Protectorate Cyprus British Imperial Power before WWI

A vital strategic outpost in the Eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus was crucial to British imperial ambitions in the East as the Ottoman Empire became increasingly fragile in the nineteenth century. The island remains an example of the effects of Britain's 'informal empire', in which a 'superior' British 'civilization' was imposed upon the local population, both to improve the imperial subjects and to develop the island for capital investment and labour power - it was part of Joseph Chamberlain's 'undeveloped estate' of empire. Here, Gail Ruth Hook assesses education and labour policy, agriculture, harbor development and tourism and demonstrates the full impact of British colonialism on the Cypriot population. Protectorate Cyprus is a crucial addition to the history of Cyprus, as well as an important analysis of the physical and emotional legacy of British imperial rule.

Gail Ruth Hook completed her PhD in British and Imperial History at the University of Texas, USA where she was supervised by Wm. Roger Louis. She is teaching at George Mason University, USA.

To come