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any credit for successful economic performance should be báckdated to the pre-war
independence period 54 . In the short interlude that followed British withdrawal and
preceded Turkish invasion, Cyprus, he argues, transformed itself into a diverse,
dynamic, rapidly modernising economy, more able to cope with massive shocks. If
Cyprus did rapidly modernise itself, however, it did this despite constitutional
stalemate and conséquent politicai discord, the latter of which features little in
Christodoulou.
For a tiny economy external trade is hugely important. If a rapid recovery is to be
viewed, perhaps it can be seen first and foremost in the export sector? And if
Christodoulou's argument about the seeds of the "economic miracle" having been
planted after independence but before defacto division, then that too may be visible
in export data. Once freed from the colonial yoke did the Cypriot export trade
boom?
An export led recovery (which earlier development priorities, projects and
investment may have inadvertently prepared Cyprus for), can be seen in the rise in
the proportion of domestic output exported. In the thirteen years that followed
independence and preceded defacto division (1961-1973), exports averaged 18% of
GNP; in the ten years after 1974 they averaged 25%, an impressive performance
and one that must have made a contribution to recovery. The latter performance,
however, almost exactly matches the export performance of pre-independence
54 ibid., p.xxxii-xxxiii.
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