1931 Cyprus revolt 1931 Cyprus revolt The 1931 Cyprus revolt or October Events (, "Oktovriana") was an anti-colonial revolt that took place in Cyprus, then a British crown colony, between 21 October and early November 1931. The revolt was spearheaded by Greek Cypriot nationalists who advocated the Enosis (Union) of the island with Greece. The defeat of the rebels led to a period of repressive British rule known as "Palmerocracy" (Παλμεροκρατία), that would last until the beginning of World War II. At the outbreak of the First World War, Cyprus was nominally a part of the Ottoman Empire, while in fact being administered
Greek–Turkish relations The Greek government was, due to its financial and diplomatic dependence on Britain, forced to disavow any aims for unification with Cyprus. In the 1950s, the Cyprus issue flared up again when the Greek Cypriots, under Archbishop Makarios, claimed union with Greece, and the EOKA group launched a paramilitary movement on the island - mainly against the British, but also inflicting collateral damage to other parties and civilians. Eventually, Greek Prime Minister Alexander Papagos took the Cyprus issue to the United Nations. Turkish nationalist sentiment, angered by the discrimination against the Turkish Cypriots, became inflamed at the idea that Cyprus