Grenada: Island of Conflict: From Amerindians to People's Revolution, 1498-1979

On 19 October 1983, the Caribbean island of Grenada captured international headlines when revolutionary Prime Minister Maurice Bishop and many of his colleagues were killed, in a confrontation resulting in American intervention. This text examines past turmoil in Grenada by focusing on six episodes in the island's history, the European destruction of the first Amerindian inhabitants; the rebellion against the rule of the French and then the British colonialists; the disgrace of Gairy; and the demise of Maurice Bishop and the PRG. The book shows how the socio-economic and political background to each conflict holds the key to its resolution and asks whether Grenadians can now become masters of their own destiny, rather than subject to external agencies and groups.