History of Antigua and Barbuda

The history of Antigua and Barbuda extends from the first settlement of the islands of Antigua and Barbuda around 10,000 BC. BC through colonization in the 16th century to independence as Antigua and Barbuda on November 1, 1981.

First settlements until the beginning of the British colonial era

From around 10,000 BC. Indians from the Siboney tribe ("stone people") settled the islands. By 1200, the Arawak Indians displaced the Siboney from the Orinoco region . Subsequently, Caribs invaded from South America and spread in the area. In 1493, Christopher Columbus landed in Antigua. In the following years, the Indians living on the islands were deported to Hispaniola and other Spanish colonies by the Spaniards for slave labor . A large part of the Indians died within a short time as a result of work or illness. After 1500 the Spaniards, French and British tried alternately, each unsuccessfully, to settle the islands permanently and to bring them into their possession. Pirates used the islands as retreats at that time.

British colony and road to independence

Over a hundred years later, Barbuda came into British possession in 1628. However, efforts on the part of the government to colonize the area failed. Four years later, Antigua was colonized by British settlers from St. Kitts and Nevis . The settlers first grew tobacco there. Saint John's was established as the first permanent European settlement. The first settlers from England arrived there in 1663. The first permanent settlement was also built on Barbuda in 1666. The islands belonged to the Leeward Islands from 1671 . In 1680 large parts of Barbuda Codrington family passed into the possession, here the bears their place Codrington docked as an administrative center. Five years later, sugar cane plantations were set up on the islands, most of which were managed by African slaves.

Admiral Horatio Nelson built a British naval base on Antigua in 1784. Due to the storm-proof port, English Harbor was expanded to become the headquarters of the fleet stationed in the Antilles. The fleet presence drove away the last of the pirates. Slavery was abolished in 1834, causing the plantations to lose their economic base, which ushered in a difficult period of economic downturn and restructuring. In 1860 Antigua and Barbuda were united, with the name of the colony just Antigua.

Under the leadership of the future Prime Minister Vere Cornwall Bird, an independence movement formed from 1940. Six years later, the islands received their own parliament. Antigua and Barbuda received the status of an independent colony in 1956. From January 3, 1958 to May 31, 1962, the islands belonged to the province of the West Indies Federation with Ian Turbott as administrator between 1958 and 1964. On January 1, 1960, Bird became Chief Minister and held this office until February 14, 1971.

The islands joined the group of West Indian Associated States on February 27, 1967 as an Associate State. This gave them complete domestic political autonomy; foreign policy issues were taken care of by Great Britain. In May 1968, Antigua and Barbuda became a member of the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA). On February 14, 1971, George Walter of the Progressive Labor Movement (PLM) became the new chief minister. The sugar cane industry, which had dominated for centuries, was discontinued in 1972. Agriculture therefore only made up 4 percent, industry 22 percent and the service sector 74 percent of the gross national product . In 1974 the islands became a member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), while in 1976 they became an association with the European Communities through the Lomé Convention . The country relied in particular on regional economic cooperation within the framework of the common Caribbean market CSME (Caribbean Single Market and Economy) . On February 1, 1976, Vere C. Bird took over the office of Chief Minister again.

Time since independence in 1981

The rule of the ALP under the Bird family

On November 1, 1981, the former British colony and then associated state with the United Kingdom gained independence as part of the Commonwealth of Nations against the resistance of Barbuda as Antigua and Barbuda . The previous Chief Minister Vere Cornwall Bird of the Antigua Labor Party (ALP) then became the first Prime Minister , while the previous Governor Wilfred E. Jacobs became the first Governor General . November 10, 1981, the state became the 157th member of the United Nations and on December 5, 1981 a member of the Organization of American States (OAS). Due to an extreme drought, there were crop losses in agriculture in 1984.

In the House of Representatives elections on April 17, 1984, the ALP won 16 of the 17 seats, making Bird his second government. Subsequently, the country joined the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) on April 1, 1987 . In the March 9, 1989 elections, the ALP received 63.8 percent of the vote and 15 of the 17 seats in the House of Representatives, making Bird his third cabinet. However, by-elections were then necessary because there were disagreements in the election of some MPs. On April 6, 1992, the three main opposition parties, Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement (ACLM), Progressive Labor Movement (PLM) and United National Democratic Party (UNDP), formed the United Progressive Party (UPP).

