Propaganda and the Cyprus Revolt: Rebellion, Counter-Insurgency and the Media, 1955-59

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During the EOKA period of Greek Cypriot revolt against British colonial rule, the Greek Cypriots and the British deployed propaganda as a means of swaying allegiances, both within Cyprus and on the international scene. Propaganda and the Cyprus Revolt places new emphasis on the vital role propaganda played in turning the tide against British colonial control over Cyprus. Examining the increase of violence and coercion during this period of revolt, this book examines how the opposing sides mobilization of propaganda offered two alternative visions for the future of Cyprus that divided opinion, to the ultimate detriment of British counterinsurgency efforts. Detailing the deployment of propaganda by both parties across radio, television and print channels, the book draws upon previously unpublished archival material in order to paint a detailed picture of how the British Empire lost control over the hearts and minds of the Greek Cypriot people. This study shines new light on a crucial period of Cypriot history and contributes to wider transnational debates around the use of propaganda and the end of empire. This will be an essential read for students of Cyprus history and British colonial history.

Reviews

Dr Hadjiathanasious book is required reading for all those interested in histories of propaganda, empire and decolonisation. Using a wealth of new archival sources relating to the Cyprus Emergency, including a rich body of evidence in Greek as well as English, she draws out the crucial importance of propaganda and media manipulation in mobilising nationalist resistance and waging wars of counterinsurgency at the end of empire. This ground-breaking and painstaking study allows us see a key late-colonial struggle for power, hearts and minds, in which the combatants targeted audiences in Britain, Cyprus, and around the world, from a new perspective. * Professor Simon J. Potter, University of Bristol, UK *
Can persuasion through directed information take the edges off armed conflict and bring victory at a lower cost In late-colonial Cyprus the British discovered their presumed superiority at propaganda could not match a sophisticated anti-colonial movement with ethnic unity as their message. Cyprus is a vital case for understanding propagandas place in decolonisation conflicts. In Maria Hadjiathanasious able hands, the topic has finally found the analyst its significance deserves. * Dr. Huw Bennett, Cardiff University, UK *
Maria Hadjiathanasious lucid account of the British propaganda campaign in colonial Cyprus tells us how pervasive that information war was, and reveals the many tricks of the trade that protected British interests and sought to diminish EOKAs impact. This study adds an important new dimension to our understanding of the Cyprus conflict. * Professor David M. Anderson, University of Warwick, UK *
[T]he book is worth reading because, as it is based on a bulk of newly released primary material, it shifts the focus of the current historiography away from an overwhelming emphasis on the use of wholesale coercion, and clearly proves that propaganda was, along with coercion, a joint driver in the conflict for Cyprus. * The Cyprus Review *

Author Bio

Maria Hadjiathanasiou is a Research Fellow at the Department of Politics and Governance, University of Nicosia, Cyprus. She has received funding from the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme, to conduct research on the topic of British, Greek and Turkish cultural diplomacy in Cyprus, 1945-1974 (2019-2021). She received her PhD in Modern History in 2017 from the University of Bristol. Her research interests focus on decolonisation and colonial insurgencies, cultural history and propaganda.