December 17, 2025 • 29 mins
In the first of two parts, James and Andrew talk about the events of the revolution in Grenada and those leading up to it.
Sources:
Grenada: Revolution and Invasion by Patsy Lewis et al
None Shall Escape by Fundi
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
All the media.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
So there's a revolution long forgotten that was tucked in
a corner of the Caribbean. Those outside of the region,
it's probably quite far from mind. You know, when most
people think of Caribbean revolutionaries, they think of Cuba. But
at the time, the rise and fall of the Grenada
Revolution was everything. Hello and welcome to it can happen here.
(00:32):
I'm Andrew Sage. You're a Trinadian host of kappen Here,
and I'm joined by.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
James, your American British co host.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
American British.
Speaker 4 (00:44):
Yeah, I don't really know how to say.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
That, Like, which order should that hyphen been?
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Oh? Yeah, yeah, I don't know which way which way
I'm supposed to hyphenate, because we don't hyphenate white people, uh,
which is a.
Speaker 4 (00:57):
Very American thing.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
But yeah, to be here, I always enjoy learning more
about this part of the world from you.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
I'm glad. I'm glad, and you know, as we speak,
I'm hearing helicopters overhead, and no, it's really a reminder
of the times that we are living in. Last night
there were quite a few stealth helicopters flying overhead, quite
close to the ground. About three of them. Wow, all
(01:24):
the lights were off. So it's it seems to be
a ramping up and escalation in some ways, or just
a continuation of the existing military presence.
Speaker 4 (01:36):
Yeah, jeez.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
And as we're talking about military presence in the US,
which is something that I spoke about on this podcast
before you go and check it out, we here to
discuss the very recent history, positive and negative of my
northern neighbor, Grenader. So I don't want to bog anyone
down with too many facts, but it's important to get
(01:59):
a idea of the context. So Grenada is the southernmost
in the grouping of Caribbean islands known as the Windward Islands.
It's a country composed of Grenada, the island, and a
few smaller islands, including Kariaku and Petimosknat. It's long been
considered the Spice Isle, as the hilly mainland was and
(02:20):
still is home to a lot of nutmeg plantations. They
currently have a predominantly African population of just over one
hundred and seventeen thousand, sharing a country merely three hundred
and forty four kilometers squared or one hundred and thirty
three square miles for reference, The five boroughs of New
York City collectively make up seven hundred and seventy eight
(02:40):
zero point eighteen kilometers square or three hundred point four
to six square miles. So Grenada is small. You know,
New York is big, but Grenada is also quite small.
You know, for reference, it's slightly larger than Queen's but
far less populated and far less dense. So it's talking
small island state par excellence. And yet it has sat
at the center of one of the most critical events
(03:03):
in Caribbean history. And it might be one of the
sights of yet another such incident in light of the
United States request to Grenada on October ninth to establish
a temporary military radar base at the infamous Maurice Bishop
International Airport, a request which has not yet received a
conclusive response more than a month later at the time
(03:23):
of me recording this, so I thought it apps to
finally talk about this moment in history. I went to
my library and got a copy of Grenada Revolution and Invasion,
a companium of essays from various perspectives on the topic
arranged by Patsy Lewis at al. That provided the basis
of my research, particularly the essay by mu Collins, a
(03:44):
Grenadian poet and novelist. I also drew some of the
radical background law from fundy Aka Joseph Edwards, an underappreciated
autonomous radical healing from Jamaica who spoke about the situation
in Non Shall Escape. All linked in the show. So
I don't want to get too deep into the history
prior to what's immediately relevant today's topic. Oh, keep things brief.
(04:08):
A couple hundred Amerindians lived in Grenada prior to the
European invasion. Human settlement may have been as early as
thirty five hundred BCE, but most definitely by the second century.
See Spain, upon stumbling upon it, claimed it but never
settled it. England attempted to settle it, but was driven
out by the indigenous inhabitants, and eventually the island was
(04:32):
settled and subjugated by the French, who engaged in a
protracted war against the indigenous between today's Grenada, Dominica and
Saint Vincent of the Grandians throughout the seventeenth century. You know,
there's this narrative that the Europeans came and they just
easily conquered the entirety of the Americas, and it's important
to lay that myth to rest. There was, of course
(04:55):
a very tragic great dyeing that was responsible for a
vast majority the indigenous population losing their lives to the disease,
in some cases intentionally weaponized by the Europeans. But despite
differences in their weaponry, the Europeans didn't have an easy
time conquering the islands, or conquering the Americans at all.
(05:16):
In many cases, they did not succeed in Conqune Islands
for many decades or centuries of struggle, but eventually Crenado
was established as a colony of over fifteen thousand slaved
Africans by seventeen sixty three. A year prior, in seventeen
sixty two, Britain took over the island from the French
as part of the Seven Years' War, and the island
(05:37):
was formally ceded to Britain in seventeen sixty three. By
eighteen oh seven, Britain had brought one hundred and fourteen
thousand slaves to Grenado. By eighteen thirty eight, slavery was abolished.
In eighteen seventy seven, Grenada became a Crown colony and
fast forward a little further under modified Crown colony status,
the wealthiest four percent of Canadians were allowed to vote.
(06:01):
Eric Geary founded the Grenada United Labor Party or GULP
in nineteen fifty initially as a trade union, which led
to the nineteen fifty one General Strike for better working conditions.
Buildings were set on fire in this time, and this
is in a broader regional context of radicalism and agitation
(06:21):
for independence in the post World War II reality, which
would intensify after many of the islands had already gained
the independence. Eventually, Grenada got elections based on universal adult
suffrage in nineteen fifty one and Eric Gary's party GULP one.
This is before they got independence, though, in a time
(06:43):
when the English speaking Caribbean was trying to establish a
West Indies Federation between nineteen fifty eight and nineteen sixty two.
