upon millions of people descend on the Caribbean every year for vacations on cruises or to spend all their time at hermeticallysealed resorts in places like Jamaica, the Dom Rep as Germans call it, Cuba or the Virgin Islands.
Escapism from their everyday worlds is paramount sun, water activities and drinkingnot culture or historyare on their agendas, Every now and then, the destruction of hurricanes register for fleeting moments of concern, But they dissipate soon. Moguls like to buy islands to create their own fantasy worlds, Richard Branson and Jeffrey Epstein, though not similar, come to mind immediately, But do any of them actually know about the history of the Caribbean Do they care Should they
When Columbus set foot on an island he mistook for India, he unleashed “the first goldrush in the history of the modern world.
” More significantly, he set the repeating pattern of how the Caribbean was to be treated for the rest of recorded history.
Eric Williams, an economist who would become the first prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, lays out this thesis in exacting detail, tying together history and statistics into a compelling argument that the Caribbean has been a means toward the ends of exploitation and greed the wealth, resources and pleasure derived from the region have come at the cost of blood, terror and seemingly neverending injustice.
The people who were thereuntil they were wiped out by violence and diseaseand the slaves from Africa who replaced them were expendable with the singular purpose of serving the greed and strategic interests of European centers of power.
There was also a repeating cycle fed by the tensions “between metropolitan and colonial interests, ” For them, the islands were there to produce sugar for which they had a monopoly of the slave trade to maintain the productivity of the cane fields.
“Europe has seldom been as unanimous on any issue as it has been on the value of Negro slave labor.
” With the waning of the Spanish empire in theth century, the English filled the void to create profitable sugar plantation in Barbados, Jamaica and other islands.
The French, Dutch and Danes claiming their territories later, The one thing that they shared was a strict system of mercantilism through which production on the islands was dominated by the mono crop of sugar, making the owners rich and politically powerful in their home nations to further their continued dominance.
The French in particular pioneered the concept of “the exclusive” to “subordinate colonial interests to those of the metropolitan country.
” The Caribbean islands provided the raw material of sugar cane but only the ruling nation could refine and distribute the valueadded results and the brutal conditions of slavery fed a seemingly neverending slave trade from Africa.
The exploitation of the Caribbean by larger, more prosperous and powerful countries continues unabated, Although this history was written in, it seems as important to contemporary history as if it had been written today.
Let's hope some of those tourists who extract fun and resources from the region will pick up a copy next time they're there.
Quiero leer este libro para conocer otra perspectiva en cuanto a la historia del caribe, todos los caribeños debemos leer a nuestros escritores, para empezar a desintoxicarnos de la historia escrita por el colonizador, muy acomodada a sus intereses.
The history of the sugar industry and slave trade really framed most of the history of the Caribbean, In that sense, this book was really right on the money, It includes everything you ever wanted to know about the two industries and how they influenced the development of the region.
However, this book was a little hard to swallow, It was very heavy on the historical facts and figures, and not so great with the historical narrative, In other words, it was very detailed in telling the reader exactly how many sugar plantations were in Haiti inand how much sugar each plantation produced, but it took some digging to really extract the story behind what the facts and figured really meant.
What I enjoyed most about this book was the chapter on Castroism, Here in, it is difficult to understand Castro's appeal and why the Cuban people have tolerated him and his policies for so long.
It also is not entirely clear why Cuba is so staunchly antiAmerican, This book presents the case from the Cuban perspective, Everything from the US annexation after the SpanishAmerican war, to the takeover of the Cuban sugar industry by US businesses, to the poor social and living conditions that existed under the USsupported Batista regime.
In plain terms, Castro's revolution made sense and was justified once upon a time, The problem is that he made too many mistakes in his first few years of leading the country, and he refused to acknowledge or rectify any of them.
The author did not have the benefit of hindsight that we have today, and he could not have predicted the extent to which Cuba became reliant on the USSR to survive.
The background that Williams provides gives us sufficient context to understand where Cuba went wrong, and perhaps how to help them get back on track.
This book was published in, I would like to see an updated copy to better understand the developments in the pastyears, Many of the predictions he made in the final chapter came true, and many did not, Williams had a very unique perspective on the issues of colonialism, the sugar industry, and slave trade, and I would like to get his thoughts on where the region stands today.
Are they better off than they wereyears ago Looking at what is currently happening in Haiti and Guadeloupe, it may not seem so.
Regardless, this book was worth the read for anyone who is really interested in the history of the Western Hemisphere.
I really like Eric Williams' work hisCapitalism and Slavery remains one of the most important books in colonial and imperial social and economic history, as well as perhaps the most important book about the Atlantic slave trade, and although this was first published in, so contains some things we now know to be wrong, this is a fantastic introduction to Caribbean history.
There is a really solid blending of economic, social and political history, and it is an excellent launch pad for reading or beginning other work in Caribbean history.
Among the saleant points a needed documentation of slavery, Eric Williams points out the enormity of the issue that still has legacy in our society, He gives numbers that should stagger white and black alike, Best book on Caribean history This book is a dream come true for us Black/Caribbean history aficionados ok, The economics behind the malicious under development of this region by predominantly white imperialists has helped me further understand the disturbing degree of fragmentation amongst a predominantly Black inhabited region.
Dollar diplomacy remains. Dense, comprehensive, enlightening. A worthy read if you care about understanding this part of the world, and how it was to the preindustrial age somewhat like the middle east today, although without any annoying local populations to get in the way.
. . they were all entirely subjugated, But sugar and gold were like oil today, so the more things change, the more they stay the same, Great info, but a bit drawn out, At times it was tough to keep interest, Got to know some of my own History, . . Why do so many Puerto Ricans still speak Spanish Why is the Caribbean economy still developing Why was there so much interest and warfare regarding these small islands Was sugar really more important than gold
I don't tend to write a lot of reviews more often than not, I generally feel that the indicator is enough to determine if a book is worth reading.
