I replied:
I mostly think that you are right about the GCs dream for Enosis, but can you blame even the most trusting of people having a small amount of suspicion that an idea that has been fervently fought for since the begining of the nineteen century, or even earlier, with many lives lost, should suddenly been disavowed the moment Turkish troops made it impossible to achieve.
For this reason, most TCs would prefer to keep Turkey as a guarantor.
Oracle replied:
I don't think it was the Turkish troops which made Enosis impossible to achieve but the mindset of the GCs who had abandoned this notion once full self-determination became the prime goal after 1960. This was demonstrated by their strong opposition and fight against the coupists. All the evidence was there, and not because of some personal act of opportunism by Turkey. Finally the RoC is stronger than ever as an independent state but healthily allied to Greece, as also to many other countries, and it is Turkey which stands alone, alienated because of its present stance to the RoC.
Furthermore, as you rightly suggest, it is the TCs that are failing to appreciate this fundamental difference in the "here and now", and what was a historical blip, albeit it lengthy.
Did GCs abandon enosis after 1960 and was it a historical blip?
From 1960 to 1967 the majority of GC leaders were demanding enosis. The infamous Akritas Plan is one piece of evidence. As late as June 1967 the House of Representatives, by now a totally GC House, unanimously passed a resolution which read:
The House of Representatives announcing its irrevocable decision reflects the eternal aspiration of the Greek Cypriot community for the speedy achievement of Enosis.
a. No matter what difficulties and hardships are encountered the struggle being waged with the full support of the Hellenic world will not be terminated until the final goal is successfully achieved. By ‘success’ it is meant that the whole of the island will be integrated with Greece without any stop-overs.
b. The House will contribute with all means at its disposal for the strengthening of the Cyprus – Greek co-operation, which is considered an inevitable condition for the success of the national struggle and the unity of the Greek and Cypriot people.
Many, though far from a large majority, GC politicians did quieten their demands for enosis after 1967, but in my opinion this was more to do with the Greek coup of 1967 bringing to power the Greek junta than “self determination becoming the prime goal after 1960’. It was more a case of not wanting to join the Greek junta rather than not wanting to unite with Greece. Not all politicians gave up their dream of enosis, however, as the coup of 1974 showed.
Whether or not the coup would have succeeded without the intervention of Turkey is debatable. I believe that it probably would have done since by the evening of 19th July all the major cities and radio stations were in coupist hands, Makarios had fled the country, Sampson had been declared president and Greece showed its willingness to intervene by shelling Pafos and later landing soldiers at Nicosia Airport. After calling for enosis for a century and a half, enosis would have been welcomed, or at least accepted, by the vast majority of GCs. The dream of enosis was far from a historical blip, and it was only the intervention of Turkey made enosis impossible.
I am quite happy to reiterate that a generation after 1974, I don’t think that enosis is an aspiration for any but a tiny minority of GCs now, but the rewriting of history by Oracle and others to make it seem that all along GCs were fighting for independence, and they gave up any idea of union with Greece after achieving independence is not helpful in persuading me that I would prefer a GC guarantee to a Turkish one.