In the elections of March 8, 1994, the ALP emerged as the strongest party with 54.4 percent and eleven of the 17 seats. One day after the election, however, Vere Cornwall Bird resigned as Prime Minister in favor of his son and former Foreign Secretary Lester Bird . On September 22, 1996 Treasury Secretary Molwyn Joseph resigned and was subsequently replaced by John St. Luce . In the subsequent elections on March 9, 1999, the ALP won 52.6 percent of the vote and twelve of the 17 seats in the House of Representatives, whereupon Lester Bird formed his second cabinet. The UPP came with 44.5 percent and four seats and the Barbuda People's Movement (BPM) with 1.3 percent and one seat. The turnout was 63.6 percent.

A little later, the House of Representatives passed an amendment to the constitution that aims to combat money laundering . On January 6, 2001, Prime Minister Lester Bird undertook a cabinet reshuffle in which the previous Treasury Secretary, John St. Luce, became the new Minister of the Interior, while Prime Minister Bird also took over the post of Treasury Secretary. On July 16, 2001, an independent committee of inquiry began to investigate a corruption scandal in the statutory health insurance system. On June 26, 2003, Prime Minister Lester Bird reshaped his government. Robin Yearwood was then appointed Secretary of the Treasury and Longford Jeremy was appointed Secretary of the Interior.

Loss of power by the ALP, the UPP's reign and the ALP's return to power

Winston Baldwin Spencer , Prime Minister between 2004 and 2014

In the elections of March 23, 2004, the ALP Lester Birds suffered a heavy defeat and only got 41.7 percent of the vote and four MPs. The UPP received 55.2 percent and provided twelve of the 17 members of the House of Representatives, whereupon Winston Baldwin Spencer became the new Prime Minister and ended the decades-long rule of the ALP under the Bird family. Spencer then formed his first cabinet on March 24, 2004, with Harold Lovell as Secretary of State and Errol Cort as Secretary of the Treasury. Due to disagreements, there was a new election in the constituency of Barbuda on April 20, 2004, which this time was won by the Barbuda People's Movement (BPM). On January 5, 2005, Prime Minister Spender announced a cabinet reshuffle in which he would take over from Harold Lovell as Secretary of State. On July 17, 2007, Louise Lake-Tack was the first woman to take over the office of Governor General.

The UPP was just confirmed in the elections on March 12, 2009 with 50.9 percent and nine seats in the House of Representatives, while the ALP was able to improve to 47.2 percent and now has seven MPs. The Barbuda People's Movement (BPM) was able to provide 1.1 percent of an MP. On March 16, 2009, Prime Minister Spencer presented his new cabinet on March 16, 2009, which included Harold Lovell as Minister of Finance and Errol Cort as Minister of National Security . Prime Minister Spencer himself remained Secretary of State. In the elections on June 12, 2014, the ALP emerged as the clear winner with 56.45 percent of the vote and 14 of the 17 mandates. The previously ruling UPP under Prime Minister Spencer only had three members in the House of Representatives with 41.95 percent. The turnout was 90.3 percent. The new Prime Minister was Gaston Browne from the ALP on June 13, 2014 . On June 18, 2014, Browne presented his cabinet, in which he himself took over the office of Treasury Secretary, while Charles Fernandez was the new Secretary of State.

After the previous first female Governor General Louise Lake-Tack resigned on August 13, 2014, Rodney Williams was sworn in as the new Governor General on August 14, 2014 .

Background literature

• Bertelsmann Universal Lexikon , Volume 1, Gütersloh 1987, p. 275 f.
• Chambers Dictionary of World History , Chambers Harrap Publishers, Edinburgh 2002, ISBN 0-550-13000-4 , p. 38
• The big Ploetz. The encyclopedia of world history , Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. Göttingen 2008, p. 1848

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Antigua and Barbuda: September 22, 1996 (rulers.org)
2. ↑ Antigua and Barbuda: March 9, 1999 (rulers.org)
3. ↑ Antigua and Barbuda: January 6, 2001 (rulers.org)
4. ↑ Antigua and Barbuda; June 26, 2003 (rulers.org)
5. ↑ Antigua and Barbuda: March 23, 2004
6. ↑ Antigua and Barbuda: April 20, 2004 (rulers.org)
7. ↑ Antigua and Barbuda: January 5, 2005
8. ↑ Antigua and Barbuda: July 17, 2007 (rulers.org)
9. ↑ Antigua and Barbuda: March 12, 2009 (rulers.org)
10. ↑ Antigua and Barbuda: June 12, 2014 (rulers.org)
11. ↑ Antigua and Barbuda: August 13, 2014

Web links

Commons : History of Antigua and Barbuda  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files