Independence was granted in
1974 under the leadership of
Eric Gairy, who became the first
Prime Minister of Grenada.
Civil conflict gradually broke out between Eric Gairy's government and some opposition parties including the
New Jewel Movement (
NJM). Gairy's party won elections in
1976, but the opposition did not accept the result, accusing it of fraud. In
1979, the New Jewel Movement under
Maurice Bishop launched a paramilitary attack on the government resulting in its overthrow.
The constitution was suspended and
Bishop's "
People's Revolutionary Government" ruled subsequently by decree.
Cuban doctors, teachers, and technicians were invited in to help develop health, literacy, and agriculture over the next few years.
Agrarian reforms started by the Gairy government were continued and greatly expanded under the revolutionary government of Maurice Bishop.
Coup and execution of Maurice Bishop
Some years later a dispute developed between
Bishop and certain high-ranking members of the NJM. Though Bishop cooperated with
Cuba and the
USSR on various trade and foreign policy issues, he sought to maintain a "non-aligned" status. Bishop had been taking his time making
Grenada wholly socialist, encouraging private-sector development in an attempt to make the island a popular tourist destination.
Hardline Marxist party members, including Communist
Deputy Prime Minister Bernard Coard, deemed Bishop insufficiently revolutionary and demanded that he either step down or enter into a power-sharing arrangement.
On
October 19,
1983, Bernard Coard and his wife
Phyllis, backed by the
Grenadian Army, led a coup against the government of Maurice Bishop and placed Bishop under house arrest. These actions led to street demonstrations in various parts of the island. Bishop had enough support from the population that he was eventually freed after a demonstration in the capital. When Bishop attempted to resume power, he was captured and executed by soldiers along with seven others, including government cabinet ministers. The Coard regime then put the island under martial law.
After the execution of Bishop, the
People's Revolutionary Army formed a military government with
General Hudson Austin as chairman. The army declared a four-day total curfew, during which (it said) anyone leaving their home without approval would be shot on sight.
US and allied response and reaction
The overthrow of a moderate government by one which was strongly pro-communist worried
U.S. President Ronald Reagan. Particularly worrying was the presence of Cuban construction workers and military personnel who were building a 10,000-foot (
3,000 m) airstrip on
Grenada. Bishop had stated the purpose of the airstrip was to allow commercial jets to land, but
U.S. military analysts argued that the only reason for constructing such a long and reinforced runway was so that it could be used by heavy military transport planes. The contractors,
American and
European companies, and the
EEC, which provided partial funding, all claimed the airstrip did not have military capabilities.[9]
Reagan was worried that Cuba – under
the direction of the Soviet Union – would use Grenada as a refueling stop for Cuban and
Soviet airplanes loaded with weapons destined for
Central American communist insurgents.[10]
On
October 25, 1983, combined forces from the
United States and from the
Regional Security System (
RSS) based in
Barbados invaded Grenada in an operation codenamed
Operation Urgent Fury.
The U.S. stated this was done at the behest of
Prime Minister Eugenia Charles of
Dominica. While the
Governor-General of Grenada, Sir
Paul Scoon, later stated that he had also requested the invasion, it was highly criticised by the governments of
Britain,
Trinidad and Tobago, and
Canada. The United Nations General Assembly condemned it as "a flagrant violation of international law" by a vote of
108 in favor to 9, with 27 abstentions.[11][12]
The United Nations Security Council considered a similar resolution, which failed to pass when vetoed by the United States.[13]
Post-invasion arrests
After the invasion of the island nation, the pre-revolutionary Grenadian constitution came into operation once again.
Eighteen members of the
PRG and the
PRA (army) were arrested after the invasion on charges related to the murder of Maurice Bishop and seven others. The eighteen included the top political leadership of Grenada at the time of the execution as well as the entire military chain of command directly responsible for the operation that led to the executions.
Fourteen were sentenced to death, one was found not guilty and three were sentenced to forty-five years in prison. The death sentences were eventually commuted to terms of imprisonment. Those in prison have become known as the
Grenada 17.
- published: 21 Sep 2014
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