The Cold War and Decolonization in British Guiana: the Anglo-American Intervention and Guianese Nationalist Politics" (2010)
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Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports 2010 The Cold War and decolonization in British Guiana: The Anglo- American intervention and Guianese nationalist politics Joshua David Esposito West Virginia University Follow this and additional works at: https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd Recommended Citation Esposito, Joshua David, "The Cold War and decolonization in British Guiana: The Anglo-American intervention and Guianese nationalist politics" (2010). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 865. https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/865 This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by the The Research Repository @ WVU with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. 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The Cold War and Decolonization in British Guiana: The Anglo-American Intervention and Guianese Nationalist Politics Joshua David Esposito Thesis submitted to the College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History Joseph Hodge, Ph.D., Chair James Siekmeier, Ph.D. SilverMoon, Ph.D. Department of History Morgantown, West Virginia 2010 Keywords: Cold War, decolonization, British Guiana, Cheddi Jagan, British West Indies Copyright 2010 Joshua David Esposito Abstract The Cold War and Decolonization in British Guiana: The Anglo-American Intervention and Guianese Nationalist Politics Joshua David Esposito This thesis examines the end of colonial rule in British Guiana and what it tells us about the relationship between decolonization and the Cold War. It explores how the end of a four hundred year period of European nation-state domination of the world led to a complex shift in global power structures and considerable conflict. From 1953 to 1966 nationalist leaders in British Guiana struggled to achieve independence from Great Britain and fought to establish their position in the future government of Guyana. Colonialism, however, left a unique imprint on British Guiana’s cultural development, and created a volatile society that left the colony marred by racial violence. Additionally, Guianese autonomy was limited by Anglo-American Cold War imperatives in the Caribbean. The decolonization of British Guiana became a struggle, and eventually a compromise, between British and American officials, as well as between the Anglo- American alliance and Guianese nationalists. This thesis explores one aspect of that power struggle in detail. It shows how Cheddi Jagan’s People’s Progressive Party (PPP) in British Guiana pursued an increasingly aggressive foreign policy after the Cuban Revolution in 1959 that was in conflict with United States Cold War goals. Meanwhile, Forbes Burnham and the People’s National Congress (PNC) sought to establish a working relationship with the United States. As a result, the United States and Great Britain chose to subvert the elected PPP government and grant independence to British Guiana under a government led by Burnham. The experience of independence in British Guiana illuminates then, the intricate relationship between the Cold War, decolonization, and the struggle for self-government in the developing world. Acknowledgments I would like to express my deepest appreciation to Dr. Joseph Hodge and Dr. James Siekmeier. Their guidance has been invaluable and I cannot possibly express enough gratitude for the time they spent reading and providing critical feedback on multiple drafts of this thesis. Their direction is most directly responsible for any measure of career success I may find. I would also like to express appreciation to the West Virginia University history department for providing the opportunity to work as a graduate assistant with Dr. Brian Luskey and Dr. SilverMoon. They are incredible educators and working with them was one of the most valuable experiences of graduate school. I would also like to thank Dr. SilverMoon for being on my thesis committee. I would like to acknowledge a special appreciation for Dr. Robert and Wynona Wilkins for providing a generous endowment which gave me with the opportunity to complete my thesis during the summer. I wish to express a special appreciation to Karina Garcia for her patience and support while I worked on this project. Her encouragement and perspective were the motivation to work through many challenging moments over the past year. Her perpetually positive nature made it possible to be confident during the most frustrating moments of this thesis. I would like to acknowledge a special gratitude to Joel Christenson, William Feeney, and David Goldberg for taking the time to provide feedback on various parts of this project and provide advice on the writing process and graduate school in general. I would also like to thank the students from the West Virginia University history graduate department for making the graduate school experience memorable. iii I extend a special appreciation to my parents, Doug and Deb, and my sisters, Shannan and Whitney, for their unrelenting support over the years. Their love and encouragement has been a source of strength throughout life. I especially want to thank Chase Merritt, Chad Borek, Caleb Foreman, Shane Hanner, Matt Harder, Jody Judson, Leon McCleary, and Jeremy Boyd. My appreciation for you cannot be put into words, and I suspect it does not need to be. Finally, thank you to Eric Horn, Jason Gaitanopoulos, and Hugh Ferry for providing a needed distraction from academics and a mental rejuvenation. iv Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... ii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ v Abbreviations: ........................................................................................................................... vii Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 Review of the Relevant Literature .............................................................................................. 8 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 23 Chapter 2: The Impact of Colonial History on the Decolonization Process in British Guiana .... 25 Initial European Colonization and the Development of a Sugar Economy .............................. 27 Immigration and Social Development....................................................................................... 29 Venezuelan Boarder Dispute ..................................................................................................... 32 Colonial Economics in the Early Twentieth Century ................................................................ 33 Organized Labor and Political Evolution .................................................................................. 35 Consequences of the Great Depression and World War II on Colonial Development ............. 37 Post-War Political Development ............................................................................................... 39 Internal Self-Government and British Resumption of Direct Rule ........................................... 43 The Development of Racial Politics in British Guiana ............................................................. 46 The Impact of the Cuban Revolution in British Guiana ............................................................ 49 Racial Violence, Anglo-American Intervention, and the Progression to Independence ........... 50 Chapter 3: Anglo-American Cooperation and Strategic Objectives During Decolonization in British Guiana ............................................................................................................................... 61 The Anglo-American Special Relationship ............................................................................... 66 Anglo-American Perspectives in British Guiana ...................................................................... 68 Instability ................................................................................................................................... 76 Geo-political Significance of British Guiana ............................................................................ 81 Economic Considerations .......................................................................................................... 86 Contention and Cooperation in the Anglo-American Alliance ................................................. 87 Chapter 4: Participants in the Cold War: The Impact of the People’s Progressive Party’s Foreign Policy in British Guiana ................................................................................................................ 95 The Influence of the Cold War on Interpreting