The London School of Economics and Political Science Non-Sovereign States in the Era of Decolonisation: Politics, Nationalism and Assimilation in French and British Caribbean Territories, 1945-1980 Grace Carrington A thesis submitted to the Department of International History of the London School of Economics for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, London, July 2019 Declaration I certify that the thesis I have presented for examination for the PhD degree of the London School of Economics and Political Science is solely my own work other than where I have clearly indicated that it is the work of others (in which case the extent of any work carried out jointly by me and any other person is clearly identified in it). The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. Quotation from it is permitted, provided that full acknowledgement is made. This thesis may not be reproduced without my prior written consent. I warrant that this authorisation does not, to the best of my belief, infringe the rights of any third party. I declare that my thesis consists of 83332 words. 2 Abstract Non-independent territories today account for more than half the states in the Caribbean but regional and global histories of the twentieth century tend to exclude them from narratives of protest and change. This thesis addresses this gap. Using the Cayman Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Martinique and Guadeloupe as case studies, it argues that a focus on the processes of decolonisation in these non-sovereign states reveals features common to the global experience of twentieth century decolonisation elsewhere. This comparative perspective shows how the postwar context, the Cold War, differing colonial policies, local elites, local party politics and protest movements shaped political outcomes in British and French territories. Thus, a comprehensive account of decolonisation must acknowledge the developments in non-independent territories. No longer formal colonies, yet having not become conventional independent sovereign states, these territories challenge our preconceptions about decolonisation and the so-called postcolonial world. 3 Table of Contents Abstract 3 List of Figures 9 List of Abbreviations 10 Acknowledgements 11 Introduction: ‘A Paradox in Paradise’? 13 Chapter One 53 Political Futures after the Second World War Chapter Two 87 Decolonisation and the Global Cold War: The US, the Cuban Revolution and Anticolonial Mobilisation Chapter Three 119 The Colonial State: Assimilation, Interference and Repression Chapter Four 149 Local Elites: Economic and Political Power Factions Chapter Five 186 Local Politics: The Dynamics and Failures of Political Parties Chapter Six 212 ‘We Got to Take Back Our Country’: Popular Protest and Independence Activists Conclusion 252 Appendix: Timeline of Events 259 Bibliography 261 4 Figure 1: Map of the Caribbean Region1 1 Wikipedia.org, https://sco.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Caribbean_general_map.png. 5 Figure 2: Map of the Cayman Islands2 Figure 3: Map of the British Virgin Islands3 2 Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cayman_Islands_regions_map.png. 3 Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:British_Virgin_Islands_locator.svg. 6 Figure 4: Map of Guadeloupe4 4 Wikipedia, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wikivoyage_Guadeloupe_map_PNG.png. 7 Figure 5: Map of Martinique5 5 Wikipedia, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wikivoyage_Martinique_map_PNG.png. 8 List of Figures Figure 1: Map of the Caribbean Region 5 © Wikipedia.org Figure 2: Map of the Cayman Islands 6 © Wikimedia Commons Figure 3: Map of the British Virgin Islands 6 © Wikimedia Commons Figure 4: Map of Guadeloupe 7 © Wikipedia.org Figure 5: Map of Martinique 8 © Wikipedia.org 9 List of Abbreviations ADG Archives Départementales de la Guadeloupe ADM Archives Départementales de la Martinique AFFPOL Ministère des Colonies, Direction des Affaires Politiques, France AN Archives Nationales, France ANOM Archives Nationales d’Outre-mer, France BNF Bibliothèque Nationale de France BVI The British Virgin Islands Cayman The Cayman Islands CINA Cayman Islands National Archives CO Colonial Office DOM Département d’Outre-mer FCO Foreign and Commonwealth Office JORF Journal Officiel de la République Française MP Member of Parliament RG Renseignements Généraux, French Intelligence Service TNA The National Archives, UK US United States USVI Virgin Islands of the United States VINA National Archives of the Virgin Islands, Tortola 10 Acknowledgements This thesis could not have been completed without the help and support of a whole range of people in the UK and in the Caribbean. Firstly, I have to thank my supervisor, Joanna Lewis, without whom this project would not have been possible. Her perceptive