Early History

Before the arrival of Europeans, Grenada was inhabited by Carib Indians who had driven the more peaceful Arawaks from the island. Columbus landed on Grenada in 1498 during his third voyage to the new world. He named the island "Concepcion." The origin of the name "Grenada" is obscure, but it is likely that Spanish sailors renamed the island for the city of Granada. By the beginning of the 18th century, the name "Grenada," or "la Grenade" in French, was in common use.

Partly because of the Caribs, Grenada remained uncolonized for more than one hundred years after its discovery; early English efforts to settle the island were unsuccessful. In 1650, a French company founded by Cardinal Richelieu purchased Grenada from the English and established a small settlement. After several skirmishes with the Caribs, the French brought in reinforcements from Martinique and defeated the Caribs, the last of whom leapt into the sea rather than surrender.

18th century

The island remained under French control until its capture by the British in 1762, during the Seven Years' War. Grenada was formally ceded to the Kingdom of Great Britain by the Treaty of Paris (1763). Although the French regained control during the American War of Independence , winning the Battle of Grenada in July 1779, the island was restored to Britain with the Treaty of Versailles (1783). Although Britain was hard pressed to overcome a pro-French revolt in 1795, Grenada remained British for the remainder of the colonial period.

During the 18th century, Grenada's economy underwent an important transition. Like much of the rest of the West Indies, it was originally settled to cultivate sugar, which was grown on estates using slave labor. But natural disasters paved the way for the introduction of other crops. In 1782, Sir Joseph Banks, the botanical adviser to King George III, introduced nutmeg to Grenada. The island's soil was ideal for growing the spice and because Grenada was a closer source of spices for Europe than the Dutch East Indies, the island assumed a new importance to European traders.

19th century

The collapse of the sugar estates and the introduction of nutmeg and cacao encouraged the development of smaller land holdings, and the island developed a land-owning yeoman farmer class. Slavery was outlawed in 1834. In 1833, Grenada became part of the British Windward Islands Administration. The governor of the Windward Islands administered the island for the rest of the colonial period.

