The document discusses the history of integration efforts among Caribbean nations, including the formation and dissolution of the West Indies Federation between 1958-1962. It formed with ten territories as members but faced disputes over taxation, financing, and freedom of movement that weakened it. A referendum in Jamaica supported withdrawing, and the Federation dissolved four years after forming due to lack of economic and political unity among members. Subsequent independence movements emerged for individual territories.
2. The bringing of people of
different racial, ethnic or national
groups into equal association,
3. The degree of economic integration can be categorized
into six stages:
Preferential trading area
Free Trade Area
Customs Union
Common Market
Economic & Monetary Union
Complete Economic Union
4. Weaker forms of international political integration refer
to cooperation between states
Stronger forms of integration refer to the constitution of
new political entities, e.g. FEDERATIONS
.
5. Regional Integration has several meanings and levels.
Integration has various forms of political units
(FEDERATION) or economic units
(CARIFTA, CARICOM, CSME).
Integration is also the development of institutions
(UWI, the West Indian Cricket Board, Regional Central
Bank, Caribbean Court of Justice)
6. A “parent” organization formed by
the linking of several states,
countries ... each retaining the control
of much of its own affairs.
8. The history of the attempt by the
British Government to federate its
West Indian colonies date back to the
nineteenth century.
9. The Colonial Office set up regional institutions such as:
The Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture (1922)
West Indian Court of Appeal
Regional Met Office
The first West Indian Conference (1926)
The Closer Union Commission (1932)
Some West Indian politicians attempted to use the
CUC to gain self-government and wider voting rights
but they were rejected by the Colonial Office
10. During the early twentieth century a number of West
Indian leaders and institutions pursued the concept of
federation.eg:
W.G.Donovan
T.A.Marryshow
A.A. Cipriani
The West Indian Labour Congress
11. “The West Indies must be West Indian!”
T.A. Marryshow (1887-1958)-a key figure in
the history of Grenada and the Caribbean
12. 1903-Apprenticed to W. G. Donovan who published newspapers,
advocating representative government and a Federation of Britain's West
Indian colonies.
1916-By time of Donavan’s death in, Marryshow published, The West
Indian.
The first one (1 January 1915) promised quot;an immediate and accurate
chronicler of current events, an untrammelled advocate of popular rights,
unhampered by chains of party prejudice, an unswerving educator of the
people in their duties as subjects of the state and citizens of the worldquot; and
hopes for quot;the day when, our islands linked together in an administrative
and fiscal union, the West Indian Dominion will take its place, small
though that may be, in the glorious Empire.quot;
13. His goals were Federation and the replacement of
Crown Colony Government by representative
democracy
His slogan was quot;Educate, Agitate, Federatequot;
He was a staunch advocate of wider black
empowerment.
15. T.A.Marryshow (2nd from left)Lord Hailes (3rd from left)
Lord Hailes was the first and only Governor
General of the West Indies Federation
16. March, 1945, Colonel Oliver Stanley, the Colonial
Secretary, formally proposed the idea of federation to
the West Indian Governments.
The Colonial Office asked that the West Indians
themselves propose what form the federation should
take.
1947 -The Montego Bay Conference. Members have
differences. Planter element not in favour. Bustamante
feels Br abandoning West Indies. Labour elements want
federation.
17. SCAC works out details of federation
1949-presents report
British Guiana, British Honduras, British Virgin islands
did not accept proposals
Grantley Adams says it was a glorified Crown Colony
Dr Patrick Solomon accepts
T.A. Marryshow rejects
18. 1953 and 1956 -Conferences held in London in to write
the Federal Constitution
Post SCAC disagreements continue
March 25, 1958 -Federal Elections, for a Federal
Parliament
The West Indies Federal Labour Party (W.I.F.L.P.)
narrowly defeats the Democratic Labour Party (D.L.P.)
W.I.F.L.P. had not done enough to explain Federation to
the people
19. Sir Grantley Adams, from
Barbados, became Prime
Minister of the West Indies.
20. 22nd April 1958- that the West Indies Federation came
into being
HRH Princess Margaret opened the first Parliament of
the new nation.
The Federation comprised ten territories : Antigua and
Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Mont
serrat, St Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla(as it was then) Saint
Lucia, St Vincent and Trinidad & Tobago.
Br. Guiana & Br Honduras do not join .Not happy with
freedom of movement.
21.
22. Flag of the Governor General Coat of Arms of the Federation
25. There were several disagreements over measures
proposed for the operation of the Federation
Taxation
Customs
Freedom of movement
Financing(Jamaica (bauxite), T&T (oil) not prepared
to share burden of financing)
Capital Site
26. As a result of the growing unease in Jamaica, the
Government, in 1961, decided to hold a referendum on
the future of the Federation.
Manley said that if he lost the referendum he would
take Jamaica out of the Federation
The final results: 45.9% for; 54.1% against.
Manley, the Jamaican Premier, had to concede defeat.
27. April 1962-The final session of the Federation’s
Parliament was held
May 23, 1962 -the West Indies Federation was formally
dissolved.
Four years after its inception the “Great Experiment”
ended in failure.
28. Mainland colonies (B.G. and Br. Honduras) did not
join
Rivalry between Trinidad & Tobago and Jamaica
The suspicions and fears of the smaller states
Political unity came before economic agreement.
Federation had no powers re:taxation,customs,freedom
of movement
Jamaica (bauxite), T&T (oil) not prepared to share
burden of financing
Br. Government had control over foreign affairs
29. The Caribbean population not sufficiently informed
regarding the issues.
30. Williams “One from ten Sparrow “Every body fighting
leaves nought” singularly...”
31. “Devoid of programme and consideration for the
people they saw Federation and met among themselves
only to arrange what their governments would get and
what they would lose. That is always an important part
of any political discussion. But if you are discussing
nothing else, then the result is always the violent
quarrels, in fact the unseemly squabbles for that is what
they were, by which these gentlemen broke up the
Federation and disgraced the West Indian people”
CLR James :Party Politics in the West Indies
32. Jamaica withdraws. British governement promise
Independence
1962, August 6- Jamaica independent
1962,August 31-T&T independent
Barbados could go it alone as head of the remaining
units
1966,November- Barbados Independent
1966, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St
Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla(as it was then) Saint Lucia, St
Vincent –Associated states to Britain
33. Wallace, Elizabeth, The breakup of the West Indies
Federation-(Caribbean Freedom ed H.Beckles an V
Shepherd)
James, C. L. R. Party Politics in the West Indies
(pp159-164)
Claypole,W & Robottom,J. Caribbean Story Book 2
(pp 123-147)