It didn't succeed. Jamaica seceeded, and then Trinidad, so it
fell apart, and after the fall of the federation, Grenada
became an associated state in nineteen sixty seven, then finally
gained full independence from Britain in nineteen seventy four, again
(07:05):
under the leadership of Eric Garry. Who became the first
Prime Minister of Grenada. The late sixties and early seventies
were a radical time in general, so that's set in
the stage for what comes next in Grenada, the rise
of the New Jewel movement led by Maurice Bishop. You see,
as Fundi found. In this time, we also had quite
(07:26):
a few other confrontations going on across the Spanaphone, Francophone,
Dutch of Phone and Anglophone Caribbeans. In nineteen sixty five,
you had the popular revolt in the Dominican Republic against
the military coup that was drowned in blood by the
US invasion. In nineteen sixty seven, you had a spontaneous
rebellion of agricultural workers in Guadelup. Nineteen sixty eight, black
(07:49):
folks in Bermuda rioted against the racist and clueless control
it dominated the island. In nineteen sixty nine, there was
a violent confrontation against US soldiers by students and workers
protesting the US occupation of the Panama Canal Zone. Kurisa
was shaken by wildcatch strikes of workers, riots by employed
and unemployed as well. Labor unrest was breaking out in Surinam,
(08:11):
leading to general strike an Tiger had riots, strikes, and
demonstrations over several years. Jamaica had workers at the Western
Meatpackers established democratic control of their trade union local, taking
full control over their union dues and negotiating their employer
without official mediators to manage the sugar workers and the
local community directly and of course infamously. In nineteen seventy,
(08:36):
Trinad was shaken up as workers, academics and small farmers
linked up against the system led by the government of
Prime Minister Eric Williams, and after years of his rule
under the Sloga and Massa they done. The people erupted
against the newoor colonial system. Despite being ruled by this
black leader, the hundreds of people in the streets championed
(08:58):
black power, understanding what was needed was a people's politics
in which new institutions could emerge. This black power revolution
in Trondad was inspired in part by the black civil
rights struggle in the United States, while also seeking into
night the African and Indian populations in Tronad. After an
attempted mutiny by the army and Venezuela and American gun
(09:20):
boats standing by raid intervene, the military surrendered. The revolutionary
initiative shifted away from the masses and doctor Derk Williams
was saved. By nineteen seventy three, a few armed gorillas
remained in the hills of Trinidad, but eventually their struggle
was snuffed out. By nineteen seventy five in Guadeloupe had
wildcat strikes taking place. Guyana had wildcatch strikes against the
(09:44):
American and Canadian owned Boux side companies. Surinam had another
general strike. Saint Lucia experience with wildcat strike. Dominica attempted
to seize the British owned Castle brus estates. In Jamaica,
there was a wave of appropriation from banks, warehouses, stores,
batting shops and more cross Kingston and demonstrations initiated by
(10:06):
students and workers against police brutality and for the release
of prisoners. And in nineteen seventy nine Nicaragua had their
revolution against the US Allied government. While all of this
(10:27):
is going on, Grenada had a population of less than
one hundred thousand people. It had just become independent under
Eric Geary and Erek Garry is an interesting fella because
you'll see some aspects of him mirrored later on. He
came to power in nineteen fifty one with the wave
(10:49):
of universal suffrage. He was twenty nine years all at
the time. He had previously been a worker organizer in
Aruba and was expelled from the island for that very reason.
He spent deca in politics as a champion of agricultural workers.
But younger generations were not as excited about him. They
recognized his financial corruption, his penchant for rigged elections, and
(11:13):
of course his use of secret police that were repressive
to the people. So as creators making steps towards becoming independent,
the people did not want him to be the leader
of independence. There were strikes against him even before the revolution.
But see Gary was karen on this tradition that was
(11:34):
set up by the British. Whether he knew it or not,
he and may have had this radical start as a
worker organizer, but he came to carry on colonial interests.
You know. He started off as a union man, but
he turned against the workers, and even the British at
one point had been scared of him as an organizer
and had trepidations about him as an independent leader, but
(11:57):
they still chose him and prefer him at the risk
of maybe a more radical version of him leading an
independent Grenader, and then came the New Duel Movement. Now
the New Duel Movement is actually a combination of two groups.
You had the Movement for Assemblies of the People, which
was founded by Maurice Bishop, a lawyer who had studied
(12:20):
in Britain. And you had the Joint Endeavor for Welfare,
Education and Liberation or JEWEL, which is founded by Howard
University economic student Unison Whitman. They were also joined by
Bernard Cord, an economics lecturer at UIs in Augustin in Trinandobago.
So at first, in terms of their politics, they really
(12:42):
wanted popular assemblies and that sort of thing. But actually
let me get into the background of the Caribbean left.
You see, in the nineteen fifties there was an upheaval.
You know, radicals had been shifting from the sort of
Stalinism that had become popular in the post War two
era towards a more critical sort of Trotskyism or Maoism. Yeah.
(13:05):
See Lar James and George pat Moore, both based in London,
were already advocate in independence for Africa and the Caribbean,
rejecting the Styalinist idea that liberation should wait until after
World Ward two.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
See.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
Lar James is an interesting figure politically to me because
while he was ostensibly a Trotskyist, he was in many
ways unorthodox in his approach to those politics.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
Yeah, Celar James's book Trying to Remember, it's called Beyond
a Boundary or Beyond the Boundary.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Beyond the Boundary.
