The CPGB, AKEL and Cyprus

Nikos Christodoulides writes:

“I am doing a research on the policy of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) on Cyprus during the period, 1948-1960. As you know a lot of Cypriots based in the UK were active members of the CPGB, and Ezekias Papaioannou, the General Secretary of the Cyprus Communist Party (AKEL) from 1949, was an active member of the CPGB before returning in Cyprus.

I am trying to examine if the CPGB’s policy and stand οn Cyprus was in line with AKEL’s policy, how the party was approaching the issue of Cyprus, what was its stand on the struggle of EOKA, what was its position regarding the London and Zurich Agreements of 1959 which led to the independence of Cyprus and the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus, how it approached the attempts of the British Government from 1948 to 1960 to “solve” the issue of Cyprus, and etc.

I would appreciate it if anybody can provide me with information over the issue of my research, or advise me for any information available.

I already did a research on the archives of the party in Manchester, in the PRO, in the communist press in Cyprus and the UK, and interviewed a number of Cypriots who were active members of the CPGB.

Thank you.”

Dr Nikos Christodoulides
Post doctoral fellow
Department of History and Archaeology
University of Cyprus
email: n_christodoulides@yahoo.com

Advertisement