On November 3, 1978, the West Indian island of Dominica became an independent nation. Although international analysts and Dominican citizens alike questioned the economic viability of the new Caribbean mini-states, the approximately 80,000 citizens of this small island had little choice but to seek political independence.
Dependency on former colonial powers in the West Indies is not restricted to economic matters. The colonial experience in the West Indies profoundly affected the societies of the region. As the indigenous Caribbean cultures were largely exterminated during the process of colonization, many Caribbean societies have been dependencies of Europe during their entire existence. The cultivation of sugar cane, which made the West Indies very profitable colonies during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, required a large labor force and large plantations. For the efficient production of sugar, numerous African slaves were imported and only the owners of large estates grew sugar cane. The resulting social structure, a hierarchy based on racial differences, remained virtually intact throughout the history of the region.
A century or more after emancipation, universal suffrage was introduced to the West Indies. Positions in the social structure that were once the exclusive perquisites of whites are now held by blacks. Although the changes accompanying emancipation have resulted in new ideals such as racial integration, the hierarchical social structure remains. The transition from colonial to self-governing status has been a largely orderly one in the West Indies. Anxious to decolonize, Britain has encouraged her dependencies to become more self-sufficient. After the British West Indies Federation failed to usher the British colonies in the region into independence as a unit, the smaller islands became associated states with Britain as a transitional step to independent status. . . . (Author's abstract exceeds stipulated maximum length. Discontinued here with permission of school.) UMI
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:RICE/oai:scholarship.rice.edu:1911/15683 |
| Date | January 1982 |
| Creators | HARVEY, DEBORAH LOUISE |
| Source Sets | Rice University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, Text |
| Format | application/pdf |
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