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Cyprus Class Structure
From the establishment of Ottoman rule and destruction
of the
Venetian aristocracy, Cypriot class structure was free of
vast
disparities of wealth and status. Venetian estates were
broken up
and given to Turkish settlers, who soon were
indistinguishable from
their Greek Cypriot neighbors, until one heard them speak.
A small
Ottoman bureaucracy governed the island, aided by the
Greek
Orthodox clergy, who, under the millet system, were
the
leaders of their people. Some Greek Cypriots engaged in
commerce,
but the island's population consisted mostly of small
farmers. This
pattern continued until the early decades of this century,
when,
under British rule, living standards slowly began to rise.
A small Greek commercial class formed, often drawing
its money
from working for the British. In addition to profiting
from
government service and increased commerce, some acquired
wealth as
moneylenders. Taking advantage of frequent droughts and
plagues,
moneylenders could become dominant figures and landowners
in the
countryside. Their fortunes were relatively small,
however, for
Cyprus was a poor country, with most people living at
subsistence
levels. The founding of the cooperative movement in the
early years
of the twentieth century and British reforms in later
decades broke
the power of these small financiers and permitted farmers
to repay
their debts at reasonable rates. The cities had no wealthy
class,
but only more prosperous groups that earned their living
in
government service, the professions, and business.
From the 1950s to the invasion of 1974, the Cypriot
economy
bloomed, and many prospered. The average living standard
increased
markedly in both the countryside and the city. Workers
commuted to
urban areas for employment, yet lived in their home
villages; thus,
no slums were created. Some businessmen in the cities
earned
substantial amounts of money through hotels, real estate,
and
commerce. Although some of these businessmen became quite
wealthy,
their money was new. Fortunes in Cyprus rarely went back
beyond a
generation.
The substantial economic growth of the Republic of
Cyprus since
the mid-1970s furthered these trends. All
government-controlled
areas benefited from the prosperous economy, and new
modern houses
were seen in every village. Land become very valuable and
fortunes
could be earned from land earlier regarded as worthless.
Many
became rich from the explosive growth of the tourist
industry.
Fortunes were also earned from manufacturing, trade and
shipping,
and financial services, and at the beginning of the 1990s
the
republic had a highly visible class of the newly wealthy.
The republic's prosperity was widely shared, however.
The
average standard of living matched those of some other
West
European countries. At the beginning of the 1990s, even
workingclass Cypriots regarded vacations abroad as necessities. A
welfare
system along West European lines supported Cypriots in
need.
Education was a common means of rising in social
status, and
most Cypriots respected higher education and white collar
professions. The expanding economy allowed many Cypriots
to have
more sophisticated work than their parents. To move in one
generation from farmer to urban professional became, if
not the
rule, at least not extraordinary. Given the small size of
the
republic, and the still strong tradition of the extended
family,
virtually all Cypriots could number among their relatives
farmers,
teachers, government employees, small businessmen, and
other
professional workers.
Data as of January 1991
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