Manley and Bishop: The Tragedy of Leftist Reformism in the Caribbean

Abstract

The Caribbean and Latin America has been home to numerous leftist and populist political experiments during the 20th century, most of which have in turn experienced some level of retaliation from the capitalist Global North. Jamaica under Michael Manley and Grenada under Maurice Bishop are two such examples, and both can be evaluated for their choice in pursuing relatively moderate, reformist left-wing policies – neither of which perma- nently dismantled capitalist institutions in their respective states. Yet, both countries were ultimately subject to destabilization efforts from the capitalistic Global North, which sought to maintain its political and economic hold over the region. This paper examines leftist reformist policies (as opposed to revolu- tionary policies) in Jamaica, and Grenada, and observes how even the most moderate econom- ic policies looking to curb capitalism’s most harmful negative externalities are still viewed as a near-existential threat by institutions in the Global North.