History of the Caribbeans | Exploring Resilience and Culture

Can a post-colonial nation truly survive outside the global financial system? In this episode of THE HISTORY OF THE CARIBBEAN, we dive into the gritty reality of Jamaica in the 1970s under the leadership of Michael Manley. Known to many as "Joshua," Manley rose to power with a bold vision of Democratic Socialism, promising free education, land reform, and a fair share of the island’s bauxite wealth.

However, the dream of a new Jamaica quickly met the cold reality of the Cold War, bauxite levy struggles, and devastating economic destabilization. From the landslide victory of 1972 to the bloodiest election in our history in 1980, we explore the rise and fall of a movement that changed the Caribbean forever.

In this documentary, you will discover:

The impact of the Bauxite Levy on global corporations.

How Michael Manley and Fidel Castro’s friendship triggered a Cold War response.

The truth behind the 1980 election violence and the birth of political garrisons.

The lasting legacy of social justice and democratic socialism in Jamaica today.

CHAPTERS

0:00 - The Promise of Joshua: 1972 Victory

15:42 - The Bauxite Levy and Economic War

32:15 - The Cold Front: Manley and Castro

48:50 - Heavy Manners: The 1976 State of Emergency

01:05:12 - The 1980 Election and the Cost of a Dream

01:22:30 - Michael Manley’s Final Legacy

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#CaribbeanHistory #Jamaica #MichaelManley #DemocraticSocialism #Documentary #OurHistory #Kingston70s

Fidel Castro: Revolutionary Hero or Cold War Strongman? | The History of the Caribbean

From the rugged peaks of the Sierra Maestra to the high-stakes tension of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Fidel Castro remains one of the most polarizing figures in global history. Was he the liberator who ended the Batista dictatorship and brought literacy to the masses, or a dictator who turned an island into a fortress?

In this deep-dive documentary, we explore the gritty reality of the Cuban Revolution. We go beyond the propaganda to examine:

The Granma Landing: The desperate guerrilla beginnings of the 26th of July Movement.

The Siege Mentality: How the Bay of Pigs and the U.S. Embargo shaped a generation.

The Special Period: The harrowing collapse of the Soviet Union and its impact on the Cuban people.

The Legacy: The complex reality of education and healthcare versus censorship and exile.

Join us as we navigate the ambiguity of a man who stood up to empires but refused to let go of power. This is our history—unfiltered, cinematic, and grounded in truth.

Subscribe to THE HISTORY OF THE CARIBBEAN for more long-form stories on the heroes, resistance, and hard truths of our islands.

#CaribbeanHistory #FidelCastro #CubaRevolution #Documentary #Podcast #ColdWarHistory #Havana #SierraMaestra

The Man Who Built an Empire of the Mind: Marcus Garvey.

Before the Civil Rights Movement, there was Marcus Mosiah Garvey. In this episode of THE HISTORY OF THE CARIBBEAN, we strip away the myth to look at the cold, hard strategy of the printer from St. Ann’s Bay who became the most hunted Black man in the world.

From the banana plantations of Central America to the crowded streets of Harlem, Garvey didn't just advocate for equality—he demanded sovereignty. Witness the rise of the UNIA, the ambitious (and sabotaged) launch of the Black Star Line, and the relentless pursuit by J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI.

This isn't a story of celebrity; it’s a documentary analysis of power, vision, and the brutal cost of challenging a global colonial system. Discover how a Jamaican immigrant planted the seeds of Pan-Africanism that would eventually liberate nations.

Key Topics Covered:

The founding of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA).

The Black Star Line: Economic independence and its downfall.

The FBI's first infiltration of Black political movements.

Garvey’s legacy in Jamaica and the global diaspora.

#CaribbeanHistory #MarcusGarvey #BlackHistory #Documentary #PanAfricanism #UNIA #JamaicaHistory #HistoryPodcast

Did a PhD thesis from Oxford do more damage to British colonialism than a loaded gun? Welcome to a new episode of THE HISTORY OF THE CARIBBEAN. Today, we go inside the mind of the "Little Doctor," Dr. Eric Williams, the scholar-turned-statesman who led Trinidad and Tobago to independence.

In this deep-dive documentary, we explore the intellectual resistance that birthed a nation. From the archives of Oxford where he wrote the revolutionary Capitalism and Slavery, to the "University of Woodford Square" where he educated the masses, Williams dismantled the myths of the empire.

Toussaint Louverture: The Strategist Who Broke an Empire. Discover the true story of the Haitian Revolution through the eyes of its chief architect. Move past the myth and into the cold, calculated mind of Toussaint Louverture—the man who outmaneuvered Napoleon to build the world’s first Black Republic.

In this episode of THE HISTORY OF THE CARIBBEAN, we cover:

The Manager: How Toussaint used his literacy and position at the Bréda plantation to map a revolution.

The Architect: The shifting allegiances between Spain and France and the creation of the 1801 Constitution.

The Martyr: The betrayal at Gonaïves and the legacy of a strategist who died in a cold French cell so a nation could be born.