•  • [ e] British Empire and Commonwealth of Nations

Legend Current territory   Former territory * now a Commonwealth Realm   now a member of the Commonwealth of Nations Europe  18th century 1708-1757  Minorca since 1713  Gibraltar 1782-1802  Minorca 19th century 1800-1964  Malta 1807-1890  Heligoland 1809-1864  Ionian Islands 1878-1960  Cyprus 20th century since 1960  Akrotiri and Dhekelia North America  16th century 1583-1907  Newfoundland 17th century 1607-1776  Thirteen Colonies since 1619  Bermuda 1670-1870  Rupert's Land 18th century Canada (British Imperial)    1763-1791  Quebec    1791-1841  Lower Canada    1791-1841  Upper Canada 19th century Canada (British Imperial)    1841-1867  Province of Canada    1849-1866  Vancouver Island    1858-1871  British Columbia    1859-1870  North-Western Territory    1862-1863  Stikine Territory *Canada (post-Confederation)    1867-1931  Dominion of Canada1 20th century *Canada (post-Confederation)    1907-1934  Dominion of Newfoundland2 1 In 1931, Canada and other British dominions obtained self-government through the Statute of Westminster. 'Dominion' remains Canada's legal title; see Canada's name. 2 Remained a de jure dominion until 1949 (when it became a Canadian province); from 1934 to 1949, Newfoundland was governed by the Commission of Government. Latin America and the Caribbean  17th century 1605-1979  *Saint Lucia 1623-1883  Saint Kitts (*Saint Kitts & Nevis) 1624-1966  *Barbados 1625-1650  Saint Croix 1627-1979  *St. Vincent and the Grenadines 1628-1883  Nevis (*Saint Kitts & Nevis) 1629-1641  St. Andrew and Providence Islands3 since 1632  Montserrat 1632-1860  Antigua(*Antigua & Barbuda) 1643-1860  Bay Islands since 1650  Anguilla 1651-1667  Willoughbyland (Suriname) 1655-1850  Mosquito Coast (protectorate) 1655-1962  *Jamaica since 1666  British Virgin Islands since 1670  Cayman Islands 1670-1973  *Bahamas 1670-1688  St. Andrew and Providence Islands3 1671-1816  Leeward Islands 18th century 1762-1974  *Grenada 1763-1978  Dominica since 1799  Turks and Caicos Islands 19th century 1831-1966  British Guiana (Guyana) 1833-1960  Windward Islands 1833-1960  Leeward Islands 1860-1981  *Antigua and Barbuda 1871-1964  British Honduras (*Belize) 1882-1983  *St. Kitts and Nevis 1889-1962  Trinidad and Tobago 20th century 1958-1962  West Indies Federation 3 Now the San Andrs y Providencia Department of Colombia. Africa  18th century 1792-1961  Sierra Leone 1795-1803  Cape Colony 19th century 1806-1910  Cape Colony 1816-1965  Gambia 1856-1910  Natal 1868-1966  Basutoland (Lesotho) 1874-1957  Gold Coast (Ghana) 1882-1922  Egypt 1884-1966  Bechuanaland (Botswana) 1884-1960  British Somaliland 1887-1897  Zululand 1888-1894  Matabeleland 1890-1980  Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) 1890-1962  Uganda 1890-1963  Zanzibar (Tanzania) 1891-1964  Nyasaland (Malawi) 1891-1907  British Central Africa 1893-1968  Swaziland 1895-1920  British East Africa 1899-1956  Anglo-Egyptian Sudan 20th century 1900-1914  Northern Nigeria 1900-1914  Southern Nigeria 1900-1910  Orange River Colony 1906-1954  Nigeria Colony 1910-1931  South Africa 1911-1964  Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) 1914-1954  Nigeria Protectorate 1915-1931  South West Africa (Namibia) 1919-1960  Cameroons (Cameroon) 4 1920-1963  Kenya 1922-1961  Tanganyika (Tanzania) 4 1954-1960  Nigeria since 1965  British Indian Ocean Territory 4 League of Nations mandate. Asia  18th century 1757-1947  Bengal (West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh) 1762-1764  Philippines 1795-1948  Ceylon (Sri Lanka) 1796-1965  Maldives 19th century 1819-1826  Singapore 1826-1946  Straits Settlements 1839-1967  Aden (colony) 1841-1997  Hong Kong 1841-1941  Kingdom of Sarawak 1858-1947  British India (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, Burma) 1882-1963  British North Borneo (Malaysia) 1885-1946  Unfederated Malay States 1891-1971  Muscat and Oman protectorate 1892-1971  Trucial States protectorate 1895-1946  Federated Malay States 1898-1930  Weihai Garrison 20th century 1918-1961  Kuwait protectorate 1920-1932  Iraq4 1921-1946  Transjordan4 1923-1948  Palestine4 1946-1948  Malayan Union 1946-1963  Sarawak (Malaysia) 1948-1957  Federation of Malaya (Malaysia) 4 League of Nations mandate. Oceania  18th century 1788-1901  New South Wales 1794-1843  Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) 19th century 1803-1901  Van Diemen's Land/Tasmania 1807-1863  Auckland Islands 1824-1980  New Hebrides (Vanuatu) 1824-1901  Queensland 1829-1901  Swan River Colony/Western Australia 1836-1901  South Australia since 1838  Pitcairn Islands 1840-1907  *Colony of New Zealand 1850-1901  Victoria (Australia) 1874-1970  Fiji5 1877-1976  British Western Pacific Territories 1884-1949  Territory of Papua 1888-1965  Cook Islands6 1888-1984  Sultanate of Brunei 1889-1948  Union Islands (Tokelau)6 1892-1979  Gilbert and Ellice Islands7 1893-1978  British Solomon Islands8 20th century 1900-1970  Tonga (protected state) 1900-1974  Niue6 1901-1942  *Commonwealth of Australia 1907-1953  *Dominion of New Zealand 1919-1949  Territory of New Guinea 1949-1975  Territory of Papua and New Guinea9 5 Suspended member. 6 Now part of the *Realm of New Zealand. 7 Now Kiribati and *Tuvalu. 8 Now the *Solomon Islands. 9 Now *Papua New Guinea. Antarctica and South Atlantic  17th century since 1659  St. Helena 19th century since 1815  Ascension Island9 since 1816  Tristan da Cunha9 since 1833  Falkland Islands11 20th century since 1908  British Antarctic Territory10 since 1908  South Georgia and                     the South Sandwich Islands10, 11 9 Dependencies of St. Helena since 1922 (Ascension Island) and 1938 (Tristan da Cunha). 10 Both claimed in 1908; territories formed in 1962 (British Antarctic Territory) and 1985 (South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands). 11 Occupied by Argentina during the Falklands War of April-June 1982.

20th century and independence

In 1958, the Windward Islands Administration was dissolved, and Grenada joined the Federation of the West Indies. After that federation collapsed in 1962, the British Government tried to form a small federation out of its remaining dependencies in the Eastern Caribbean.

Following the failure of this second effort, the British and the islanders developed the concept of "associated statehood". Under the Associated Statehood Act in 1967 Grenada was granted full autonomy over its internal affairs in March of that year. Full independence was granted on February 7, 1974.

After obtaining independence, Grenada adopted a modified Westminster parliamentary system based on the British model with a governor general appointed by and representing the British monarch (head of state) and a prime minister who is both leader of the majority party and the head of government. Sir Eric Gairy was Grenada's first prime minister.

Revolution and US invasion

On March 13, 1979, the New Jewel Movement launched an armed revolution which removed Gairy, suspended the constitution, and established a People's Revolutionary Government (PRG), headed by Maurice Bishop who declaired himself prime minister. His Marxist-Leninist government established close ties with Cuba, Nicaragua, and other communist bloc countries. All political parties except for the New Jewel Movement were banned and no elections were held during the four years of PRG rule.