feedback, probing questions and useful advice helped to shape this thesis as it developed, and her encouragement kept me going when I really needed it. I feel incredibly lucky and privileged to have had her guidance during my time as a PhD student. In the Caribbean, Tricia Bodden and everyone at the Cayman Islands National Archives made me feel very welcome and went out of their way to assist with my research. Roy Bodden and Christopher Williams were kind enough to discuss my research and share their wisdom. In the BVI, Christopher Varlack at the Archives and Angel Smith at HLSCC offered invaluable guidance and assistance. I am grateful to Ken Kelly, Solange Yvon Coudrieu, Josselyne Coudrieu, Jacques Jarvis, Jack Cailachon, and Luc Reinette, among others, who shared their experiences and stories during my time in Guadeloupe. Particular thanks must go to Ken Kelly, who was always so generous with his time and with his personal collection of historical documents. My time in Martinique and Guadeloupe would not have been the same without the companionship, humour and incomparable driving capabilities of Susannah Savage! In the UK, I’ve benefitted from the feedback and advice from the community of scholars at various conferences and seminars, including the UCL Institute of the Americas, the LSE HY509 seminar, the Society for Caribbean Studies, and the Society for the Study of French History. Many people in the Department of International History at LSE have supported my studies over the years, and I am grateful to the community of fellow PhD students: Eline Van Ommen, Will King, Judith Jacob, and Caroline Green. Finally, I could not have completed this project without the incredible support from family and friends. Thanks to Ro for putting up with me, to Robbie and to my parents, Celia and Michael, for all their support and encouragement over the years. Special thanks go to my mother for the endless hours she spent reading and discussing my thesis. 11 A Note on Terminology This thesis uses the term ‘non-sovereign’ to refer to the current status of Martinique, Guadeloupe, the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands. Bonilla uses ‘non-sovereign’ in her analysis of labour movements in Guadeloupe, in an attempt to move beyond ‘the epistemic constraints of political modernity’.6 Like this thesis, her work seeks to counteract the separation and isolation of the non-sovereign territories of the Caribbean from the independent states that is common in scholarship. In line with this, the title of this thesis uses the term non-sovereign. However, ‘non- independent’ is also used in this thesis for clarity, in instances where it is specifically the decolonisation without independence of these territories that is under consideration. The term ‘overseas territories’ is used throughout this thesis to refer collectively to the four case study island groups: Martinique, Guadeloupe, the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands. In the period in question, the British islands were, at various points, a presidency, a dependency, a colony and a dependent territory. The French islands were colonies which then became overseas departments. Overseas France is split into regions and departments, collectivities, and territories, and currently the only overseas territory is the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. Strictly speaking, Martinique and Guadeloupe are overseas departments rather than overseas territories. However, for ease, and to avoid confusion, this thesis uses the term overseas territory to refer to all four island groups. 6 Yarimar Bonilla, Non-Sovereign Futures: French Caribbean Politics in the Wake of Disenchantment (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2015), xiv. 12 Introduction ‘A Paradox in Paradise’? The era of decolonisation in the twentieth century has led to an assumption that today’s world of nation states was inevitable. However, in the twenty-first century, more than forty non- independent and partially independent states remain.7 This phenomenon is particularly apparent in the Caribbean region, where there are more non-independent territories than independent nation states.8 Surely then, this form of political status should be crucial to our understanding of both Caribbean and global politics. Nonetheless, political scientists simply dismiss these territories as ‘paradoxical’ and anomalous.9 This thesis will argue that these non-sovereign territories are very much part of the history of decolonisation in the twentieth century. It will do so by studying four Caribbean territories: Martinique, Guadeloupe, the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands. After the Second World War, the global political context of the Cold War and growing anticolonial nationalism shaped the development of these territories. They embody