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The Grenadian revolution, 1979-1983 : the political economy of an attempt at revolutionary transformation in a Caribbean mini-state
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Ambursley, Fitzroy (1985) The Grenadian revolution, 1979-1983 : the political economy of an attempt at revolutionary transformation in a Caribbean mini-state. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.
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Official URL: http://webcat.warwick.ac.uk/record=b3226700~S15
Abstract
This study is primarily concerned with making an assessment of the social and economic policies pursued by the People's Revolutionary Government (PRG) of Grenada between 1979 to 1983. It is the first sociological study of the Grenadian revolution, and is longer and more detailed than any other study that has been written on the subject. The thesis mainly examines developments inside Grenada. It therefore breaks entirely new ground since most of the existing literature views the revolution from the perspective of international relations. The principal methods of investigation used were library research in London and the Caribbean; and six months of field work in Grenada, Barbados and Jamaica, where I attended important political events and conducted interviews with politicians, businessmen, government officials and representatives' of international agencies.
The thesis is divided into ten chapters. Chapter one sets the scene for the study by providing information on the culture, geography, history, sociology and economy of Grenada, and traces the events that led to the revolutionary seizure of power in 1979. Chapter two discusses the main theoretical issues raised by the revolution, and chapter three analyses the institutions of popular power established by the PRG. Chapters four to eight examine the principal features of the economic strategy of the revolutionary government, and chapter nine seeks to explain the factors that led to the downfall of the revolution. The concluding chapter contains a very brief summary of the main findings of the study.
The central argument put forward in the thesis is that the. revolutionary ideology which guided the PRG was highly authoritarian in character, and led to the implementation of policies that were not suited to Grenadian society. The ultimate downfall of the revolution was caused by the authoritarian practices of the PRG which resulted in a vicious power struggle in which the Prime Minister and over 100 of his supporters lost their lives. This implosion of the post-revolutionary regime gave the United States' government an adequate pretext to invade Grenada and dismantle the institutions of the revolution.
| Item Type: | Thesis (PhD) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subjects: | F History United States, Canada, Latin America > F1201 Latin America (General) | ||||
| Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Grenada -- History -- Coup d'état, -- 1979, Grenada -- Politics and government -- 1974-1983, Grenada -- History -- American Invasion, 1983, Grenada -- Economic conditions -- 20th century | ||||
| Official Date: | 1985 | ||||
| Dates: |
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| Institution: | University of Warwick | ||||
| Theses Department: | Department of Sociology | ||||
| Thesis Type: | PhD | ||||
| Publication Status: | Unpublished | ||||
| Supervisor(s)/Advisor: | Cohen, Robin, 1944- | ||||
| Sponsors: | University of Warwick ; Economic and Social Research Council (Great Britain) | ||||
| Extent: | vii, 495 leaves | ||||
| Language: | eng |
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