Mobilizing Underground: The Case of the Cypriot Communist Party AKEL in Colonial Cyprus (1955–59)

Abstract

This article is the first attempt at recording and analysing the period of illegality of the Cypriot communist party AKEL (Progressive Party of the Working People) and the way it organized its clandestine mechanism during the armed struggle of the National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters (EOKA) against the British (1955–59). This article examines AKEL's organizational adaptation to the new illegal conditions and how this was reflected in the party's ability for political mobilization. At the same time, it looks at AKEL's ability of organizational learning in relation to two factors: (a) its own capacity to adapt and, (b) its communication with other communist parties abroad. Furthermore, the article explores aspects of AKEL's organizational and political culture in this period, which remained with the party in the years that followed. In doing so, it argues first that the type of party is a crucial factor in its ability to mutate into a different organizational structure and mode of operandi; second, it claims that AKEL demonstrated a remarkable ability of organizational learning; third, the article contends that the practices adopted in this period have left a long-lasting legacy in the organizational culture of the party. This article employs a framework that allows for comparison with other communist parties, particularly those of Greece (KKE) and South Africa (SACP).