As national consciousness was developing within the Cypriot society, the traditional tolerance towards the ‘other’ was gradually but firmly replaced by fear, threat and eventually enmity. The role of the religious institutions, the interests of local elite intelligentsia, the economic inequality and the nationalist factions from Greece and Turkey, all contributed to the alienation between the communities of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. The old bonds and the new shared social structures, such as trade unions, did not succeed in transforming the society on grounds other than religion and divisive nationalist ideologies. The spirit of cooperation was largely prevented by the British colonial rule established from 1878 until 1960. The intransigence of the colonial policies triggered the prevalence of the radical elements. When the weakened British presence in the region was reaching its ending in the 1950’s, the instigation of outside powers for involvement in the island’s domestic affairs culminated in the clash of the two competing nationalisms and the ensuing institutionalisation of the division.
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