Grenada: Independence Movement

By the early 1970s, Grenada was moving toward the end of British colonial rule under the leadership of Premier Eric Gairy, who had pressed London for full independence throughout his tenure. In May 1973, Britain announced that Grenada would become independent the following February, a step that would make the small island one of the smallest sovereign states in the Western Hemisphere.

The prospect of independence under Gairy drew sharp opposition. Groups including the New Jewel Movement, labour unions, and churches argued that Gairy's record of political corruption and his use of a private enforcement squad known as the "Mongoose Gang" made him unfit to lead a newly sovereign nation. Opposition leader Herbert Blaize also called for a referendum before any move to independence. Tensions escalated in January 1974, when a coalition known as the Committee of 22 organized a national strike and a protest march; police broke up the demonstration in an incident later remembered as "Bloody Monday," in which one demonstrator, Rupert Bishop, was killed.

Despite the unrest, Grenada formally gained independence from the United Kingdom on February 7, 1974, with Gairy becoming the country's first prime minister. The circumstances surrounding independence, including the unresolved grievances over Gairy's governance, left lasting political divisions that would shape the island's turbulent politics in the years that followed.