EL MOVIMIENTO NACIONALISTA/ THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT
Chapter 11
The struggle of the workers led by Soberanis played an important part in the birth of the nationalist movement in Belize. People began to question what colonialism had done for Belize. They began to wonder why a country with so many resources, with such wealthy landowners and merchants, had so many poor people. The poor economic and social conditions in the 1950's also helped them begin to think about self-government and independence.
Economic and Social Conditions
During the 1930's and 1940's the economy was still based on forestry, but this industry was declining continuously. During World War II (1939-1945) the industry had revived for a while. Unemployment had also been eased because thousands of workers emigrated to Britain for forestry jobs, to Panama to work in building the Canal and to the southern United Stated to work in agricultural estates. But after the war they came home to unemployment and poverty.
A local legislator stated in 1949 that "the privations suffered during the Depression were but bagatelles compared to the sufferings the people are undergoing now." He warned that people might be forced by their misery and hunger to resort to crime and rioting.
The working class suffered from unemployment, low wages, bad housing, severe malnutrition, and poor health care. In early 1950, a British reporter complained that "the Colony has always been run exclusively for what could be got out of it . . . of the 35,000 employable from a total population of 60,000, 8,000 or nearly a quarter are without work or working part-time, earning less than twelve shillings per week. Belize City, with its 22,000 people, is about the most shockingly depressed spot in the whole British/West Indies - perhaps in the Commonwealth. Hunger, poverty, the filthy conditions under which the people live are incredible."
The devaluation of the Belize dollar, on December 31, 1949, resulted in the immediate worsening of the workers' situation.
Campaign Against Colonialism
The People's Committee formed the very night the Belize dollar was devalued. What started as a protest against devaluation became a general assault against the entire colonial system. On September 29, 1950 the People's Committee became the People's United Party (PUP). Its objective was "to gain for the people of this country political independence and economic independence." After a split in 1951, the main leaders of the party were Leigh Richardson, George Price and Philip Goldson.
One of the first political tasks set by these leaders was to create a national unity out of the divisions created by colonialism. They travelled throughout the country calling on the people to unite and fight for their rights and for a say in running their country. They educated the people about the problems of colonialism. They explained how poverty and misery were caused by the system of exploitation, and the special role the B.E.C. played in this process.
These young leaders were not only concerned with raising the living standards of the people, but they were also determined to make a complete break with the colonial past. In a memorial to the King from the People's Committee in February 1950, they declared that the social evils under which Belizeans were suffering "are caused by colonial exploitation that takes abroad the wealth of the country and leaves it impoverished and destitute. There is in us a growing and determined aspiration to eventual self-government."
Alliance with Workers
From the time of the People's Committee, a strong alliance was formed with the working class movement. The working class was represented by the General Workers Union (GWU). By 1951, the leaders of the PUP and the GWU were almost the same.
In October 1952 they called a national strike to protest against the economic conditions which had steadily worsened since devaluation. Even occasional rises in wages made little difference because prices kept increasing. The B.E.C. was a major target of the strike, but government workers went on strike too, as well as workers of the United Fruit Company and several other companies. The strike was called off after ten days when the government and the other companies - except the B.E.C. - agreed to negotiate with the union for better wages and working conditions.
The B.E.C. held out for 49 days and stopped the strike by using scab labour protected by police. In spite of this, the leaders felt that the strike was a success. It had shown that working class solidarity gave the workers power and won them benefits. This established the PUP in the public mind as a party for working people. The membership in the GWU increased quickly to over 8,000.
The Constitutional Struggle
Although the PUP emphasized change in the economic conditions, their main effort was to challenge the colonial political system. They demanded political power for the people, and this required constitutional change. First the people had to be given the right to vote.
In the fight for universal adult suffrage, the right for all adults to vote, the nationalist leaders tried to change people's attitudes. Many people, especially those from the middle class, argued that the colony was too underdeveloped, its people too backward and illiterate, to have the right to vote. Instead they suggested three options: a literacy test; a system of indirect voting by the districts outside of Belize City; and reserve powers for the governor.