Speaker 4 (13:37):
Yeah, it's a great book.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
To the only book about cricket that I've ever read,
and that's the only one that I've ever enjoyed. Not
a big cricket appreciate it, but as a sports historian
that that book was foundational to like how how I
approached my dissertation, and like as such, I've always had
a really like a soft spot for him as someone
who did sports living in academia for a living. I
(14:01):
saw like a really positive example of the role that
both of those can play in like liberation struggles in
his writing. Yeah, Yeah, it's when I'd encourage everyone to
read if you're looking for a book. It's like his
writing is very readable, in his historical writing, like which
I at the time of my life, when I was
in grad school, I very much appreciated someone who wrote
something that wasn't like self consciously trying to be dense
(14:24):
and impenetrable to make them seem intelligent. Like face, his
intelligence comes through just fine.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
Indeed, indeed, I've had a soft spot for him as
well for some time, particularly after reading The Black Yakabins.
Speaker 4 (14:37):
Yeah, he used to assign that one alone.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
And I would say that the Tribean left at the
time also had a bit of a soft spot for
him because they were heavily influenced by his writings. Yeah,
you know, in his nineteen fifty six pamphlet Face and Reality,
which is about the Hungarian Revolution, ended up becoming a
profound influence on Western Ian radicals, as it had revealed
(15:01):
the potential of workers' councils and done a lot to
expose the authoritarianism of the Soviet model. This is something
that Bundy wrote about and highlighted as he's given his
sort of discussion of the origins and trajectory of the
Caribbean left. So in the nineteen sixties and seventies, radical
(15:23):
thought across the Caribbean was shaped by these more democratic
socialist ideals. Ye had movements like Jamaica's Young Socialist League,
Trindad's New Beginning Movement and Creator's New Jewel movements. They
were all inspired by James and by grassroots workers councils
rather than the typical Soviet orthodoxy. Of course, the Caribbean
(15:45):
left was not immune to conflict or division. There were
conflicts between those who were more loyal to stylists or
pro Soviet positions, and that led to some splits within
unions and political movements. Now, initially the Neutral Movement was
leaning in that participatory democratic direction, but eventually they ended
(16:08):
up going in to studying Marxism Leninism more not really
at first they mainly wanted Gary out, but later they
went into Marxism Leninism and transformed the movement into a
proper political party of the vanguard variety in an effort
to unseat Geary. They started building some momentum and immediately
(16:28):
based consequences. In nineteen seventy three, Bishop Whiteman and others
got beaten up and arrested by Gary's secret police multiple times.
Bishop's own father was shot and killed by Gary's forces,
and the high schoolers that were also taking a stand
against Gary at the time were facing repression and violence. Now,
(16:51):
with nineteen seventy four, independence was one, but sadly under
Gary and his notorious secret police, which were by the way,
called the Mongoose Gang. Now there was already suspicions of
potential election fraud, and it wasn't helped by the fact
that his Mongoose Gang was known to intimidate people. But
(17:13):
in nineteen seventy six, despite this for a political landscape,
Bishop won a leadership role as opposition and became known
across the country in our country as small as as Grenader,
as someone charismatic, personable, relatable. The New Dual Movement started
to build a reputation for being connected to the people,
(17:34):
engage with students, engage with pro bono work. In some cases,
as I mentioned, some of them were lawyers, and they
were youthful. They were bringing a youthful energy to the
sort of old god colonial era politics of Erik Garry
and his ILK. So the story of how the New
(18:01):
Dual Movement came into power is actually a bit humorous
to me. On the thirteenth of March nineteen seventy nine,
Gary went to the UN meeting in New York that
was happening at the time, and as the saying goes,
when the cat's away, the mice will play. In this case,
while the cat was away, the New Dual Movement pulled
(18:23):
off a coup, a completely bloodless coup. They took control
of the army barracks and the radio. When they went
on the radio, and this is the funny part to me,
they told people to go to police stations and demand
that they put up white flags of surrender. And the
population was so anti Gary that they did it. They
just walked up in civilization. So they're like, yeah, put
(18:44):
up these white flags, and the police shaid, yeah, sure,
that was that. That's how the New Jeal movement came
into power.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
Yeah, And this is such a fascinating time in history, right,
Like they used to teach a class about culturing colonialism
back in the day, and we would talk a lot
about like this time period, like the post wind Rush
period where like Caribbean political culture was very influential even
in the metropol right in Britain specifically, Like this is
(19:16):
when we have like sca music and then punk music
arriving from that, which is a serious political force in
a twentieth century. Like it's easy for people to sniff
at that or whatever, but and that's the reason I
am the way I am so like, I guess I
have a fondness for it, but also like the state's
capacity for violence and surveillance hasn't caught up to the
(19:42):
capacity for mass communication yet, and so you have these
movements which can mobilize a ton of people and the
state isn't like all up in them with informers and like,
it can either respond as a Soviet Union did in
Hungary right with tanks that's where we get the word
tanky from, or it can crumble like by people turning
(20:05):
up and turn of the cops to surrender.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
Like.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
It's just a fascinating, like little to three decade period
in history before the state, I guess recovers its advantage
in terms of violence and surveillance. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
I marvel at this time because I mean they didn't
have this social media and stuff to connect people and
you know, advertise they we're having this this protest or
this action or this whatever. Yeah, but the networks were
still there, you know, they were organic, and they were
motivated by a genuine sense that a seriative was actionable. Yeah,
(20:45):
you know, I think we have this sort of twenty
first century Malays of cynicism. It's like that was tried before,
you know. Yeah, every time we look at something, we
can say, oh, that was tried before and they failed.
When we look back at history, people who try those things,
they didn't know if it was going to work out
or not. They just tried it. I wouldn't be surprised
if I was a fly on the wall on the
(21:07):
day of the school if the neudual movement guys were
just like, wait, what that actually works?
Speaker 4 (21:15):
Yeah, exactly, Like.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
Not to take away from their plan and an organization
and you know, the genuine grassroots support that they had.
It's still a swing.
