West Indies

 

Commonwealth of the West Indies
1960–1976
National flag Coat of arms
Motto: "One People, One Nation, One Destiny"
Capital	Kingston
Common languages	English Dutch French Creole Spanish
Religion	Christianity
Government	Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Monarch
• 1960–1976	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister
• 1966–1970	TBD (first)
• 1973–1975	TBD (last)
Legislature	Federal Assembly (unicameral)
Historical era	Cold War
• Decolonization	1940–1970
• Independence from the United Kingdom	3 January 1960
• Dissolution	31 May 1976
Preceded by Succeeded by British West Indies Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Dominica Grenada Jamaica Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago British Overseas Territories

The West Indies, officially the Commonwealth of the West Indies and also commonly referred to as the Anglo-Caribbean, was a sovereign nation consisting of territories in the Caribbean that existed from 1960 until 1976. The West Indies shared a maritime border with France, the United Commonwealth, and Antilles. The capital and largest city of the West Indies was Kingston.

The West Indies was a constitutional monarchy and federal parliamentary democracy. The head of state was the Monarch, who acted as a ceremonial head of state and national figurehead (Elizabeth II held this position during the country's entire existence). The Monarch was represented by the Governor-General of the West Indies, who acted in the monarch's capacity as head of state. The head of government was the Prime Minister of the West Indies, who held true executive powers over the executive and legislative branches of government. The unicameral national legislature was the Federal Assembly of the West Indies. The national judiciary was the Royal Court of the West Indies which upheld the Constitution of the West Indies and enforced federal law.

The islands and territories of the West Indies were once inhabited by many Amerindian tribes, who all individually acted as separate and independent city states. These tribes would inhabit the West Indies for centuries. After the discovery of the Americas and the beginning of the colonial period, many of the West Indies' territory, including Jamaica, were acquired and colonized by British Empire. For a majority of its colonial history, the West Indies would be the center of the sugar and tobacco industry in the Empire, however, the West Indies would greatly be affected by the 1833 abolition of slavery, causing a slight economic depression. The West Indies would remain a dominion of the British Empire until after Great War II, where the West Indies became one of the first Commonwealth Nations. The West Indies would experience a massive cultural and political revolution during the late 1970s, resulting in the end of legal racial discrimination and the expansion of civil rights for the country's non-white minorities, as well as the independence of all of the West Indian Commonwealth's states.

During the 1970s, the weakness of the federal system and push for regionalism resulted in the political breakdown and peaceful dissolution of the West Indian government. The republic which formed in the aftermath of the West Indies became: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas (which includes the Turks and Caicos Islands), Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica (which includes the Cayman Islands), Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago. The island of Montserrat remained a British colony.

History

Main article: History of the West Indies

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of the West Indies

Government and politics

Main articles: Politics of the West Indies and Government of the West Indies

The Commonwealth of the West Indies was a Federal Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy, comprised of TBD provinces and territories. The government of the West Indies was created by the Constitution of the West Indies. The head of state of the nation was the head of the British Monarchy, and was Elizabeth II during the nation's entire existence. The Governor-General of the West Indies act as the Monarch's official representative. The Prime Minister of the West Indies was the nation's head of government and de facto executive head, leading the legislative branch of government, the Federal Assembly. The Royal Court of the West Indies was the nation's central judicial court and sees that both the legislative and executive branches of government are in compliance with the Constitution.

Political parties and elections

Main articles: List of political parties in the West Indies and Elections in the West Indies

Economy

Main article: Economy of the West Indies