The History of the Communist Party in Cyprus

Colonialism, Class and the Cypriot Left

Yiannos Katsourides

• Publisher: I.B. Tauris
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9780857737359
• Edition: 1
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: 20th Century History
• Index: History

Cypriot pollitics are among the most contentious in Europe, and frequently attract the attention of the international community. Here, Yiannos Katsourides traces the historical development of the Cypriot party system, and in particular the growth of the Communist Party, now known as AKEL- the first formally organised political party on the island. The party was a political movement with a specific programme for radical reform that conficted both with the British Empire and the local establishment. It was treated with hostility and declared illegal. Based on new archival research, Katsorides addresses the social, religious, economic and political environment in which communist and working class politics existed on the island, and locates them within the context of a country connected inextricably with Turkey, Great Britain and Greece. This book will be of significant interest to anyone interested in the history of Cyprus, European communist movements or British colonialism and diplomacy in the Mediterranean.

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• List of Tables
• Abbreviations
• Acknowledgements
• Foreword
• Introduction
• 1. The Particularities of Cyprus: Late Economic Development and Belated Nation Building
• 2. Political Institutions and Political Participation
• 3. Political Origins
• 4. The Communist Party of Cyprus
• 5. Organisational Structuring: A Parallel Society
• 6. Political Integration
• 7. The Years of Illegality and Taking Off
• Conclusion  Agent of Social Change and Radicalisation
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Back Cover