In actual numbers, 215,108 Greek Cypriots out of a total number of 224,757 eligible voters, signed the petition for enosis.

TNA, CO 926/255, ‘HMG’s policy on new constitution, Cyprus’, The Cyprus Question, cabinet paper, 1954.

TNA, FCO 141/3205, ‘Cyprus: Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA); Orthodox Christian Union of Youth (OHEN)’, Secret, 21 July 1955.

TNA, FCO 141/3205, ‘Cyprus: Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA); Orthodox Christian Union of Youth (OHEN)’, Note on OHEN, undated.

TNA, FCO 141/3205, ‘Cyprus: Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA); Orthodox Christian Union of Youth (OHEN)’, SB/SF/1024/4, Secret, Orthodoxos Christianiki Enosis Neon, 21 July 1955, 3.

TNA, CO 926/20, Political Situation Reports, Political Situation in Cyprus during the month of July 1953, 7–8.

TNA, FCO 141/3205, ‘Cyprus: Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA); Orthodox Christian Union of Youth (OHEN)’, Secret, 21 July 1955, 5–6.

TNA, FCO 141/3205, ‘Cyprus: Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA); Orthodox Christian Union of Youth (OHEN)’, Secret, 21 July 1955, 6.

Eleftheria, 4 January 1945.

TNA, FCO 141/4281, ‘Cyprus: memorandum on the origin and activities of KEK (Cypriot National Party)’, 22 June 1949, Top Secret, part II, 4.

Eleftheria, 1 March 1951. See also Papademetris and Petrides (1979–1980, Vol. IX, 192).

TNA, CO 926/255, Policy on New Constitution in Cyprus 1954–56, Memorandum containing the basic facts to be taken into account when considering the question of introducing a Constitution in Cyprus, Top Secret, 25 April 1954, 2.

Ethnos, 27 February 1953.

Ethnos, 1 March 1953.

‘Communique’, Ethnos, 21 April 1953.

See for example, ‘Iacovides leads a national coalition in Paphos’, Ethnos, 8 March 1953.

See also, ‘What must the nationalists be aware of’, Ethnos, 5 May 1953; ‘Mr Dervis speech’, Ethnos, 8 May 1953.

TNA, FCO 141/4281, ‘Cyprus: memorandum on the origin and activities of KEK (Cypriot National Party)’, 22 June 1949, Top Secret, 7.

The latter were expressed, for example, in Paphos where the SESP of Galatopoulos existed (see previous chapter).

TNA, C0/926, Memorandum containing the basic facets to taken into account when considering the question of introducing a constitution in Cyprus, Top Secret, 1.

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Title: A Proxy Civil War and the Forging of Nationalist Party Politics
Author: Yiannos Katsourides
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Book: The Greek Cypriot Nationalist Right in the Era of British Colonialism
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-55534-8

Electronic ISBN: 978-3-319-55536-2

Copyright Year: 2017
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55536-2_9

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