Alternative History
Register
Advertisement
Republic of Cyprus
Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία
Timeline: 1983: Doomsday
Subdivision of Greece
Flag Coat of Arms
Flag Coat of Arms
Location of Republic of Cyprus
number 7, in green
Capital Nicosia
Largest City Lefkosia
Language
  Official
 
Greek
  Others Turkish
Ethnic Group 87% Greek, 12% Turkish, 1% Other
President Vassos Lyssarides
Prime Minister Nicos Anastasiades
Area 9,248 km2 km²
Population 564,845 
Admission Admission to Confederation of Greece: 1996, Statehood in Greek Federation: 2009

The Republic of Cyprus, commonly referred to simply as Cyprus, is a major state within the Greek Federation.

History[]

Post Doomsday[]

On Doomsday, the British base on Cyprus was destroyed in a low yield nuclear blast.Shortly afterwards the Turkish troops stationed in Northern Cyprus seized what private craft they could and responded to a gathering order in the city of Konya in mainland Turkey, leaving only volunteers and those who were unable to make the trip. Of the 35,000 Turkish soldiers, only 12,500 remained. With no contact with Britain, most surviving British soldiers fled the island, generally heading for Malta.

With most of the Turkish forces gone, the government of Cyprus made the decision to reclaim the north. With the Cypriot standing army, reserves, and volunteers from the North Cypriot refugees, this put Cypriot forces around 85,000 strong. As the the fighting commenced the Turkish technological advantage incurred heavy losses on the Cypriot troops, but after several months of fighting the Greek Cypriots began to adapt their tactics and push the Turks back. This shift in the tide of the battle caused an increase in volunteers for the Greek side further increasing their numbers advantage, and with captured Turkish weapons the Greeks slowly began to lessen the Turkish tech advantage. By mid 1985 the Turkish forces were being overwhelmed by the Greeks and surrendered. Turkish forces were disarmed and any Turkish equipment that was not sabotaged prior to the surrender was captured by the Cypriot forces. Though many of the Turkish soldiers surrendered, other militant Turkish groups continued a guerrilla war against those that they viewed as being occupiers.

Following the surrender any soldiers who could not prove that they were native Cypriots were interred pending their facilitation to join those who had left earlier to the mainland; over the next six months many other inhabitants of the north were ferried to mainland Turkey in what would eventually become the Republic of Hatay. Given that a large number of Turkish resistance fighters came from among the Turkish settlers who immigrated to the island following the Turkish invasion in the 70s, this severely hampered the Turkish resistance which eventually was defeated with the destruction of the last organized resistance cell in 1988.

Northern Persecution[]

For the next few years the Cypriot government enacted laws to limit Turkish culture and religion. Greek was made the only legal language of education and administration, making it impossible for most Turkish children to get a decent education in their native tongue, and an unspoken prejudice affecting the number of Turkish citizens in government positions. This did two things: many of the newer generation of Turkish children began to see themselves more as Greek, while others and many of the older generation just became more militant. The majority however just accepted the new status quo and went on with their lives, attempting to keep a hold on their culture in private. The increase in militancy coupled with the limited resources following the demobilization of the army did put a strain on the Cypriot national guard leading to many preventable incidents. As the number of incidents increased, the number of militants in the north increased as well.

Contact with Greece[]

When the Greek humanitarian mission arrived in 1996 they found a country nearly bankrupted by a lack of international support and the costs of preventing a full blown Turkish insurgency. The governments of Agion Oros and the Dodecanese Republic, having significant Turkish populations were appalled at the treatment of the Turkish Cypriots. With their administration nearing collapse, the Cypriot government agreed to turn over administrative duties to the Confederation of Greece. The first measures taken by the Confederation was to repeal any laws affecting the Turkish population, including the ban on Turkish language eduation in schools. They then made several Turkish festivals national holidays in order to foster more understanding and acceptance of Turkish culture. Cypriot media began airing propaganda aimed at showing that both Greek and Turkish elements were Cypriot, attempting to forge a unified Cypriot culture. In spite of this, ethnic bitterness remains among some of the older generation, as over the years the Turkish-Cypriot population has continued to decline as more head for the Turkish mainland.

Greek Federation[]

By the time the Confederation of Greece began talks of reforming as a federated state the Cypriot population had mostly stabilized. The education system had begun teaching a heavy nationalistic slant on affairs that Turkey had tried to divide the island and that Greece wanted it united, that Turks and Greeks could live as one. Although Greek was the official language, Turkish language schools were allowed. When it came time to vote on statehood within the new Greek Federation, the people of Cyprus voted overwhelmingly yes.

Government and Politics[]

Economy[]

Advertisement