The Cypriot Left in the Early Period of British Colonial Rule: Emergence, Formation, Development

This volume brings together papers presented at the scientific conference organised by the Promitheas Research Institute on 24–25 April 2012, entitled Η Κυπριακή Αριστερά στην Πρώτη Περίοδο της Βρετανικής Αποικιοκρατίας: Εμφάνιση, Συγκρότηση, Εξέλιξη.

The history and development of the Cypriot Left, in the form in which it is known today, has not been the subject of systematic scholarly analysis commensurate with its strong social, political, and electoral presence. The institutionalised political presence of the Left in Cyprus is directly linked to its party formations: the Communist Party of Cyprus (CPC) (1926–1941) and AKEL (founded in 1941).



The analyses included in the volume focus, among other issues, on the social and political context of the period; the attitude of the British colonial authorities and the local social establishment towards the emergence of new political ideas; the first steps in trade union organisation; the founding of the Communist Party of Cyprus; key protagonists and leading figures; publications and organisational methods; participation in elections; the role of early communists in organising and leading the trade union movement; the presence of Cypriot communists in the Spanish Civil War—an outstanding act of internationalist solidarity; the anti-colonial discourse of the newly founded party; the first leadership group; and the participation of Cypriot women in the party.