Speaker 4 (21:26):
Yeah, totally.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
At some point you have to like roll the dice
right and see how it goes, Like in this case.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
The roles of critical success, I'd.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
Say, yeah, yeah, it's a natural twenty Yeah, the Dragon's term.
Speaker 4 (21:39):
So I'd really like to let it out.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
In this period, this is like the heyday of pirate radio, right,
where you have people broadcasting but like outside of sake control,
and it's a really interesting time for culture and music.
Like scar music explicitly explicitly begins in an anti racist way, right,
like it calls itself two tone of music. Because bands
(22:01):
were often look multi racial, and it's really interesting that
we have this whole cultural movement which owes a lot
to the wind Rush generation. But like you said, it's
questioning the both capitalists and also Marxist orthodoxies in a
way that I know, but I really wish. I mean
(22:22):
a lot of people do today, don't get me wrong,
but I wonder if we could tell those people now
that you'd have people who were like dedicated vanguard Marxists. Again,
like you know, it just seems a sad noise.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
Yeah, I mean, I think we could say the same
thing about a lot of people's current politics. I'm sure
if you went back in the past and we're like,
you know, people are actually trying to be troadwives right
now twenty five. You want to talk to the woman
who had like no ability to open a bank account
and we're trying to escape financial abuse, to rest abuse,
(22:57):
all these different things, and they're like, oh, you know,
there's actually a whole internet a trend of like, yeah,
your husband should control all your finances. Actually yeah, I mean,
of course that kind of sentiment never went away, but
it's popularization definitely debunks I think this sort of notion
that that progress quote unquote is something that is inevitable
(23:20):
or irreversible.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
Yeah, definitely, Yeah, that's right. I mean you can even
travel across the world and share that. I can only
imagine how that would be received in Russia. Ava right
to tell the friends in the women's movement that there
are Western women who aspire to be tradwives. I mean,
I'm sure they're aware they have the Internet, but yeah,
it's certainly Yeah, this idea that we can only progress
or move in one duration.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
Yeah, that's how the New Droal movement came into power,
and upon getting to that position, they established the People's
Revolutionary Government or PRG, which is led now by the
Prime Minister of Grenader, Maurice Bishop. They were considered legitimate,
of course, because they did have the people's mandate, but
(24:07):
they opted not to solidify that legitimacy with an election,
and they also went on to ban other parties. So
in the next episode, I want to get into what
exactly they did when they were in power in broad strokes,
all their hits and misses with the economy and politics
(24:27):
over the course of their four years, and how it
culminated in an internal split, multiple killings and a US invasion.
But if you want the details and how all that
played out, you'll have to tune in. Next time. We'll
get into the outcome of the PRG, the flaws, the revolution,
its downfall, and where Grenda stands today. But before we
(24:49):
wrap up any final thoughts, James.
Speaker 4 (24:53):
I feel okay, Yeah, I just had lots of them.
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (24:56):
Yeah, this is a fascinating period and like now, as
much as there ever has been, it's a vital time
for us to study this Rightly, As a person who's
taught in American schools and universities, this one doesn't come
up very much. It's certainly not like in the required
teaching syllabi in anywhere that I've taught. And I think
(25:16):
as we return to like Monroe Doctrine two point zero
or whatever whatever we're doing the United States, it's doing
in the Western hemisphere right now, it's vital to understand
the role it has played in suppressing progressive political movements
in the last century.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Yeah, I think you know, as you mentioned, there's already
in the typical history and historical accounts that it's taught
to students. It's just I think I'm marveled sometimes at
you know, that's that's exactly how empire functions. Yeah, you know,
the acts forgets what the true remembers is the female
say it so something like the US's operations and Grenado
(25:59):
or anywhere else in the world, in all the many
places they have intervened. I may not even muster a
passing mentionure and a centerence e one in a historical class,
in a history class the United States, and yet it
is pivotal to the histories and self identities up to
the present day of entire regions and people's You know,
(26:20):
it may be a footnote if so much in these
started curriculums in the United States. But it's one of
the most recent and raw incidents of violence and traumas
take place in the Caribbean. Yeah, absolutely, and they're not
independent history.
Speaker 4 (26:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (26:41):
When Trump was first assuming office this time, there was
a brief moment when they were talking about returning to
colonizing Panama. If you can cast your mind that far back.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
He has flooded the zone quite successfully. But I do
recall that.
Speaker 3 (26:55):
But yeah, I had been in Panama two months before that,
and I think the United States large portion of the
population either doesn't know or has forgotten that, like independence
from American sort of neo colonialism is integral to Panamanian identity. Like,
I don't think they'd realized quite how unwilling to accept
going back to that Panamanian people were.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
Yeah, there's a long struggle, yes, to eke out independence.
I mean even now there's you know, us new cleanism
is alive and well in Panama in many ways. Yeah,
but what gains they have Yain is you know, something
they're not willing to lose.
Speaker 3 (27:33):
Yeah, absolutely, And yeah, I mean the United States supports
people through Panama. The Biden administration sent its Secretary of
Homeland Security to the inauguration of the Panamanian president. The
US funds Panamanian deportations did under the Biden administration, including
(27:54):
of people who have no criminal record, Like we have
effectively externalized our border regime to Panama in the way
that we've also done to the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Right, Like,
I guess what I'm saying is I don't want people
to think that this is a one off that like
either the Trump stuff is a massive leap from previous policy.
(28:16):
It's a change in scale, not in kind. Or that
that you know, the United States hasn't done this before,
and that has some history of doing this in the
Western hemisphere.
Speaker 2 (28:25):
Indeed, so on that rather depressing notes. Yeah, well, we'll
leave it here for it could happen here, but you
can join us for the next episode when we will
get into exactly what took place in Grenada and where
Grenada stands today. So then, or power to all the
people peace.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
It could happen here is a production of cool Zone Media.
