Anti-colonial struggle in cyprus: Actors, conceptualisations, methods and motives

The present article focuses on the major political actors in the Greek community of Cyprus-the Left and Right-and examines the way they conceptualised anti-colonial struggle, as well as their methods and motivation for resistance. The anti-colonial cleavage was related to the political future of the island and the differing visions of the two camps regarding this future. This article examines the cleavage more deeply, to reveal the rationale underlying the two camps' divergent stances. It argues that there are two essential reasons for their conflicting views: (a) their different perspectives regarding the political future of the island based on their particular ideology and; (b) equally important, each side's continuous quest for power and dominance in the Greek Cypriot community. The latter rationale was a principal motive driving changes in positions and tactics towards colonialism. Each party's position in the internal balance of power, as well as numerous external influences, help to explain their respective stances. The time span of this inquiry covers the years between the end of the First World War (WWI) and 1960, the year that Cyprus achieved independence.