What did enosis mean for Greek Cypriots under British rule?

Under British rule, enosis referred to the movement among Greek Cypriots to achieve the political union of Cyprus with Greece.12

For many Greek Cypriots, this aspiration was a central national goal. When Britain occupied the island in 1878, the Greek population initially welcomed the administration, expecting that Britain would eventually transfer sovereignty to Greece. As these expectations went unmet, the demand for enosis became a persistent political force, characterized by annual petitions and demonstrations.3

The movement intensified significantly over time, leading to major civil unrest, such as the 1931 riots in Nicosia. By 1955, the campaign for enosis took a militant turn under the EOKA (National Organization of Cypriot Struggle), led by Georgios Grivas and supported by Archbishop Makarios III. This struggle for union was strongly opposed by the Turkish Cypriot community, who feared the consequences of such a merger and instead advocated for partition or return to Turkish rule. The conflict eventually concluded with the 1960 establishment of an independent republic, which explicitly prohibited union with any other state.31