Tim Drayton wrote:denizaksulu wrote:BirKibrisli wrote:Paphitis wrote:No...I am not surprised that the GCs asked for ENOSIS. I too belive that it was a legitimate demand given the circumstances at the time...The mistake they made was not to realise it was an impossible dream...In fact it was a British trap into which they walked with sincere and innocent hearts...The moment they demanded Enosis with Greece they should have realised it would be like a red flag to a bull for the TCs...They should've realised the TC would also walk into the British trap with equal innocence,because they were made to belive that would be the end of them as a community...
And they believed it sincerely...
What you describe above is an example of British "Divide and Rule". We may very well have walked into their trap and the British were very clever in what they did. I sincerely blame the British for many things that have happened to Cyprus.Now, I know nothing of a "Patriot plea" by Grivas...It is the first time I am hearing it...I would be very interested to see it in writing if you can provide me with any links...It would've fallen on deaf ears of course....The TCs were never going to trust Grivas...He was already been demonised by the British and the TMT soon after...So there was no chance in hell that the TCs would support the demand for Enosis...And I doubt very much that Grivas or Makarios believed they would get any support from the TCs...
I agree that things would've changed dramatically had they supported the push for Enosis,but as I said it was never on...
The "Patriot" plea from Grivas came about soon after the first inter communal violence on the island and the deployment of TC Auxiliary Police. Grivas was wise to the dangers of Britain's "Divide and Rule". Grivas then pleaded with the TC community as Patriots, and exercised some constraint by avoiding any reprisals against the TC community. When it became apparent that the TCs were still ignoring the plea, then he decided that he had no other choice but to try and defend the GCs.
I do not have a link, but I do remember hearing the plea on a documentary. I will try and find something for you, and I also request any help from other forumers who know more about this.
I also consider the TCs within their rights to object to ENOSIS. I did not say that TCs should succumb to the GC ENOSIS movement. What I was saying is that the TCs could have chosen not to side with the British, approached the GCs in a non belligerent manner, and make their opposition to ENOSIS known. If they also decided to morally join the GCs as countrymen and patriots, whilst making known their position on ENOSIS, then I do not see how it could be possible for the GCs to ignore it. In fact, I personally would have been touched by this show of union and would have respected it. We could have become "brothers and patriots", and the GCs would have, I would like to think, know choice but to abandon ENOSIS.
As I said earlier,the British and the TMT made sure that the TCs saw the demand for Enosis as a death sentence for them....Don't forget that both EOKA and the TMT killed more of their own than the other...Grivas was particularly brutal with the Communists who he saw as traitors. For the TMT anybody who opposed Taksim was a traitor...My information is that the EOKA killed some 200 GCs during 55-59 period...The TMT killed somewhat less TCs than that,but they did not have to...The TCs were totally intimidated by the fear of both the EOKA and the TMT...They fell into line pretty quickly...The seeds of the Sampson coup and the Turkish invasion was sown during the EOKA'a struggle for Enosis...And to make matters worse between the communities,there were the Auxillary police the British recruited from the TC community...One can safely say that without the existence of the EOKA,there would've been no need for the auxillaries...And on it goes...It is easy looking back now and think of what might've been had things been different...The truth of the matter is we the Cypriots stuffed up big time,largely assisted by the British,Turkey,Greece,the USA,the Soviets etc etc...And if we dont find it in our hearts now to admit our own mistakes,and keep blaming or demonising the other side,we would be leaving the playground to the warmongers,the fascists,the racists and the nationalists,who can easily make the guns speak again in Cyprus...
While talking about the killings both by EOKA and the TMT, I just remembered a new book published in Cyprus. It was called 'TMT'nin Kurbanlari',/ The Victims of the TMT. I went to two of the largest bookshops in the North, and asked for it. I was told in no uncertain terms that," we do not sell books like that". I also asked for Sevgul Uludag's opus on the victims of Cyprus, that was 'out of stock'. I am sure I will be able to obtain them from the RoC. I already have a willing volunteer to find them for me.
http://www.kibrisligazetesi.net/kibrisl ... e_id=14829
Regards
I can recommend Işık Kitabevi (in the old walled city of Nicosia) for critical literature. I think Sevgul Uludag's book genuinely is sold out.
Thanks Tim. I believe the Uludag book is sold out too. I was there only for two weeks so could not search for more outlets.
Thanks anyway.