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All the media.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
So there's a revolution long forgotten that was tucked in
a corner of the Caribbean. Those outside of the region,
it's probably quite far from mind. You know, when most
people think of Caribbean revolutionaries, they think of Cuba. But
at the time, the rise and fall of the Grenada
Revolution was everything. Hello and welcome to it can happen here.
(00:32):
I'm Andrew Sage. You're a Trinadian host of kappen Here,
and I'm joined by.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
James, your American British co host.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
American British.
Speaker 4 (00:44):
Yeah, I don't really know how to say.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
That, Like, which order should that hyphen been?
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Oh? Yeah, yeah, I don't know which way which way
I'm supposed to hyphenate, because we don't hyphenate white people, uh,
which is a.
Speaker 4 (00:57):
Very American thing.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
But yeah, to be here, I always enjoy learning more
about this part of the world from you.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
I'm glad. I'm glad, and you know, as we speak,
I'm hearing helicopters overhead, and no, it's really a reminder
of the times that we are living in. Last night
there were quite a few stealth helicopters flying overhead, quite
close to the ground. About three of them. Wow, all
(01:24):
the lights were off. So it's it seems to be
a ramping up and escalation in some ways, or just
a continuation of the existing military presence.
Speaker 4 (01:36):
Yeah, jeez.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
And as we're talking about military presence in the US,
which is something that I spoke about on this podcast
before you go and check it out, we here to
discuss the very recent history, positive and negative of my
northern neighbor, Grenader. So I don't want to bog anyone
down with too many facts, but it's important to get
(01:59):
a idea of the context. So Grenada is the southernmost
in the grouping of Caribbean islands known as the Windward Islands.
It's a country composed of Grenada, the island, and a
few smaller islands, including Kariaku and Petimosknat. It's long been
considered the Spice Isle, as the hilly mainland was and
(02:20):
still is home to a lot of nutmeg plantations. They
currently have a predominantly African population of just over one
hundred and seventeen thousand, sharing a country merely three hundred
and forty four kilometers squared or one hundred and thirty
three square miles for reference, The five boroughs of New
York City collectively make up seven hundred and seventy eight
(02:40):
zero point eighteen kilometers square or three hundred point four
to six square miles. So Grenada is small. You know,
New York is big, but Grenada is also quite small.
You know, for reference, it's slightly larger than Queen's but
far less populated and far less dense. So it's talking
small island state par excellence. And yet it has sat
at the center of one of the most critical events
(03:03):
in Caribbean history. And it might be one of the
sights of yet another such incident in light of the
United States request to Grenada on October ninth to establish
a temporary military radar base at the infamous Maurice Bishop
International Airport, a request which has not yet received a
conclusive response more than a month later at the time
(03:23):
of me recording this, so I thought it apps to
finally talk about this moment in history. I went to
my library and got a copy of Grenada Revolution and Invasion,
a companium of essays from various perspectives on the topic
arranged by Patsy Lewis at al. That provided the basis
of my research, particularly the essay by mu Collins, a
(03:44):
Grenadian poet and novelist. I also drew some of the
radical background law from fundy Aka Joseph Edwards, an underappreciated
autonomous radical healing from Jamaica who spoke about the situation
in Non Shall Escape. All linked in the show. So
I don't want to get too deep into the history
prior to what's immediately relevant today's topic. Oh, keep things brief.
(04:08):
A couple hundred Amerindians lived in Grenada prior to the
European invasion. Human settlement may have been as early as
thirty five hundred BCE, but most definitely by the second century.
See Spain, upon stumbling upon it, claimed it but never
settled it. England attempted to settle it, but was driven
out by the indigenous inhabitants, and eventually the island was
(04:32):
settled and subjugated by the French, who engaged in a
protracted war against the indigenous between today's Grenada, Dominica and
Saint Vincent of the Grandians throughout the seventeenth century. You know,
there's this narrative that the Europeans came and they just
easily conquered the entirety of the Americas, and it's important
to lay that myth to rest. There was, of course
(04:55):
a very tragic great dyeing that was responsible for a
vast majority the indigenous population losing their lives to the disease,
in some cases intentionally weaponized by the Europeans. But despite
differences in their weaponry, the Europeans didn't have an easy
time conquering the islands, or conquering the Americans at all.
(05:16):
In many cases, they did not succeed in Conqune Islands
for many decades or centuries of struggle, but eventually Crenado
was established as a colony of over fifteen thousand slaved
Africans by seventeen sixty three. A year prior, in seventeen
sixty two, Britain took over the island from the French
as part of the Seven Years' War, and the island
(05:37):
was formally ceded to Britain in seventeen sixty three. By
eighteen oh seven, Britain had brought one hundred and fourteen
thousand slaves to Grenado. By eighteen thirty eight, slavery was abolished.
In eighteen seventy seven, Grenada became a Crown colony and
fast forward a little further under modified Crown colony status,
the wealthiest four percent of Canadians were allowed to vote.
(06:01):
Eric Geary founded the Grenada United Labor Party or GULP
in nineteen fifty initially as a trade union, which led
to the nineteen fifty one General Strike for better working conditions.
Buildings were set on fire in this time, and this
is in a broader regional context of radicalism and agitation
(06:21):
for independence in the post World War II reality, which
would intensify after many of the islands had already gained
the independence. Eventually, Grenada got elections based on universal adult
suffrage in nineteen fifty one and Eric Gary's party GULP one.
This is before they got independence, though, in a time
(06:43):
when the English speaking Caribbean was trying to establish a
West Indies Federation between nineteen fifty eight and nineteen sixty two.
