Cyprus History

British Rule

In 1878 Turkey handed over the administration of Cyprus to Britain, while retaining sovereign rights to the island. Britain was interested in Cyprus’s strategic position as a base to control Russian encroachment into the Ottoman Empire. When Britain became involved in the first World War in 1914, Britain formally annexed Cyprus. Post World War 1 Turkey renounced all future claims to Cyprus at the Treaty of Lausanne 1923. In 1925 Cyprus officially became a Crown Colony.

In 1955 the Greek Cypriots began a guerrilla war fighting against British Rule. The guerrilla movement EOKA (Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston, - National Organisation of Cypriot Combatants) were striving for unification (enosis) with Greece. In response to this Britain granted the island independence in 1960, as the Republic of Cyprus. However in July 1974 the Greek government backed a coup to assassinate the president Makarios, and to overthrow the Cypriot government. President Makarios escaped the assassination attempt, but in response to these actions the Turkish administration sent troops to the Island. The troops landed initially near Kyrenia on 20th July 1974 and subsequently occupied about a third of the north of the island. The United Nations (UN) arranged a cease-fire, which led to stability between the two parts of the island, and the establishment of a buffer zone (the “Green Line”) between the North and the South. In 1975 the Turkish Cypriots established an independent administration, with Rauf Denktas as their president.