By Giorgos Koumoulis
Since the armed struggle of EOKA (1955-59) the prevailing public opinion is that behind all the suffering that has arisen is the English finger. The issue of the “anti-Greek policy of the English” was “zealous” at that time – but when is it not? – because conservative politicians and ecclesiastical rulers (the authors of the “official” History of Cyprus) in their effort to find an alibi to cover up their own mistakes that have brought us a stone’s throw from the partition, have demonized the English to the fullest.
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Even recently the media talked about “tricks” of the English, namely that they were promoting the confederation solution until the British High Commissioner made it clear in an interview with “Kathimerini” last Sunday that his country is unreservedly in favour of the ILO. In any case, what must be established in everyone is that the English are neither Turcophiles nor philhellenes, but… Anglophiles.
They care, like all the major countries, exclusively for their geopolitical and economic interests – it is these interests that determine over time the coordinates that English politics follows. Admittedly, England during the armed struggle of EOKA applied its cherished doctrine of “divide and rule” but if we had smart leaders they would anticipate this and prevent England from playing this card.
Perhaps if we had learned the economic history of Cyprus we would not have been so much prejudiced towards the English. It is considered taboo to objectively describe the economic achievements during the British rule and this taboo explains the lack of knowledge of citizens about the economic achievements of the period 1878-1960.
Few will have been informed that Britain in 1878 received a Cyprus with a survival economy where the people were plagued not only by economic hardship, but also by diseases and sometimes by hunger, while when Britain left in 1960 our country enjoyed the highest standard of living compared to that of the countries of the Middle East, of the Balkans, Eastern Europe and some others in southern Europe while the death rate was the second lowest in the world. (See Richter, Heinz. «A History of Modern Cyprus 1878–2009”).
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During the Ottoman rule, two things were the curse of agriculture in Cyprus: firstly, free-range goats and, secondly, soil erosion. The forests had been destroyed by the free-range goats and the damage they caused was incalculable. The water catchment area was destroyed, followed by soil erosion and therefore its infertility. During the British rule, the free-range goat was replaced by the knit goat with a limited field of grazing and thus the reforestation was achieved. In terms of avoiding soil erosion, the Department of Agriculture took care to train farmers to build terraces (domes) in their fields.
The health services were extremely satisfactory by the standards of the time. All cities have had their own hospital since the 1930s. There were also dozens of mobile medical units serving all 620 villages. The institution of lepers and the psychiatric hospital were both transferred to admirable places, and the most modern treatment was provided to these unlucky people. The elimination of malaria was noteworthy. Before the Second World War, malaria was a real scourge for Cypriot society. By the end of the 1940s the malaria-carrying mosquito had been completely eradicated.
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Most of the population was illiterate in 1878 and that is why the English attached particular importance to education, gradually contributing to the reduction of the illiteracy rate and, consequently, to the elevation of the socio-economic position of Cypriots. The 83 elementary schools that existed in 1878 with 2500 students became 700 by 1948 with 62,000 students.
Necessarily, due to space, the above description of the rapid improvement of the economy during the British occupation is very abbreviated. In conclusion, however, I would like to highlight two important facts. Firstly, rapid economic progress would not be achieved if there were no meritocracy in the public service.
The English did not know what “ruffle” means and that’s why the public service was staffed by the most capable and therefore most productive. Secondly – and this may be shocking – if Cyprus were not ceded by Turkey to England and remained part of the Ottoman Empire (later Turkey) we would surely have the same fate as the Armenians, the Pontians and the Jews. That is to say, the Hellenism of Cyprus owes its survival to the fact that Cyprus was in the early 20th century under the rule of the British Empire.
*Economist, social scientist
*Opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of CypriumNews.