But in this case, I need to make an exception, I picked this book up as a casual reader of Caribbean history and culture, I don't think I was fully prepared for what Mr, Williams had in store.
This is one of the best books I have ever read, In terms of its breadth and depth of information, its style, its content, and its approach, this book offers a comprehensive view of the Caribbean and is invaluable for anyone in anyway related to the Caribbean: education, business, politics, sociology, or even if you just have a Cuban or Puerto Rican or Haitian friend.
The only caveat is its density, There are moments when the detail can seem to overshadow the trajectory of the book, However, when taken into account, it deepens the impact, The basic chronological flow allows the reader to follow even when discussing multiple countries or economic factors, across several seas and oceans.
The chapter breakdown makes it an easy supplement for any student of history and facilitates progress for the casual reader.
This is not an easy book, not something for the beach, But, for those times you want to immerse yourself in a story that simultaneously parallels and intersects with the American story, pick it up and then sit down.
So glad I read this, It is finished Jesus Christ the Messiah
From Columbus to Castro: The History of the Caribbean is a masterpiece of economic and somewhat political history.
This is not a light read, It is, however, a very informative one, Published in From Columbus to Castro is a classic in the field of Caribbean history, The amount of information Williams was about to pack into this text is astounding, I aspire to such research depths and heights, Since Williams is writing from an economic and political view the narrative of From Columbus to Castro is dry but to counter that the characters of From Columbus to Castro are very short, making the information consumable.
There arechapters in here with titles ranging from "A sixteenthcentury view of the West Indies" to "A Slave in Chains" to "Che' Guevara.
" The main theme of From Columbus to Castro here is capitalism, Economics driving how the Caribbean is colonized and its resources subsequently drained by European powers are in every chapter, Presenting data analysis and statistics, Williams makes his claims with powerful proof,
However, throughout the text, there is no endnotes or footnotes, not citations at all, There is a bibliography but no way to check on all of the statistics and data he presents us, The bibliography is extensive though!! Eric Williams ends with suggestions on moving forward as a united Caribbean, From Columbus to Castro is a great read for anyone deeply interested in Caribbean history, If you want more narrative history, I would suggest another text, From Columbus to Castro is a great reference work and addition to anyone's shelf,
Quotes from the last chapter
“A toolong history of colonialism seems to have crippled Caribbean selfconfidence and Caribbean selfreliance, and a vicious circle has been set up: psychological dependence leads to an evergrowing economic and cultural dependence on the outside world.
Fragmentation is intensified in the process, And the greater degree of dependence and fragmentation further reduces local selfconfidence, ”
“Fragmentation is accompanied by massive dependence on the outside world, even in the independent countries of the Commonwealth Caribbean.
With the exception of Cuba the character of whose dependence is different from that of the others, the politically dependent and the politically independent countries of the Caribbean differ only in the latters possession of formal sovereignty.
For the most part, they are all high dependent on the outside world for economic aid for large portions of the capital annually invested in both the traditional and the new manufacturing and tourist sectors of the economy for sheltered markets for their traditional primary products and even for emigration outlets for their surplus labour.
”
“It is not possible at this stage to sketch out precisely the type of relationship which might be established between the Commonwealth and nonCommonwealth Caribbean.
Suffice it to say there is great scope for functional collaboration in respect of the production, processing and marketing of commodities such as sugar and minerals such as bauxite for the exchange of technological and scientific knowledge for the rationalism of regional agriculture and, not least, for the establishment of regional integrated industries in specific sectors, drawing their raw materials either from regional or extraregional sources and serving both regional and nonregional markets.
Once there is true integration among all the units of the Caribbean, and once all the vestiges of political, economic, cultural and psychological dependence and of racism have been removed from the Caribbean, then and only then can the Caribbean take its true place in Latin America and the New World.
And put an end to the international wars and interregional squabbles which, from Columbus to Castro, have marked the disposition of Adams will.
” Recommended. Mr. Williams was Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago fromto, How did he have time to write such a fine history book Obviously he cared deeply about the people of the Caribbean countries.
Though so much has happened since the book was published in, the wideranging background information is fully relevant, Particularly meaningful to me is Williams' dispassionate coverage of the decimation of the native peoples of the Caribbean, and his account of international practices and the laws that enabled slavery.
His descriptions of how slaves were treated is troubling but can't be ignored, Eric Williams belongs to the group of Marxist historians, His remarkable work offers the reader deep analysis of Carribean from Colombus to Castro, However, he points out mainy mainly economic matters with strong aspect of colonialism, Carribean is highly connected with fruits, sugar and thus is oriented to peasans and not industrial level of region, As a author of Capitalism and Slavery he tries to find close linkage as well he based this book partly on economic aspect of region.
Furthermore, it is highly interesting to follow his comments on the USA as "shadow and superpower in this region" and his interest from material perspective.
In my opinion, it is clear example of Marxist historian, It is worth to read, Although it was published almostyears ago, It is still first comprehensive history of the area and it is key work to understand the economic and political elements of this region.
Picked up this book at a book fair for five dollars, I had just finished The Rum Diary by Hunter S, Thompson, and a book on the Caribbean seemed like a good transition, I never realized how ignorant I was to the history of the Caribbean until I read this book, It is pretty dense, and I found myself glazing over some of the passages, just because I was more interested in a general understanding.
After finishing this book I find myself very interested and curious to read the more indepth histories of the individual islands.
On another note, the author seems like a very interesting individual as well, I marked his autobiography to read, I hope I can find a copy,