In October 1983, a power struggle within the government resulted in the illegal house arrest of Bishop at the order of his Deputy Prime Minister, Bernard Coard. Bishop's removal from office resulted in demonstrations in various parts of the island which eventually led to Bishop ceasing to be under house arrest. Coard's forces eventually executed Bishop and seven others including members of the cabinet.

After Bishop's death the military under Hudson Austin took power and formed a military government to run the country. A four-day total curfew was declaired under which any civilian outside their home was subject to summary execution. A U.S.-Caribbean force landed on Grenada on October 25, 1983 in an action called Operation Urgent Fury. This action was taken in response to an appeal obtained from the governor general and to a request for assistance from the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, without consulting the island's head of state, Queen Elizabeth II, Commonwealth institutions or other usual diplomatic channels (as had been done in Anguilla). Furthermore, United States government military strategists feared that Soviet use of the island would enable the Soviet Union to project tactical power over the entire Caribbean region. U.S. citizens were evacuated, and constitutional government was resumed.

Seventeen members of the PRG and the PRA (army) were convicted by a court. Fourteen were sentenced to death for actions related to the overthrow of the Bishop government and the murder of several persons including Bishop. The sentences were eventually commuted to life imprisonment after an international campaign. Another three were sentenced to forty five years in prison. These seventeen have become known as the Grenada 17, and are the subject of an ongoing international campaign for their release. In October 2003 Amnesty International issued a report which stated that their trial had been a miscarriage of justice. The seventeen have protested their sentences consistently since 1983.

After the invasion, United States gave $48.4 million in economic assistance to Grenada in 1984.

An advisory council named by the governor general administered the country until general elections were held in December 1984. The New National Party (NNP) led by Herbert Blaize won fourteen out of fifteen seats in elections and formed a democratic government. Grenada's constitution had been suspended in 1979 by the PRG but it was restored after the 1984 elections.

Late 20th century

The NNP continued in power until 1989 but with a reduced majority. Five NNP parliamentary members, including two cabinet ministers, left the party in 1986-87 and formed the National Democratic Congress (NDC) which became the official opposition.

In August 1989, Prime Minister Blaize broke with the NNP to form another new party, The National Party (TNP), from the ranks of the NNP. This split in the NNP resulted in the formation of a minority government until constitutionally scheduled elections in March 1990. Prime Minister Blaize died in December 1989 and was succeeded as prime minister by Ben Jones until after the elections.

The NDC emerged from the 1990 elections as the strongest party, winning seven of the fifteen available seats. Nicholas Brathwaite added two TNP members and one member of the Grenada United Labor Party (GULP) to create a 10-seat majority coalition. The governor general appointed him to be prime minister.

In parliamentary elections on June 20, 1995, the NNP won eight seats and formed a government headed by Dr. Keith Mitchell. The NNP maintained and affirmed its hold on power when it took all fifteen parliamentary seats in the January 1999 elections.

21st century

Truth and reconciliation commission

In 2000-2002 much of the controversy of the late 1970s and early 1980s was once again brought into the public consciousness with the opening of the truth and reconciliation commission. The commission was chaired by a Catholic priest, Father Mark Haynes, and was tasked with uncovering injustices arising from the PRA, Bishop's regime, and before. It held a number of hearings around the country. The commission was formed, bizarrely, because of a school project. Brother Robert Fanovich, head of Presentation Brothers' College (PBC) in St. George's tasked some of his senior students with conducting a research project into the era and specifically into the fact that Maurice Bishop's body was never discovered. Their project attracted a great deal of attention, including from the Miami Herald and the final report was published in a book written by the boys called Big Sky, Little Bullet. It also uncovered that there was still a lot of resentment in Grenadian society resulting from the era, and a feeling that there were many injustices still unaddressed. The commission began shortly after the boys concluded their project.

Hurricane Ivan

On September 7, 2004, Grenada was hit directly by category four Hurricane Ivan. The hurricane destroyed about 85% of the structures on the island, including the prison and the prime minister's residence, killed thirty nine people, and destroyed most of the nutmeg crop, Grenada's main economic mainstay. Grenada's economy was set back several years by Hurricane Ivan's impact. Hurricane Emily ravaged the islands North part in June 2005.

See also

•  • [ e] History of North America
Sovereign states	Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama* Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago* United States
Dependencies and other territories	Anguilla Aruba* Bermuda British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Greenland Guadeloupe Martinique Montserrat Navassa Island Netherlands Antilles* Puerto Rico Saint-Barthlemy Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Turks and Caicos Islands U. S. Virgin Islands

Further reading

• Kurlansky, Mark. 1992. A Continent of Islands: Searching for the Caribbean Destiny. Addison-Wesley Publishing. ISBN 0-201-52396-5.

External links

• Background Note: Grenada
• History of Grenada