Editing Greek Cypriots (section)

===Modern history===
{{see also|Cyprus conflict}}
[[Image:Statue of Liberty Independence Woman statues Nicosia Republic of Cyprus.jpg|thumb|The Cypriot [[Liberty Monument (Nicosia)|Statue of Liberty]]]]
Politically, the concept of ''[[enosis]]'' – unification with the Greek "motherland" – became important to literate Greek Cypriots after [[Greece]] declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1821. A movement for the realization of ''enosis'' gradually formed, in which the Church of Cyprus played a dominant role during the [[Cyprus dispute]].

{{Quote box
|quote =
"Hellenism is a race as aged as the world,
<br />Nobody could be found to eliminate it,
<br />Nobody, for it is protected from above by my God,
<br />Hellenism will be lost, only when the world is gone."
|source = {{small|Archbishop Kyprianos' fictional response to Kucuk Mehmet's threat to execute the Greek Orthodox Christian bishops of Cyprus, in [[Vasilis Michaelides]]' epic poem "The 9th of July of 1821 in Nicosia, Cyprus", written in 1884–1895. The poem is considered a key literary expression of Greek Cypriot Enosis sentiment.}}<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.apotipomata.com/ennati-iouliou-vasilis-michaelidis/ |title=Η 9η Ιουλίου του 1821 εν Λευκωσία Κύπρου – Βασίλης Μιχαηλίδης |website=ςww.apotipomata.com|date=9 July 2017 |access-date=2018-10-14 |author1=Admin }}</ref>
|width = 24em
}}

During the period of [[British Cyprus|British colonial rule]] (1878–1960), an efficient colonial administration was established, but government and education were administered along ethnic lines, accentuating differences. For example, the education system was organized with two Boards of Education, one Greek and one Turkish, controlled by [[Athens]] and [[Istanbul]], respectively. {{Citation needed|date=July 2009}} The resulting Greco-Turkish educational systems emphasized linguistic, religious, cultural, and ethnic differences and downplayed traditional ties between the two Cypriot communities. {{Citation needed|date=July 2009}} The two groups were encouraged to view themselves as extensions of their respective motherlands, leading to the development of two distinct nationalities with antagonistic loyalties.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Xypolia |first=Ilia |title=Cypriot Muslims among Ottomans, Turks and Two World Wars |journal=Bogazici Journal |year=2011 |volume=25 |issue=2 |pages=109–120 |doi=10.21773/boun.25.2.6 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

The importance of religion within the Greek Cypriot community was reinforced when the Archbishop of the Church of Cyprus, [[Makarios&nbsp;III]], was elected the first president of the Republic of Cyprus in 1960. For the next decade and a half, ''enosis'' was a key issue for Greek Cypriots, and a key cause of events leading up to the [[1974 Cypriot coup d'état|1974 coup]], which prompted the [[Turkish invasion of Cyprus|Turkish invasion and occupation]] of the northern part of the island. Cyprus remains divided today, with the two communities almost completely separated. Many of those whom lost their homes, lands and possessions during the Turkish invasion, emigrated mainly to the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, South Africa and Europe, although most left Cyprus before 1974. There are today estimated to be 335,000 [[Greek Cypriot diaspora|Greek Cypriot emigrants]] living in Great Britain. The majority of the Greek Cypriots in [[Great Britain]] currently live in [[England]]; there is an estimate of around 3,000 in [[Wales]] and 1,000 in [[Scotland]].
By the early 1990s, Greek Cypriot society enjoyed a high standard of living. Economic modernization created a more flexible and open society and caused Greek Cypriots to share the concerns and hopes of other secularized West European societies. The Republic of Cyprus joined the [[European Union]] in 2004, officially representing the entire island, but suspended for the time being in Turkish-occupied [[northern Cyprus]].