Michael Manley

This article is about the politician Michael Manley. For other people, see Mike Manley .

Michael Manley in the 1970s

Michael Norman Manley, ON , OM (born December 10, 1924 in Saint Andrew Parish , Jamaica ; † March 6, 1997 in Kingston , Jamaica), was Jamaica's Prime Minister from 1972 to 1980 and from 1989 to 1992 . During his first term in office, Jamaica made a brief switch to a pro- Soviet foreign policy.

Life

Michael Manley came from one of Jamaica's most influential families. His father Norman Washington Manley was Chief Minister , his cousin Hugh Shearer was Prime Minister and his wife Edna Manley was a noted artist and activist. He was also related to former Prime Minister Alexander Bustamante .

Manley's party, the People's National Party (PNP), clearly won the parliamentary elections in 1972 and, as the strongest faction, also provided the new prime minister. Manley worked to improve the living conditions of the poor. He passed numerous social laws, for the financing of which he had several companies nationalized, above all banks, companies in the bauxite mining and large plantations. Other companies came into public ownership through acquisitions. During his term of office, the democratic structures were maintained and the free market economy could continue to exist, albeit with restrictions. For this reason, the new state order cannot be described as socialist , but was partially perceived as such abroad. The close friendship between Manley and Fidel Castro and the close diplomatic relations between Jamaica and Cuba also contributed to this. Despite intensive negotiations, relations with the International Monetary Fund broke off and Jamaica lost loans that were believed to be safe.

Due to the lack of money from international sources and the increasing drug trade across the island, the crime rate continued to rise. A state of emergency was declared in 1976; that same year an attempted coup against the government was uncovered before it could be carried out. Gangs, each close to one of the two major parties, fought street battles for supremacy in individual parts of the city, especially in Kingston .

The increasing violence and the still widespread poverty caused the PNP to lose the 1980 election significantly. Nevertheless, Manley was able to win the 1989 election again. This term of office was quieter than the previous one and he largely refrained from further social reforms. In March 1992, he resigned for health reasons. Percival J. Patterson succeeded him.

Honors

In 2002 he was posthumously awarded the Order of the Nation, the second highest honor in the Jamaican state.

literature

in order of appearance

• Peter Bosshard: We finally have a government of love! Democratic socialism in Jamaica under Michael Manley (1972–1980) . Z-Verlag, Zurich 1987, ISBN 3-85990-079-X .
• Darrell E. Levi: Michael Manley. The making of a leader . University of Georgia Press, Athens 1990, ISBN 0-8203-1221-5 .
• Claus Füllberg-Stolberg, Bettina Grote: Jamaica at the end of the Manley era . In: Dietmar Dirmoser and others (ed.): Market in the heads (= Latin America. Analyzes and reports, Vol. 17). Horlemann, Unkel / Bad Honnef 1993, ISBN 3-927905-80-1 , pp. 197-206.
• FSJ Ledgister: Michael Manley and Jamaican democracy, 1972–1980. The word is love . Lexington Books, Lanham 2014, ISBN 978-0-7391-9027-2 .

Individual evidence

1. ^ Claus Füllberg-Stolberg, Bettina Grote: Jamaica at the end of the Manley era . In: Dietmar Dirmoser and others (ed.): Market in the heads (= Latin America. Analyzes and reports, Vol. 17). Horlemann, Unkel / Bad Honnef 1993, pp. 197-206, here p. 197.
2. ^ Claus Füllberg-Stolberg, Bettina Grote: Jamaica at the end of the Manley era . In: Dietmar Dirmoser and others (ed.): Market in the heads (= Latin America. Analyzes and reports, Vol. 17). Horlemann, Unkel / Bad Honnef 1993, pp. 197–206, here p. 203.
3. ↑ PMs accept national honor with humility ( memento of the original from January 15, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Jamaica Observer, December 5, 2002. Retrieved May 7, 2011. 

predecessor	Office	successor
Hugh Shearer	Prime Minister of Jamaica March 2, 1972–1. November 1980	Edward Seaga
Edward Seaga	Prime Minister of Jamaica February 10, 1989-13. February 1992	Percival J. Patterson