'So Small an Island'? Radical Networks and Anti- imperialist Politics in Cyprus during the 'Global 1960s,' 1955 - 1977

Abstract

The 1960s have long been considered a period of profound changes, political radicalism, and global upheavals. Young Western radicals challenged the status quo in their own countries, but also offered critiques of the Soviet Union and the socialist bloc, particularly those inspired by revolutions in the so-called Third World. This thesis explores how Cypriot communists engaged with the political energies of the 1960s through an examination of the life histories of border-crossing Cypriot individuals. It seeks to integrate Cypriot experiences into narratives of the radicalism of the decade. In recent years, scholars have offered 'global' interpretations of the 1960s, which seek to move away from an approach that has privileged the perspectives of Western Europe and the United States. This thesis builds on this scholarship by presenting the case study of Cyprus. Its geographic position at the intersection of Europe and the Middle East, as well as its colonial past, protracted struggle for national self-determination, and membership of the Non-Aligned Movement placed the island within broader anti-imperialist networks. I argue that the position of the island, both geographically and in terms of its broader political history, makes Cyprus a revealing site through which to capture the contradictory spirit of the 1960s. To do so, I reconstruct the lives, networks, and activities of Cypriot radicals who were active during the decade. The thesis begins with an examination of the political image of Archbishop Makarios, the island's first president, and how he fitted into the symbolic order of the 1960s pantheon of radical figures. Later chapters focus on Donis Christofinis in the Soviet- aligned Progressive Party of Working People, activists of the new radical left in both the Unified Democratic Union of Youth and the Maoist Communist Party of Cyprus, as well as Cypriot members of the Communist Party of Great Britain. Using a source base consisting of interviews, memoirs, and biographies, as well as contemporary print material, videos and images, my research reveals that these radicals were profoundly influenced by a range of global political currents of the 1960s. The thesis sheds light on the multiple trajectories of the decade that impacted Cypriot communist activity. It demonstrates important continuities regarding the role of orthodox communist parties. Finally, my research reveals the prominence of the national question even as it was framed in internationalist terms, which indicates the potentials and limits of the transnational solidarity of the period.

Date of Award	1 Aug 2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The University of Manchester
Supervisor	Kevin Morgan (Supervisor) & Max Jones (Supervisor)