It didn't succeed. Jamaica seceeded, and then Trinidad, so it
fell apart, and after the fall of the federation, Grenada
became an associated state in nineteen sixty seven, then finally
gained full independence from Britain in nineteen seventy four, again
(07:05):
under the leadership of Eric Garry. Who became the first
Prime Minister of Grenada. The late sixties and early seventies
were a radical time in general, so that's set in
the stage for what comes next in Grenada, the rise
of the New Jewel movement led by Maurice Bishop. You see,
as Fundi found. In this time, we also had quite
(07:26):
a few other confrontations going on across the Spanaphone, Francophone,
Dutch of Phone and Anglophone Caribbeans. In nineteen sixty five,
you had the popular revolt in the Dominican Republic against
the military coup that was drowned in blood by the
US invasion. In nineteen sixty seven, you had a spontaneous
rebellion of agricultural workers in Guadelup. Nineteen sixty eight, black
(07:49):
folks in Bermuda rioted against the racist and clueless control
it dominated the island. In nineteen sixty nine, there was
a violent confrontation against US soldiers by students and workers
protesting the US occupation of the Panama Canal Zone. Kurisa
was shaken by wildcatch strikes of workers, riots by employed
and unemployed as well. Labor unrest was breaking out in Surinam,
(08:11):
leading to general strike an Tiger had riots, strikes, and
demonstrations over several years. Jamaica had workers at the Western
Meatpackers established democratic control of their trade union local, taking
full control over their union dues and negotiating their employer
without official mediators to manage the sugar workers and the
local community directly and of course infamously. In nineteen seventy,
(08:36):
Trinad was shaken up as workers, academics and small farmers
linked up against the system led by the government of
Prime Minister Eric Williams, and after years of his rule
under the Sloga and Massa they done. The people erupted
against the newoor colonial system. Despite being ruled by this
black leader, the hundreds of people in the streets championed
(08:58):
black power, understanding what was needed was a people's politics
in which new institutions could emerge. This black power revolution
in Trondad was inspired in part by the black civil
rights struggle in the United States, while also seeking into
night the African and Indian populations in Tronad. After an
attempted mutiny by the army and Venezuela and American gun
(09:20):
boats standing by raid intervene, the military surrendered. The revolutionary
initiative shifted away from the masses and doctor Derk Williams
was saved. By nineteen seventy three, a few armed gorillas
remained in the hills of Trinidad, but eventually their struggle
was snuffed out. By nineteen seventy five in Guadeloupe had
wildcat strikes taking place. Guyana had wildcatch strikes against the
(09:44):
American and Canadian owned Boux side companies. Surinam had another
general strike. Saint Lucia experience with wildcat strike. Dominica attempted
to seize the British owned Castle brus estates. In Jamaica,
there was a wave of appropriation from banks, warehouses, stores,
batting shops and more cross Kingston and demonstrations initiated by
(10:06):
students and workers against police brutality and for the release
of prisoners. And in nineteen seventy nine Nicaragua had their
revolution against the US Allied government. While all of this
(10:27):
is going on, Grenada had a population of less than
one hundred thousand people. It had just become independent under
Eric Geary and Erek Garry is an interesting fella because
you'll see some aspects of him mirrored later on. He
came to power in nineteen fifty one with the wave
(10:49):
of universal suffrage. He was twenty nine years all at
the time. He had previously been a worker organizer in
Aruba and was expelled from the island for that very reason.
He spent deca in politics as a champion of agricultural workers.
But younger generations were not as excited about him. They
recognized his financial corruption, his penchant for rigged elections, and
(11:13):
of course his use of secret police that were repressive
to the people. So as creators making steps towards becoming independent,
the people did not want him to be the leader
of independence. There were strikes against him even before the revolution.
But see Gary was karen on this tradition that was
(11:34):
set up by the British. Whether he knew it or not,
he and may have had this radical start as a
worker organizer, but he came to carry on colonial interests.
You know. He started off as a union man, but
he turned against the workers, and even the British at
one point had been scared of him as an organizer
and had trepidations about him as an independent leader, but
(11:57):
they still chose him and prefer him at the risk
of maybe a more radical version of him leading an
independent Grenader, and then came the New Duel Movement. Now
the New Duel Movement is actually a combination of two groups.
You had the Movement for Assemblies of the People, which
was founded by Maurice Bishop, a lawyer who had studied
(12:20):
in Britain. And you had the Joint Endeavor for Welfare,
Education and Liberation or JEWEL, which is founded by Howard
University economic student Unison Whitman. They were also joined by
Bernard Cord, an economics lecturer at UIs in Augustin in Trinandobago.
So at first, in terms of their politics, they really
(12:42):
wanted popular assemblies and that sort of thing. But actually
let me get into the background of the Caribbean left.
You see, in the nineteen fifties there was an upheaval.
You know, radicals had been shifting from the sort of
Stalinism that had become popular in the post War two
era towards a more critical sort of Trotskyism or Maoism. Yeah.
(13:05):
See Lar James and George pat Moore, both based in London,
were already advocate in independence for Africa and the Caribbean,
rejecting the Styalinist idea that liberation should wait until after
World Ward two.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
See.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
Lar James is an interesting figure politically to me because
while he was ostensibly a Trotskyist, he was in many
ways unorthodox in his approach to those politics.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
Yeah, Celar James's book Trying to Remember, it's called Beyond
a Boundary or Beyond the Boundary.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Beyond the Boundary.
Speaker 4 (13:37):
Yeah, it's a great book.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
To the only book about cricket that I've ever read,
and that's the only one that I've ever enjoyed. Not
a big cricket appreciate it, but as a sports historian
that that book was foundational to like how how I
approached my dissertation, and like as such, I've always had
a really like a soft spot for him as someone
who did sports living in academia for a living. I
(14:01):
saw like a really positive example of the role that
both of those can play in like liberation struggles in
his writing. Yeah, Yeah, it's when I'd encourage everyone to
read if you're looking for a book. It's like his
writing is very readable, in his historical writing, like which
I at the time of my life, when I was
in grad school, I very much appreciated someone who wrote
something that wasn't like self consciously trying to be dense
(14:24):
and impenetrable to make them seem intelligent. Like face, his
intelligence comes through just fine.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
Indeed, indeed, I've had a soft spot for him as
well for some time, particularly after reading The Black Yakabins.
