Through this volume and the narrative of the late President Spyros Kyprianou, events from the period 1932-1959 are recounted, that is, from his birth until the Zurich-London Agreements and the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus.
The spirit of the time, following the end of World War II, strengthened the already intense demands for freedom of oppressed peoples, based on international law, self-determination, democracy, and human rights. Nurtured by these ideals, Spyros Kyprianou embarked on his own actions in support of the rights of Cyprus, an endeavor that would last a lifetime.
The 1950s are particularly illuminated, as is the largely unknown political and diplomatic struggle of young Spyros Kyprianou against British colonialism, which he waged as a representative of the Cypriot Ethnarchy in London, the heart of the British Empire.
Spyros Kyprianou engaged in significant activity to inform the British public. He also regularly updated prominent British politicians, mainly from the Labour Party, the Liberals, and even some Conservatives, about the Cyprus issue. Those politicians, as well as many ordinary British citizens, actively supported the Cypriots' struggle for freedom.
The book records the intense disagreements between the then Conservative government and the opposition from the Labour and Liberal parties, whose political positions varied drastically, both on principles and handling, regarding the Cyprus issue as well as other British colonies.
It also describes the close collaboration between Spyros Kyprianou and Archbishop Makarios, presenting their previously unknown correspondence on critical issues of the struggle. This volume offers historical research many unknown elements and analyzes the insurmountable difficulties of the struggle, the traps, and the raw blackmail of the Conservative British government, the deadlocks, and the need to make extremely difficult decisions under tight constraints and pressures.
In total, the events and behind-the-scenes activities that led to the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus are presented.
