IMPACTS OF U.S.

INVOLVEMENT IN THE ENGLISH SPEAKING CARIBBEAN

❖ In the years before WWII (1939) US activity in the Caribbean was directed mainly at
the Spanish speaking territories. As the British colonies were still directly run by
Britain the US made little attempt to become involved in their politics. It was only
after the labour disturbances of 1938 which the US saw as a threat to stability in the
region that they started to change their foreign policy in dealing with the British
islands.

ECONOMIC

● The Caribbean was flooded with goods from the US and as such became dependent
on them. This in turn did not encourage the expansion and development of local
industries.
● Americans financed large sugar, coffee and fruit plantations in Cuba and Puerto rico
which then gave a lot of competition to the plantations of the British Caribbean.
● Multinational co-opperations were established in Jamaica such as ALCOA and
REYNOLDS for their bauxite and in Trinidad and Tobago ones such as TEXACO for
their oil.
● The US invested in the tourist industry, with many US owned hotels and casinos
throughout the Caribbean especially the Bahamas.
● American investment in the BWI islands seemed to mainly benefit the US as the
money mainly flowed out of the region and back into the US.
● In terms of the military bases that were built in many BWI islands during WWII,
many local people were able to acquire jobs, especially in construction and at this
time the economies benefited from the inflow of US dollars.
● After WWII, the US became more involved in the economies of the commonwealth
islands via the IMF and the world bank.
● American companies took advantage of the eagerness of local governments in the
1950’s and 1960’s to bring in foreign capital. By 1962, %39 of all of Jamaica’s trade
and %33 of Trinidad’s was with the US.
● Yet a problem with this new investment meant that it often led to a flow of money out
of the country. For every $100 invested in Jamaica in the mid 1960’s, more than $200
went back to the US as profits.
● During the Cold War era, the US adopted a variety of aid schemes which aimed to
ensure that the new Caribbean states were not tempted to follow the Cuban path of
economic and political development.
● American agencies such as the agency of international development, the Caribbean
development bank, the peace corps and the USICA (US international communications
agency) spearheaded the USA’s search for influence with the independent English
speaking Caribbean after 1962.

POLITICAL

● During the cold war 1950-1990 the US kept a watchful eye on the British Caribbean
in order to make sure that no local governments adopted communist policies.

● In 1953 the US got involved in British Guiana when Dr Cheddi Jagan came to
power and intended to take control over foreign businesses as one of the step
towards independence. The US placed pressure on Britain, who was still in
 control of Guyana, to suspend the constitution of the island and remove Dr
Jaggan from his post as prime minister. Once he was removed the US used funds
to influence trade unions in the island and sway politics.

● In 1983, the US sent 6000 troops to Grenada and resorted to military action in order to
overthrow the PRG (People’s revolutionary government) led by Maurice Bishop.
Bishop and his party had overthrown a corrupt leader, Eric Gairy and launched a
series of reforms to improve education, health and housing. The US was surprised at
the popularity of the government and worried about their socialist reforms.
● US supported the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) which
made Jamaican trade unions members of this organization in order to oppose
communism in the BWI.
● The US sponsored the formation of the OAS to which independent Caribbean states
had membership. It was intended to strengthen inter-American cooperation and form
closer bonds with the BWI.
● Membership of the OAS implied anti-communist policies and in 1962 Cuba was
expelled and member states were forced to stop trade with her (America exerting her
power over the members in order to pursue her own foreign policy aims)
● During WWII, the US gave 50 destroyers to Britain to help strengthen her army and
in return Britain allowed the US to set up naval bases in Trinidad, Guyana, St Lucia,
Antigua, Jamaica and Bermuda via the “lend-lease act”
● In 1980’s, Ronald Raegan launched the CBI (Caribbean Basin Initiative) to offer aid
and reduce taxes. Communist governments in Cuba and Nicaragua were barred from
receiving aid.

SOCIAL/CULTURAL

● US culture was transmitted to most of the Caribbean through media, in areas of sport,
technology, music, film, food and education
● Tourism has turned the British Caribbean into an American playground. Since the
break between Cuba and the US, Jamaica, Barbados and the Bahamas have been the
chief islands to benefit from the dollar earning capacity of tourism.
● Us currency is commonly used in all Caribbean territories and US fast food chains are
familiar sites.

REASONS FOR US INVOLVEMENT

SECURITY REASONS
-The WWII
-america was concerned about the western hemispheres defence
-Also concerned that Germany would try and take french and dutch colonies in the caribbean
-Needed more naval bases to safeguard freedom of movement
-after hitler was defeated they did not want his ideals or communism to spread

★ The war made american reconsider the value of english speaking territories

-After the cuban disaster (Fidel Castro ruling and america putting embargoes on trade and not
trading with them anymore) they wanted to find ways to strengthen relations with the english
speaking caribbean as they had already replaced britain as the major trading partner for
almost all products in the colonies

IN THE CONTEXT OF THE COLD WAR Many feared that votes would support more
left wing governments and when marxists turned on the leader of the marxist leninist group
maurice bishop Known as the new jewel movement and set up a revolutionary council
reaghan claimed that the american people who resided there were in danger and invaded the
country with support on that grounds.