Speaker 4 (14:37):
Yeah, he used to assign that one alone.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
And I would say that the Tribean left at the
time also had a bit of a soft spot for
him because they were heavily influenced by his writings. Yeah,
you know, in his nineteen fifty six pamphlet Face and Reality,
which is about the Hungarian Revolution, ended up becoming a
profound influence on Western Ian radicals, as it had revealed
(15:01):
the potential of workers' councils and done a lot to
expose the authoritarianism of the Soviet model. This is something
that Bundy wrote about and highlighted as he's given his
sort of discussion of the origins and trajectory of the
Caribbean left. So in the nineteen sixties and seventies, radical
(15:23):
thought across the Caribbean was shaped by these more democratic
socialist ideals. Ye had movements like Jamaica's Young Socialist League,
Trindad's New Beginning Movement and Creator's New Jewel movements. They
were all inspired by James and by grassroots workers councils
rather than the typical Soviet orthodoxy. Of course, the Caribbean
(15:45):
left was not immune to conflict or division. There were
conflicts between those who were more loyal to stylists or
pro Soviet positions, and that led to some splits within
unions and political movements. Now, initially the Neutral Movement was
leaning in that participatory democratic direction, but eventually they ended
(16:08):
up going in to studying Marxism Leninism more not really
at first they mainly wanted Gary out, but later they
went into Marxism Leninism and transformed the movement into a
proper political party of the vanguard variety in an effort
to unseat Geary. They started building some momentum and immediately
(16:28):
based consequences. In nineteen seventy three, Bishop Whiteman and others
got beaten up and arrested by Gary's secret police multiple times.
Bishop's own father was shot and killed by Gary's forces,
and the high schoolers that were also taking a stand
against Gary at the time were facing repression and violence. Now,
(16:51):
with nineteen seventy four, independence was one, but sadly under
Gary and his notorious secret police, which were by the way,
called the Mongoose Gang. Now there was already suspicions of
potential election fraud, and it wasn't helped by the fact
that his Mongoose Gang was known to intimidate people. But
(17:13):
in nineteen seventy six, despite this for a political landscape,
Bishop won a leadership role as opposition and became known
across the country in our country as small as as Grenader,
as someone charismatic, personable, relatable. The New Dual Movement started
to build a reputation for being connected to the people,
(17:34):
engage with students, engage with pro bono work. In some cases,
as I mentioned, some of them were lawyers, and they
were youthful. They were bringing a youthful energy to the
sort of old god colonial era politics of Erik Garry
and his ILK. So the story of how the New
(18:01):
Dual Movement came into power is actually a bit humorous
to me. On the thirteenth of March nineteen seventy nine,
Gary went to the UN meeting in New York that
was happening at the time, and as the saying goes,
when the cat's away, the mice will play. In this case,
while the cat was away, the New Dual Movement pulled
(18:23):
off a coup, a completely bloodless coup. They took control
of the army barracks and the radio. When they went
on the radio, and this is the funny part to me,
they told people to go to police stations and demand
that they put up white flags of surrender. And the
population was so anti Gary that they did it. They
just walked up in civilization. So they're like, yeah, put
(18:44):
up these white flags, and the police shaid, yeah, sure,
that was that. That's how the New Jeal movement came
into power.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
Yeah, And this is such a fascinating time in history, right,
Like they used to teach a class about culturing colonialism
back in the day, and we would talk a lot
about like this time period, like the post wind Rush
period where like Caribbean political culture was very influential even
in the metropol right in Britain specifically, Like this is
(19:16):
when we have like sca music and then punk music
arriving from that, which is a serious political force in
a twentieth century. Like it's easy for people to sniff
at that or whatever, but and that's the reason I
am the way I am so like, I guess I
have a fondness for it, but also like the state's
capacity for violence and surveillance hasn't caught up to the
(19:42):
capacity for mass communication yet, and so you have these
movements which can mobilize a ton of people and the
state isn't like all up in them with informers and like,
it can either respond as a Soviet Union did in
Hungary right with tanks that's where we get the word
tanky from, or it can crumble like by people turning
(20:05):
up and turn of the cops to surrender.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
Like.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
It's just a fascinating, like little to three decade period
in history before the state, I guess recovers its advantage
in terms of violence and surveillance. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
I marvel at this time because I mean they didn't
have this social media and stuff to connect people and
you know, advertise they we're having this this protest or
this action or this whatever. Yeah, but the networks were
still there, you know, they were organic, and they were
motivated by a genuine sense that a seriative was actionable. Yeah,
(20:45):
you know, I think we have this sort of twenty
first century Malays of cynicism. It's like that was tried before,
you know. Yeah, every time we look at something, we
can say, oh, that was tried before and they failed.
When we look back at history, people who try those things,
they didn't know if it was going to work out
or not. They just tried it. I wouldn't be surprised
if I was a fly on the wall on the
(21:07):
day of the school if the neudual movement guys were
just like, wait, what that actually works?
Speaker 4 (21:15):
Yeah, exactly, Like.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
Not to take away from their plan and an organization
and you know, the genuine grassroots support that they had.
It's still a swing.
Speaker 4 (21:26):
Yeah, totally.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
At some point you have to like roll the dice
right and see how it goes, Like in this case.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
The roles of critical success, I'd.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
Say, yeah, yeah, it's a natural twenty Yeah, the Dragon's term.
