How Did Cyprus Gain Independence From The UK?

When Did Cyprus Gain Independence From The UK?
The Republic of Cyprus gained independence from the UK on August 16, 1960. From the word go, Cyprus’ independence was going to be thorny issue due to its ethnic composition that includes Turks and Greeks. The London and Zurich Agreements developed a constitution for an independent Cyprus after the February 19, 1959 agreement between the UK, Turkey and Greece. according to the agreement, the UK would maintain two sovereign bases in the country whereas the ethnic groups would share government positions according to their population. At independence, this island nation was a complex political system because of the total population, 77.1% were Greek Cypriots, 18.2% were Turkish Cypriots, and other ethnicities made up 4.7%. Bothe Turkey and Greece felt the need to champion the interests of their people in the country.
The agreement had given Turks a veto of 30% share in government. Greeks believed this share was too much and that the Turks should have had 18.2% just like their population. The respective ethnic militias soon began to mobilize and train, each with the respective support of Greece and Turkey. Greek Cypriots, with the support of Cypriot President Archbishop Makarios III, designed a new constitution which both Turkey and Turkish Cypriots rejected because it seemed to favor Greek Cypriots. On December 21, 1963, a suspected Greek Cypriot police killed two Turkish Cypriots leading to a full scale intercommunal violence that left 364 and 174 Turkish and Greek Cypriots dead respectively. The ensuing violence left close to 30,000 Turkish Cypriots displaced and they also ceased their involvement in the country’s governance. At the end, the divisions were extensive that UN sent in peacekeeping troops. In 1964, Turkey threatened to invade Cyprus but the US prevailed on her not to, however, Greece put 10,000 troops on a standby incase of a Turkish