Communism and Nationalism in Postwar Cyprus, 1945-1955

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 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2016 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfi lms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specifi c statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Cover illustration: © War Archive / Alamy Stock Photo Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Nature America Inc. New York ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 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 CONTENTS 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 ABBREVIATIONS AKEL Progressive Party of Working People DSE Democratic Army of Greece EAKX National Agrarian Party of Chites EAM National Liberation Front EAS National Liberation Coalition ELAS National Popular Liberation Army EMAK National Liberation Front of Cyprus EOKA National Organization of Cypriot Fighters EREK National Radical Union of Cyprus KARI Cypriot Fighters, Daring Leaders KEK Cyprus National Party KKE Communist Party of Greece KKK Communist Party of Cyprus KME Cyprus Mining Company KPO Cypriot Civil Organization KTIVK Turkish Trade Unions NEK Youth of National Party PEK Cyprian Farmers’ Union PEO Pancyprian Federation of Labor PES National Cooperation Wing POK Political Organization of Cyprus PSE Pancyprian Trade Union Committee RIK Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation SEK Cyprus Workers Confederation SEKA Coordinating Committee of the Cyprus Struggle ix CHAPTER 1 Introduction The political developments in post-war Cyprus are, from a historiographi- cal point of view, a relatively neglected period of modern Cypriot history. To a large extent, the relevant literature is dominated by studies dealing with the 1950s, particularly the period from 1955 to 1959. This should be expected, since it was during this time that the National Organization of Cypriot Fighters (EOKA) struggle unfolded. The decade between 1945 and 1955, however, is of particular inter- est with regard to Cyprus, especially when examined in view of colonial- ism and international developments of the period. The end of WWII marked the beginning of the polarization of Cypriot society and, after the establishment of new political entities by 1948, its full division. The events subsequent to the Constitutional Assembly–at which the constitutional proposals of the British were discussed (the Diaskeptiki )– and the offi cial declaration of civil war in Greece, up to the beginning of the EOKA struggle, are examined for their contribution to the formation and ideological crystallization of the two factions, communists and nationalists, under the infl uence of the civil war climate transposed from Greece. The British attempt to concede constitutional rights to the people of Cyprus can only be considered a starting point in a new period of Cypriot history. The institutional superstructure of Cypriot society, in its inter- temporal evolution, is inextricably linked to the economic, political, and class contradictions of each era. As was the case with every colony, in © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2016 1 A. Alecou, Communism and Nationalism in Postwar Cyprus, 1945-1955, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-29209-0_1 2 A. ALECOU Cyprus colonial institutions were shaped in such a way as to facilitate the perpetuation of the occupier’s sovereignty. During the early post-war years, the various segments of Cypriot society approached the political liberties of Cypriots from a different perspective. For workers, under certain condi- tions these liberties could have been a stepping stone to social demands and long-term political objectives. For the conservative strata, however, the expansion of constitutional liberties granted rights and power to forces which threatened the balance of Cypriot society. The Greek civil war, as the fi rst form of division of post-war Greece, could not leave unaffected the people of Cyprus or the correlation of political powers in Cyprus. From the simplest form of support for the war- ring sides of the civil war up to their effective participation, the political camps in Cyprus experienced the civil war raging in Greece as something that immediately and urgently concerned them. The clash of these two worlds went through various phases, from the national to the political, from education to the Church of Cyprus. The focal point of this book is 1948, as it was during this year when the class confrontation greatly esca- lated, leading each side to its extreme. The main objective of this book is to examine and analyze the events that impacted the structure and competitive processes of the two dominant Cypriot political factions while under the watchful eye of British rule. The differences between communists and nationalists, however, brought the two sides to a frontal collision in the wake of the events of the Greek civil war. The class confl ict within Cypriot society would at some point inevitably lead, in one way or another, to a clash between the two factions, but the civil war in Greece constituted another fi eld of confl ict between left and right, accelerating the formation of a bipolar party system in which the vertical division of the Greek community in Cyprus eventually expressed itself. Methodologically, the book is based on both primary and secondary sources. The absence of a large specialized volume of “Cyprological” literature on the subject under examination made it necessary to use primary sources of information, such as party documents and texts (e.g., statutes, proclamations, announcements, conference decisions, etc.), newspapers of the period and archived interview. The events are examined via the cross- examination of various sources; in addition, certain monographs particularly helpful were the unpublished archival sources of the Diplomatic and Historical Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece (DIAYE), INTRODUCTION 3 the Foreign and Colonial Offi ce archive of Great Britain housed in The National Archives (TNA) and the Contemporary Social History Archives in Athens (ASKI). Some conceptual clarifi cations are necessary regarding certain termi- nologies used in the book. The fi rst concerns the determination of the two dominant ethnic groups in Cyprus. Due to the island’s transition to the British administration and the consequent loss of Ottoman nation- ality by the inhabitants of Cyprus, the two groups defi ned as Christian and Muslim during the Ottoman period and the early decades of British rule will be defi ned herein conventionally, as Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots respectively.

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