How did Cyprus become independent? (And why it didn't join Greece)

How did Cyprus become independent? In this video, I explain how this small Mediterranean island became a sovereign state, and why it didn't become a part of Greece. Welcome to Independent Thinking. A channel dedicated to international relations, independence disputes, secession and the origins of countries. The island of Cyprus lies at the furthest eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. Sitting at the crossroads between Europe, Asia and Africa, it has long been regarded as vital strategic territory. However, throughout its history the majority of the island's inhabitants have retained a close linguistic and cultural link to Greece. As a result, following the emergence of the modern Greek state in the nineteenth century, the Greek Cypriot population sought to break away from Ottoman and then British colonial rule and unite the island with Greece - an aspiration known as 'enosis'. This video explores why this did not happen and why, instead, Cyprus became an independent state, in 1960.