World War II marked a pivotal point in the history of Cyprus, yet surprisingly, this period of the island's history has been little studied to date. Anastasia Yiangou here provides the first major study of the impact of World War II on the political development of Cyprus. In doing so she traces shifting Cypriot attitudes to the war and the formation of a triangular conflict in the island between the Left, Right and British colonial power. She explains how the British and Cypriots fought a war alongside each other, yet remained far apart in discussions on the future of the island. Yiangou's original and compelling analysis highlights how the post-1945 landscape of Cypriot political struggles was shaped by forces set in motion during the war itself.

Table of Contents:
Chapter One: Britain and Cyprus: the Historical Background 1878-1939 1.1. British Motives for the Acquisition of Cyprus 1.2. The Dynamic of Enosis 1.3. The Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Cyprus 1.4. Trade Unions and the Left 1.5. Palmer’s Rule (1933-1939) 1.6. Situation in Cyprus at the Eve of the Second World War Chapter Two: The Outbreak of War and Colonial Politics in Cyprus 2.1. The ‘Change of Guard’ in Cyprus 2.2. The Onset of War 2.3. The Return of the 1931 Deportees: The Case of Theophanis Theodotou 2.4. Church Attitudes after the Onset of European hostilities 2.5. New Shifts in Press Opinion and Government Policy 2.6. Consolidation of the Labour Movement After September 1939 2.7. The Cypriot Intelligentsia in London 2.8. Greece’s Entry into the European War Chapter Three: The Revival of Enosis and the Emergence of the Cypriot Left October 1940 – May 1941 3.1. Cyprus and the Entry of Greece in the European War 3.2. The Reactions of the Turkish Cypriot Community 3.3. The Movement for Cypriot Volunteering in the Greek Army 3.4. Church and State after 28 October 1940: In Search of Reconciliation 3.5. The Labour Movement and the Foundation of A.K.E.L 3.6. The Question of the Greek Government’s Move to Cyprus 3.7. Effects of the German Occupation of Greece in Cyprus Chapter Four: the Beginning of the Remaking of Cypriot politics: May 1941-March 1942 4.1. Greek Resistance during the Axis Occupation 4.2. Military and Administrative Changes in Cyprus after Greece’s Surrender to the Axis Powers 4.3. A.K.E.L. and the Foundation of the Pan Cyprian Trade Union Committee (P.S.E.) 4.4 British Reaction to A.K.E.L.’s Growing Influence 4.5. The Vision of Emmanouil Tsouderos: the 15th November 1941 Declaration and its Implications 4.6. British – Church Relations Remain Deadlocked 4.7. The 25th March 1942: Early Tension between the Greek Cypriot Left and Right Chapter Five: Cypriot Politics on the Eve of the Municipal Elections of 1943 5.1. The Visit of Eminent Persons in Cyprus, the Press and Enosis Politics 5.2. The Debate on the Issue of Compulsory Military Service in Cyprus 5.3. Opposition from the Press and the Circle of Kyrenia Towards the Locum Tenens 5.4. The Cypriot Left Prior to the Municipal Elections of 1943 5.5. The Foundation of the Pan Cyprian Farmers’ Union (P.E.K.) 5.6. The Road to the Municipal Elections of 1943 5.7. Winston Churchill’s Visit in Cyprus Chapter Six: The Municipal Elections of March 1943 6.1. The Conduct of the Elections 6.2. Discussions on the Future of Cyprus 6.3. The Elections’ Effects on the Cypriot Right 6.4. A.K.E.L.’s Recruiting Campaign 6.5. The Cost of Living Agitation 6.6. Developments in Greece: March – August 1943 6.7. The Repeat of the Election in the Municipality of Limassol – October 1943 Chapter Seven: The Effects of the Greek crisis on Cypriot Politics: From the Onset of the Civil War (October 1943) to the Lebanon Conference (May 1944) 7.1. The Aftermath of the Municipal Elections 7.2. Relations of the Cypriot Right and Left during the ‘First Round’ of the Greek Civil War 7.3. The Cost of Living Question: The Strike of 1 March 1944 7.4. The Impasse of the Archiepiscopal Question: the Locum Tenens, the Colonial Authorities and the Nicosia Archbishopric 7.5. The Mutinies in the Greek Forces of the Middle East and the Lebanon Conference Chapter Eight: The Efforts for the Unification of the Greek Cypriot Politics: August – December 1944 8.1. Prelude to Sir Cosmo Parkinson’s Visit to Cyprus 8.2. Sir Cosmo Parkinson’s Sojourn in Cyprus: August – September 1944 8.3. The Liberation of Greece: October 1944 8.4. The Impact of the Liberation of Greece on Cypriot Politics: October – November 1944 8.5. Colonial Reaction to Cypriot Developments and the Designs of a Post War Policy 8.6. The Events of December 1944 (???????????) Chapter Nine: The End of the Second World War 9.1. Greek Cypriot Politics after the December eve