Speaker 4 (21:39):
So I'd really like to let it out.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
In this period, this is like the heyday of pirate radio, right,
where you have people broadcasting but like outside of sake control,
and it's a really interesting time for culture and music.
Like scar music explicitly explicitly begins in an anti racist way, right,
like it calls itself two tone of music. Because bands
(22:01):
were often look multi racial, and it's really interesting that
we have this whole cultural movement which owes a lot
to the wind Rush generation. But like you said, it's
questioning the both capitalists and also Marxist orthodoxies in a
way that I know, but I really wish. I mean
(22:22):
a lot of people do today, don't get me wrong,
but I wonder if we could tell those people now
that you'd have people who were like dedicated vanguard Marxists. Again,
like you know, it just seems a sad noise.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
Yeah, I mean, I think we could say the same
thing about a lot of people's current politics. I'm sure
if you went back in the past and we're like,
you know, people are actually trying to be troadwives right
now twenty five. You want to talk to the woman
who had like no ability to open a bank account
and we're trying to escape financial abuse, to rest abuse,
(22:57):
all these different things, and they're like, oh, you know,
there's actually a whole internet a trend of like, yeah,
your husband should control all your finances. Actually yeah, I mean,
of course that kind of sentiment never went away, but
it's popularization definitely debunks I think this sort of notion
that that progress quote unquote is something that is inevitable
(23:20):
or irreversible.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
Yeah, definitely, Yeah, that's right. I mean you can even
travel across the world and share that. I can only
imagine how that would be received in Russia. Ava right
to tell the friends in the women's movement that there
are Western women who aspire to be tradwives. I mean,
I'm sure they're aware they have the Internet, but yeah,
it's certainly Yeah, this idea that we can only progress
or move in one duration.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
Yeah, that's how the New Droal movement came into power,
and upon getting to that position, they established the People's
Revolutionary Government or PRG, which is led now by the
Prime Minister of Grenader, Maurice Bishop. They were considered legitimate,
of course, because they did have the people's mandate, but
(24:07):
they opted not to solidify that legitimacy with an election,
and they also went on to ban other parties. So
in the next episode, I want to get into what
exactly they did when they were in power in broad strokes,
all their hits and misses with the economy and politics
(24:27):
over the course of their four years, and how it
culminated in an internal split, multiple killings and a US invasion.
But if you want the details and how all that
played out, you'll have to tune in. Next time. We'll
get into the outcome of the PRG, the flaws, the revolution,
its downfall, and where Grenda stands today. But before we
(24:49):
wrap up any final thoughts, James.
Speaker 4 (24:53):
I feel okay, Yeah, I just had lots of them.
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (24:56):
Yeah, this is a fascinating period and like now, as
much as there ever has been, it's a vital time
for us to study this Rightly, As a person who's
taught in American schools and universities, this one doesn't come
up very much. It's certainly not like in the required
teaching syllabi in anywhere that I've taught. And I think
(25:16):
as we return to like Monroe Doctrine two point zero
or whatever whatever we're doing the United States, it's doing
in the Western hemisphere right now, it's vital to understand
the role it has played in suppressing progressive political movements
in the last century.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Yeah, I think you know, as you mentioned, there's already
in the typical history and historical accounts that it's taught
to students. It's just I think I'm marveled sometimes at
you know, that's that's exactly how empire functions. Yeah, you know,
the acts forgets what the true remembers is the female
say it so something like the US's operations and Grenado
(25:59):
or anywhere else in the world, in all the many
places they have intervened. I may not even muster a
passing mentionure and a centerence e one in a historical class,
in a history class the United States, and yet it
is pivotal to the histories and self identities up to
the present day of entire regions and people's You know,
(26:20):
it may be a footnote if so much in these
started curriculums in the United States. But it's one of
the most recent and raw incidents of violence and traumas
take place in the Caribbean. Yeah, absolutely, and they're not
independent history.
Speaker 4 (26:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (26:41):
When Trump was first assuming office this time, there was
a brief moment when they were talking about returning to
colonizing Panama. If you can cast your mind that far back.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
He has flooded the zone quite successfully. But I do
recall that.
Speaker 3 (26:55):
But yeah, I had been in Panama two months before that,
and I think the United States large portion of the
population either doesn't know or has forgotten that, like independence
from American sort of neo colonialism is integral to Panamanian identity. Like,
I don't think they'd realized quite how unwilling to accept
going back to that Panamanian people were.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
Yeah, there's a long struggle, yes, to eke out independence.
I mean even now there's you know, us new cleanism
is alive and well in Panama in many ways. Yeah,
but what gains they have Yain is you know, something
they're not willing to lose.
Speaker 3 (27:33):
Yeah, absolutely, And yeah, I mean the United States supports
people through Panama. The Biden administration sent its Secretary of
Homeland Security to the inauguration of the Panamanian president. The
US funds Panamanian deportations did under the Biden administration, including
(27:54):
of people who have no criminal record, Like we have
effectively externalized our border regime to Panama in the way
that we've also done to the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Right, Like,
I guess what I'm saying is I don't want people
to think that this is a one off that like
either the Trump stuff is a massive leap from previous policy.
(28:16):
It's a change in scale, not in kind. Or that
that you know, the United States hasn't done this before,
and that has some history of doing this in the
Western hemisphere.
Speaker 2 (28:25):
Indeed, so on that rather depressing notes. Yeah, well, we'll
leave it here for it could happen here, but you
can join us for the next episode when we will
get into exactly what took place in Grenada and where
Grenada stands today. So then, or power to all the
people peace.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
It could happen here is a production of cool Zone Media.
From More podcasts from cool Zone Media, visit our website
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iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
You can now find sources for it could Happen here
listed directly in episode descriptions. Thanks for listening.
It Could Happen Here News
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Robert Evans
Garrison Davis
James Stout
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