Also all TCs from that era were bilingual in Cypriot Greek (not necessarily the standard variety) and Cypriot Turkish, the communities didn't leave separately prior to 1974.
After the Bloody Christmas, most Turkish-Cypriot communities lived seperately from from the Greeks. Not in different states, but walled off and armed enclaves. Similar to the situation in N. Ireland during the Troubles.
Not most, but a substantial amount of them did live in enclaves. Not all enclaves were fortified or walled-off, and TCs still commuted outside of them to go to work. GC police and the National Guard did impose strict screening measures until 1967 or so, but TCs would have still come in contact with GCs regularly. My late grandfather's boss in Nicosia (Pallouriotissa area in the southern portion) was a TC, for example.
There was contact between Catholics and Protestants during Troubles. I am pretty sure you would have been abele to find Protestants working for Catholics during Troubles. I didn't compare it to Apartheid South Africa or to current situation in Israel.
Of course there were relations. But the communities were deeply divided after Bloody Christmas. 25k TCs were displaced and moved to these communities. It wasn't sunshine and rainbows.
Sure, I'm not disputing there was a deep political divide (which eventually fermented the current situation), I'm just saying that the communities did not live wholly separately like post-1974 and until 2003. And because you mentioned this in light of my comments about language proficiency, I highlighted how the two communities still had regular everyday contact which facilitated it.
Also all TCs from that era were bilingual in Cypriot Greek (not necessarily the standard variety) and Cypriot Turkish, the communities didn't leave separately prior to 1974.
I was responding specifically to this part about communities not living seperately.
To say that Protestant and Catholic communities were not living seperately would be mostly incorrect eventhough the communties did interact.
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u/TanktopSamurai Oct 29 '24
After the Bloody Christmas, most Turkish-Cypriot communities lived seperately from from the Greeks. Not in different states, but walled off and armed enclaves. Similar to the situation in N. Ireland during the Troubles.