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The development of Grenada after independence
in 1974 soon became dramatic. In 1979 Maurice Bishop
took power in a bloodless coup and introduced a Marxist
rule. Bishop was overthrown and executed in 1983 by more
dogmatic Marxists, who were, however, deposed by the
United States and some of Grenada's neighboring
countries. After a transitional council ruled the
country for ten years, the conservative party NNP came
to dominate politics. Grenada was hit hard when
Hurricane Ivan in 2004 destroyed large parts of the
island.
During the first half of the 20th century, Grenada
served as a source of inspiration for political
independence movements in the Caribbean through the
leadership of the T Albert Marryshow. In 1950, union
leader Eric Gairy formed the first political party on
the island, Grenada's United Workers Party
(Gulp) and a few years later,
lawyer Herbert Blaize founded the more conservative
Grenada National Party (GNP).
For more than a quarter of a century, Gairy and Blaize
came to dominate politics in the country.
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ABBREVIATIONFINDER:
List of most commonly used acronyms containing Grenada. Also includes historical, economical and political aspects of the country.
Gairy became Grenada's first prime minister after
independence and built a cult with religious signs
around his person. Gairy was also accused of corruption
and brother-in-law. A 1974 protest strike was brutally
defeated by the security forces, who continued to
persecute all opponents of the ruling party.
In 1979, Gairy was deposed by a bloodless coup by
Maurice Bishop and his followers in the Marxist
New Jewel Movement,NJM (Jewel stands for Joint
Endeavor for Welfare, Education and Liberation, Joint
Pursuit of Welfare, Education and Freedom). The new
government, the "People's Revolutionary Government",
nationalized agriculture and industry, postponed
promised elections, repealed the constitution and
introduced "the laws of the people". Relations with
socialist countries, mainly Cuba but also the Soviet
Union, developed.
However, Bishop's revolution was threatened by
economic hardships and he was challenged internally by
dogmatic Marxists who demanded an even more radical
policy. In October 1983, Bishop was deposed by the
party's left wing under the leadership of Deputy Prime
Minister Bernard Coard. Bishop was placed under house
arrest, but was released by a crowd with several deaths
as a result. However, Bishop and several other leaders
were arrested by soldiers from the "People's
Revolutionary Army" (PRA) and executed.
 The United States is invading
The coup triggered a US-led invasion of Grenada. On
October 25, 1983, 1,900 Marine Corps and a police force
of 300 men from Caribbean neighboring states took
control of the island. Additional American soldiers were
sent in the next few days. The US official reason for
the intervention was to protect American citizens, but
it later emerged that the main motive was the Cuban
presence in Grenada. Initially, Americans were concerned
that Cuban construction workers helped build a new
airport, which they suspected would be used to transport
aid to guerrilla movements in Latin America. The
invasion cost nearly 100 people their lives.
A transitional council, appointed by the
Governor-General, reintroduced the 1974 Constitution and
ruled the country until the December 1984 elections.
Then the New National Party prevailed (NNP),
which consisted of several opposition parties that came
together. The NNP was led by GNP leader Herbert Blaize,
who became prime minister.
His government cut in the public sector and received
extensive assistance from the United States. However, it
was characterized by internal divisions and weakened
when defectors from the NNP in 1987 formed a new party,
the National Democratic Congress (NDC). In the election
the following year, NDC won and its leader Nicholas
Brathwaite became prime minister. During his reign, the
economy deteriorated, partly as a result of sharply
reduced world market prices for spices and bananas. In
1992, an economic reform program was launched in
collaboration with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
In the 1995 election, the NNP won with populist
promises of work for everyone and Keith Mitchell became
prime minister. After the NNP lost the majority in the
House of Representatives in connection with the
transition of a member to the Labor Party Gulp, a new
election was held in 1999. In the election, NNP, favored
by brighter economic times, succeeded in winning all 15
seats in the House of Representatives.
The NNP retained power even after the parliamentary
elections in 2003. But the party's support was weakened
and it received only a mandate more than the main
opposition party NDC.
Hurricane Ivan
In September 2004, Grenada was hit very hard by Ivan,
the most powerful hurricane ever pulled over the island.
Around 40 people were killed, many houses were totally
destroyed and large parts of the country's important
nutmeg crops were destroyed. The cost of reconstruction
was estimated at $ 815 million, which corresponded to
just over two years of gross domestic product (GDP). To
stop the looting begun after the majority of the
Grenadiers were forced to leave their homes, several
West Indies sent a joint force of a few hundred soldiers
and policemen to Grenada. The country also received
disaster assistance from, among others, the US and the
EU and loans from the IMF.
The situation worsened when Grenada the following
year was hit by yet another hurricane, Emily, which
caused about $ 200 million in damage. However, the
country quickly received more foreign aid. The
rebuilding after the hurricanes dominated politics in
2004 and 2005.
In the summer of 2006, a report was presented to
Parliament by a Truth Commission appointed by the
government in 2000 to investigate the chaotic course of
the coup in 1983. Maurice Bishop and nine government
officials. Among the so-called Grenada 17 were former
Deputy Prime Minister Bernard Coard and his wife
Phyllis. Fourteen of the coup makers had received the
death penalty, which in 1991 was converted to life
imprisonment. The Commission recommended new trials for
Grenada 17.
In February 2007, the Supreme Court, the Privy
Council, decided that the 13 coup makers who remained in
prison should have their judgments reviewed in a new
trial. In June of the same year, three of them were
released, while the other ten received their sentences
for a maximum of 40 years, including the time they spent
in prison, with the possibility of pardon within a
two-year period. The decision was criticized by the
government, which, however, emphasized the court's
independent role as a judiciary. In December 2008, three
more of the prisoners were released and in September
2009, the remaining seven, including former Deputy Prime
Minister Bernard Coard, were released after serving
their sentence.
Shift of power
In the 2008 parliamentary elections, NNP lost
government power after ruling the country for 13 years.
The NDC received 11 of the 15 seats, and party leader
Tillman Thomas became new prime minister.
The new NDC government continued its efforts to deal
with the suites following Hurricane Ivan, while the
international recession (see Economic overview)
contributed to a decline in the country's important
tourism industry. Internal battles within the party
periodically crippled government work. In September
2012, Tillman dismissed the Foreign Minister, the
Environment Minister and the Minister of Tourism, whom
he accused of lack of loyalty. Some of these formed a
new party at the beginning of 2013, but never had any
major impact. Throughout the fall of 2012, no meetings
were held in Parliament and finally Thomas was forced to
announce elections.
In the February 2013 elections, NNP won a grand
victory. The party conquered all seats in the House of
Representatives and Keith Mitchell, who was Prime
Minister from 1995 to 2008, became the new head of
government.
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