Grenada: History

Pre-20th-Century History

Grenada's recorded history began in 1498, when Christopher Columbus sighted the island on his third voyage to the so-called New World. The first European settlement wasn't attempted until 1609, when a party of 208 English settlers tried to establish tobacco plantations. However, it quickly fell victim to raids by native Carib Indians and, within a year, most of the settlers had been killed.

In 1650, Governor Du Parquet of Martinique 'purchased' Grenada from the Caribs for a few hatchets, some glass beads and couple of bottles of grog, and promptly established 200 French settlers on the island. Not all Caribs were pleased with the land deal and skirmishes ensued with frequency. Weary of conflict with the Caribs, the French sent a contingent of soldiers to sort the locals out. The Caribs were routed at Sauteurs Bay, but rather than submit to the colonists, the survivors - men, women and children - jumped to their deaths from the precipitous coastal cliffs. The French then set about establishing plantations of indigo, tobacco, coffee, cocoa and sugar, which were worked by African slaves.

Grenada remained under French control until it was captured by the British in 1762. Over the next two decades, it teetered between the two colonial powers until it was ceded to the Brits in 1783. Grenada remained under British rule until independence, though animosity lingered between British colonialists and the minority French settlers, with violence erupting periodically. In 1877, Grenada became a Crown Colony.

Modern History

In 1967, Grenada became an associate state within the British Commonwealth. Grenada and the neighboring Grenadine Islands of Carriacou and Petit Martinique adopted a constitution in 1973 and became an independent nation in 1974.

The post-independence period was plagued by corruption until a coup led by London-educated lawyer Maurice Bishop in 1979. Bishop moved the country towards socialism, but opted to maintain free enterprise and democracy on the island nation. In doing so, he alienated childhood friend and deputy, Bernard Coard. A power struggle between Bishop and Coard resulted in a secondary coup in 1983 which overthrew Bishop and had him placed under house arrest. Following this, a gathering of thousands of Grenadians - including Bishop's pregnant girlfriend - marched on Fort George. The chronology of the events which occurred that afternoon are disputed, but Bishop, his girlfriend and a handful of his cabinet supporters were rounded up and executed by the military.

The US had been uneasy for years about the political situation in Grenada - fearing a Communist 'Domino Effect' in the Eastern Caribbean. Coard's hardliner coup was the excuse that Reagan needed and, a few days later, a joint US-Caribbean force stormed the island. The Grenadian army put up a strong fight, but was inevitably overwhelmed. US and Caribbean troops remained stationed on the island for several years and set about reinstituting democracy and free market capitalism. Coard and his advisors were sentenced to death (although the sentences were later commuted to life in prison).

Democratic elections have been held in 1985, 1990 and 1995, the last bringing the New National Party to power and installing NNP leader Keith Mitchell as prime minister. In late 1998, the defection of several members of Parliament from the NNP to the opposition brought the government down. As a result, elections were held in January 1999, which Mitchell won amidst accusations of corruption from the opposition.

Recent History

During the fallout of September 11, Grenada was scrutinized (as was much of the Caribbean) for shady banking practices and money laundering. Under political pressure, they opted to clean up their act and reform policy on sales of citizenship and passports. The contemporary economy depends heavily on international and regional tourism, beyond traditional agricultural industries.

Until recently, it had been 50 years since a major hurricane hit Grenada - 2004 and 2005 saw it pummelled by direct hits. Ivan, in 2004, destroyed a significant percentage of the buildings and homes on the main island, while 2005's Emily had its heaviest impact on Carriacou.

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