Miners and class struggle in interwar Cyprus

This article outlines the nature of Cypriot mines and mine owners between 1914, when the British directly annexed Cyprus, and the Second World War, and the terms on which the British allowed foreign companies to function on the island, at the expense of the people. It then turns to discuss the emergence of the first communist cells on the island, the establishment of the Communist Party of Cyprus (CPC) and the party's labour policies. Finally, it analyses the strikes undertaken by the miners from the 1920s to 1940, and the connection between Cypriot communists and the miners' struggles under the conditions of British colonialism. It also problematises colonial anti-communist policies towards local political agents, which sought to suppress the emerging joint class consciousness across the island. To do this, we draw extensively on press and news reports of the period, documents from the UK national archives, and the memoirs of leftists who were involved with and bore witness to the strikes, as well as secondary literature.