In a report on constitutional change published in 1951, the middle class praised what they called the tradition of "British Institutions, British laws, and those high principles of fair play, freedom and justice which are characteristic of the Anglo-Saxon." They argued that the colonial system had created a fair administration, under which every resident could "retain for his own use the fruit of his labours." Most workers, however, did not agree.
The PUP attacked the recommendations made in the report. The argument that the country must be developed before colonialism could be abolished ignored the important fact that colonialism was the cause of underdevelopment. In order for the country to develop, its people had to be free. Leigh Richardson explained in 1952:
"But those who argue that social, economic and educational development must take place first, before political independence, are putting the cart before the horse. On the contrary, political independence is the first essential step forward, in order that a government may be established, representative of the people and not subservient to the exploiting monopolist interest. Only then does the possibility exist to utilize the resources of the country for independent social and economic development, instead of for tribute to absentee shareholders."
There were some people in Belize who felt threatened by any changes from the colonial system. These were the "loyalists". They comprised mostly those who benefitted from the colonial system - traders, civil servants, and some professionals. They were the "middle class" who felt their opposition to the nationalist movement was their patriotic duty.
The PUP, with the strong support of the people, won universal adult suffrage in 1954. In elections held that year it won eight of the nine elected seats and 67 per cent of the vote. In the following years, Belizeans went on to win increased participation through new constitutions. In 1964, ten years after adult suffrage, Belizeans gained self-government.
The Political Struggle
It was a long struggle of political and civil action that enabled the people to make gains in the 1950's. There was a lot of hard work involved in organizing the movement for decolonization. At times the struggle became violent. In 1950, a crowd stoned the homes of politicians regarded as pro- Britishers, and knocked out the police guard at the Governor's residence. The government declared a state of emergency that lasted 137 days. Violent incidents also occurred during a national strike in 1952.
Generally, the threat of violence and the reality of thousands of people voicing their demands was enough to cause the authorities concern. They were forced to make concessions.
The colonial administrators created a new party financed by the B.E.C. They used force by declaring a state of emergency, passing laws, prosecuting and jailing leaders. They gave in to small reforms. They appealed to people's loyalty to the King and the British Empire. But none of these tactics worked.
The struggle of the workers led by Soberanis played an important part in the birth of the nationalist movement in Belize. People began to question what colonialism had done for Belize. They began to wonder why a country with so many resources, with such wealthy landowners and merchants, had so many poor people. The poor economic and social conditions in the 1950's also helped them begin to think about self-government and independence.
Economic and Social Conditions
During the 1930's and 1940's the economy was still based on forestry, but this industry was declining continuously. During World War II (1939-1945) the industry had revived for a while. Unemployment had also been eased because thousands of workers emigrated to Britain for forestry jobs, to Panama to work in building the Canal and to the southern United Stated to work in agricultural estates. But after the war they came home to unemployment and poverty.
A local legislator stated in 1949 that "the privations suffered during the Depression were but bagatelles compared to the sufferings the people are undergoing now." He warned that people might be forced by their misery and hunger to resort to crime and rioting.
The working class suffered from unemployment, low wages, bad housing, severe malnutrition, and poor health care. In early 1950, a British reporter complained that "the Colony has always been run exclusively for what could be got out of it . . . of the 35,000 employable from a total population of 60,000, 8,000 or nearly a quarter are without work or working part-time, earning less than twelve shillings per week. Belize City, with its 22,000 people, is about the most shockingly depressed spot in the whole British/West Indies - perhaps in the Commonwealth. Hunger, poverty, the filthy conditions under which the people live are incredible."
The devaluation of the Belize dollar, on December 31, 1949, resulted in the immediate worsening of the workers' situation.
Campaign Against Colonialism
The People's Committee formed the very night the Belize dollar was devalued. What started as a protest against devaluation became a general assault against the entire colonial system. On September 29, 1950 the People's Committee became the People's United Party (PUP). Its objective was "to gain for the people of this country political independence and economic independence." After a split in 1951, the main leaders of the party were Leigh Richardson, George Price and Philip Goldson.
