Caribbean Patterns: A Political and Economic Study of the Contemporary Caribbean

The Caribbean of our day presents solutions to colonialism unique in their diversity. In no other small area of the world have more experiments been made. Successful or otherwise, they have linked local experience and knowledge of partial self-government (sometimes stretching back over three centuries) to the ideas of the former colonial powers which included some of the worlds most politically advanced nations. Caribbean Patterns covers Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, French and Netherlands islands. The three Guiana's, British Honduras and the Bahamas have been included since their links with the Caribbean are so strong. The different attitudes of Europe, Canada, the United States and Latin America to the Caribbean are examined. Agriculture, economic development, population and education are considered, as is nationalism which has manifested itself so strongly in recent years. Notwithstanding the medley of races, languages, religions, legal and monetary systems in the Caribbean, patterns of similarity clearly emerge. The preparation of Caribbean Patterns commenced at Stanford University, has taken the author to almost all of the countries examined, including the Cuba of both Batista and Castro; the Haiti of Duvalier, the Dominican Republic of Trujillo and the Guyana of Jagan. His interpretation has been aided by numerous meetings and conversations with Caribbean leaders. Caribbean Patterns views the area as a whole. The different countries are compared and contrasted from the angle of to-day, although each territory also receives a brief historical introduction. The text is illustrated with 81 photographs; one large and four smaller maps in colour are included. A very extensive bibliography and subject index add to the usefulness of the book, which is fully documented. -taken from the inside flap of the 1967 edition.