Cyprus and the Governship of Sir Ronald Storrs: The Causes of the 1931 Crisis (review)

Reviews 175 amendments should not focus on rearranging the portions and the chambers of power within the highly enchanced executive authority. Rather they should seek to enhance the checking and balancing of executive power through the constitutionally protected invigoration of the legislative and judicial branches as well as the promotion, and legal protection, of free, vigorous, and autonomous social institutions such as labor unions, press and television, the educational system (especially at the University level), the church, local and municipal government, and so forth. He too apparently agrees that the ultimate protection of constitutional freedoms and social rights and responsibilities lies in the hearts and minds of free, informed, active and participating citizens. Theodore Couloumbis American University S. Georgallides, Cyprus and the Governship of Sir Ronald Storrs: The Causes of the 1931 Crisis. Nicosia: Cyprus Research Centre. 1985. Pp. vii + 748. no price. Those with interests in Cyprus and the Cyprus problem are quite familiar with the contributions of the Cyprus Research Centre and those of Georgallides. This latest massive volume is part of the Centre's series in the history of Cyprus and is Georgallides' second major work on the island's history since the end of World War II. His previous volume in the series was the Political and Administrative History of Cyprus, 1918-1926. A third volume is also in preparation covering the last months of Storrs' governship, and those of Henniker -Heaton, and Sir Reginald Stubbs. Georgallides' analysis is based on British archival materials and other records. Those who have read Storrs' Orientations, will find that Georgallides diverges from the Governor's assessments of his rule and of the island's problems and that he more accurately portrays the causes of the 1931 civil disturbances than the Governor. Georgallides describes the events during 1926-1931 as the worst crisis since the British takeover in 1878, events that made the 1931 uprising almost inevitable. Indeed reading his minute analysis of the events of the period one finds some unique insights into British colonial policy and its failures; the relations of Athens with Britain and the Cypriot nationalists, especially after Venizelos' return to power 176 Reviews in 1928; a detailed account of the personalities and issues involved in the enosis movement and its critics; the rise of Turkish Cypriot nationalism ; and the impact of world economic conditions on local political developments. The discussion of these issues is not without relevance to the developments in Cyprus since the end of World War II. Knowledge of this period is vital to the understanding of what followed in Cyprus since then. Storrs' appointment to Cyprus as Governor surprised many people in England in view of his relative inexperience in the finance and administration of crown colonies and short governmental service . But his prior service had made him known to many British influentials with interests in the Middle East. Thus his appointment to Cyprus was a major promotion. It was generally well received in Cyprus because of the hope that it would mark a new liberal and progressive period in the island's administration. At the end Storrs managed to frustrate the Cypriots, throw Cyprus into an era of repression , disappoint himself and his own superiors. The causes of Storrs' failure and of the Cypriots resort to violence on 21 October 1931 are multiple, complex and interrelated. British imperial government was carried out without the consent of the governed; it precluded participation at higher decision making levels; and as the experience of the Legislative Council proved, it was fraught with unilateralism on the part of the Governor who repeatedly acted by fiat when the members of the Council rejected his proposals . Cypriot lack of loyalty to the empire was enhanced by ineffective government, the lack of constitutional evolutions, and the economic conditions of the island that eventually reached crisis proportions following the world wide economic depression. From Georgallides' account it is apparent that neither Storrs, nor Venizelos understood the depth and significance of the enosis movement in Cyprus. The enosis movement, however, had a significant effect not only on the relations of the Greek Cypriots with the other island minorities that were opposed to enosis, but also on the emergence of a...