One of the first political tasks set by these leaders was to create a national unity out of the divisions created by colonialism. They travelled throughout the country calling on the people to unite and fight for their rights and for a say in running their country. They educated the people about the problems of colonialism. They explained how poverty and misery were caused by the system of exploitation, and the special role the B.E.C. played in this process.
These young leaders were not only concerned with raising the living standards of the people, but they were also determined to make a complete break with the colonial past. In a memorial to the King from the People's Committee in February 1950, they declared that the social evils under which Belizeans were suffering "are caused by colonial exploitation that takes abroad the wealth of the country and leaves it impoverished and destitute. There is in us a growing and determined aspiration to eventual self-government."
Alliance with Workers
From the time of the People's Committee, a strong alliance was formed with the working class movement. The working class was represented by the General Workers Union (GWU). By 1951, the leaders of the PUP and the GWU were almost the same.
In October 1952 they called a national strike to protest against the economic conditions which had steadily worsened since devaluation. Even occasional rises in wages made little difference because prices kept increasing. The B.E.C. was a major target of the strike, but government workers went on strike too, as well as workers of the United Fruit Company and several other companies. The strike was called off after ten days when the government and the other companies - except the B.E.C. - agreed to negotiate with the union for better wages and working conditions.
The B.E.C. held out for 49 days and stopped the strike by using scab labour protected by police. In spite of this, the leaders felt that the strike was a success. It had shown that working class solidarity gave the workers power and won them benefits. This established the PUP in the public mind as a party for working people. The membership in the GWU increased quickly to over 8,000.
The Constitutional Struggle
Although the PUP emphasized change in the economic conditions, their main effort was to challenge the colonial political system. They demanded political power for the people, and this required constitutional change. First the people had to be given the right to vote.
In the fight for universal adult suffrage, the right for all adults to vote, the nationalist leaders tried to change people's attitudes. Many people, especially those from the middle class, argued that the colony was too underdeveloped, its people too backward and illiterate, to have the right to vote. Instead they suggested three options: a literacy test; a system of indirect voting by the districts outside of Belize City; and reserve powers for the governor.
In a report on constitutional change published in 1951, the middle class praised what they called the tradition of "British Institutions, British laws, and those high principles of fair play, freedom and justice which are characteristic of the Anglo-Saxon." They argued that the colonial system had created a fair administration, under which every resident could "retain for his own use the fruit of his labours." Most workers, however, did not agree.
The PUP attacked the recommendations made in the report. The argument that the country must be developed before colonialism could be abolished ignored the important fact that colonialism was the cause of underdevelopment. In order for the country to develop, its people had to be free. Leigh Richardson explained in 1952:
"But those who argue that social, economic and educational development must take place first, before political independence, are putting the cart before the horse. On the contrary, political independence is the first essential step forward, in order that a government may be established, representative of the people and not subservient to the exploiting monopolist interest. Only then does the possibility exist to utilize the resources of the country for independent social and economic development, instead of for tribute to absentee shareholders."
There were some people in Belize who felt threatened by any changes from the colonial system. These were the "loyalists". They comprised mostly those who benefitted from the colonial system - traders, civil servants, and some professionals. They were the "middle class" who felt their opposition to the nationalist movement was their patriotic duty.
The PUP, with the strong support of the people, won universal adult suffrage in 1954. In elections held that year it won eight of the nine elected seats and 67 per cent of the vote. In the following years, Belizeans went on to win increased participation through new constitutions. In 1964, ten years after adult suffrage, Belizeans gained self-government.
The Political Struggle
It was a long struggle of political and civil action that enabled the people to make gains in the 1950's. There was a lot of hard work involved in organizing the movement for decolonization. At times the struggle became violent. In 1950, a crowd stoned the homes of politicians regarded as pro- Britishers, and knocked out the police guard at the Governor's residence. The government declared a state of emergency that lasted 137 days. Violent incidents also occurred during a national strike in 1952.
Generally, the threat of violence and the reality of thousands of people voicing their demands was enough to cause the authorities concern. They were forced to make concessions.
The colonial administrators created a new party financed by the B.E.C. They used force by declaring a state of emergency, passing laws, prosecuting and jailing leaders. They gave in to small reforms. They appealed to people's loyalty to the King and the British Empire. But none of these tactics worked.
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