THE CYPRUS UPRISING OF 1931
IN THE GREAT BRITAIN’S IMPERIAL POLICY Cover Image

КІПРСЬКЕ ПОВСТАННЯ 1931 р. В ІМПЕРСЬКІЙ ПОЛІТИЦІ ВЕЛИКОЇ БРИТАНІЇ
THE CYPRUS UPRISING OF 1931 IN THE GREAT BRITAIN’S IMPERIAL POLICY

Author(s): Stanislav Kovalskyi
Subject(s): Political history, Interwar Period (1920 - 1939), Period(s) of Nation Building
Published by: Видавництво «Одеський національний університет І. І. Мечникова»
Keywords: The Cyprus Uprising of 1931; British colonial administration in Cyprus; Robert Storrs; Greek nationalism; Rebellion Act;

Summary/Abstract: The paper is devoted to the Cyprus uprising of 1931. The comprehensivestudy of the rebellion was conducted in the article. The disintegratingprocesses of the British Empire, economical and religiousfactors, domestic and external policy were analyzed as the main reasonsof the uprising. The paper focuses on the similar features of theGreece and Turkish policy towards the Cyprus problem at that period.An attention was paid to the external influence on the home policy inCyprus. The British colonial administration and its policy were in thefocus of view in the paper. The main idea of the article is the systemconnection between the Cyprus uprising of 1931 and imperial andregional processes before and after the mentioned events.The October rebellion, the Greek Cypriots raised in 1931, was anintegrate problem of the British Empire from the one hand and thelocal problem of Greek and Turkish nationalism from another. Thematter requires to take into account both cases. The Cyprus uprisingof 1931 took place against a background of the anti-colonial trends inIreland, India and Canada at that period. This fact allows us to concludethat the Cyprus events have general imperial features.Objective economic reasons also underlay the rebellion in Cyprus.Great Depression of 1929-1933 decreased deeply living standard onthe island by reducing consumption of Cyprus export goods and travelservice all over Europe. The Greek and Turkish home policy causedCyprus negative processes as well. That’s why the beginnings of the 175Cyprus uprising of 1931 was accompanied by Orthodox religious andGreek nationalistic slogans.The political conflict in Cyprus turned into the riot’s preconditions.During the first stage of the riot British colonial authorities showedtheir inability to settle the problem in time. Incoherence of the armyand police activity led the Governor’s residence to be burned down.That accident was called the most shameful humiliation British Empireever obtained at the interwar period. Riot’s scales demonstratedthe general Greek-community orientation. The Turkish-Cypriot’s reactionand their role in the uprising’s suppression provided a basis to thefuture inter-communal conflict.The events of the Cyprus uprising of 1931 were an integral partof the imperial and regional processes. The main causes of the rebelliondemonstrated its general empire character. Political processes inGreece and Turkey influenced the Cyprus problem. That was reflectedat slogans and ideas of the rebels. This accident, in addition, worsenedGreek-Turkish relations. Mentioned facts argued that the Cyprusuprising of 1931 intensified anti-colonial attitudes and interethnic tensionsbetween Greeks and Turks on the island for decades ahead

  • Issue Year: 2018
  • Issue No: 29
  • Page Range: 173-185
  • Page Count: 13
  • Language: Ukrainian