A People’s Uprising: The Grenada Revolution and its Origins Among the Public

In the midst of the Cold War, the small island country of Grenada, located in the Eastern‬ Caribbean, underwent a revolution that launched the nation into the middle of the global conflict.‬ On March 13, 1979, the country’s small yet prominent leftist political party, the New Jewel Movement‬‭, overthrew the Prime Minister, Eric Gairy, and captured control of the Grenadian government in a nearly bloodless day-long insurgency. Government forces largely outnumbered the New Jewel Movement’s small militia, and as a result, the participation and support of the public were crucial to the revolution’s success. To investigate the role of everyday Grenadians in the overthrow of their country’s government, this study is guided by two overarching questions: Why did Grenadians support and participate in the overthrow of their country’s government? And, how did the Grenadian public participate in the revolutionary deposition of Eric Gairy? Addressing the first question, this thesis argues that Grenadians supported and participated in the revolution due to Eric Gairy’s authoritarian leadership, Grenada’s collapsing economy, and growing civil unrest. Concerning the second question, it argues that everyday Grenadians offered various forms of assistance to the revolution, including both physical and nonphysical support.

Level thesis:degree_level

M.A.

Year dc:date.issued

2026

Author dc:creator

• Sheridan, Samuel

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Keller, Renata

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Curcio-Nagy, Linda
• Blume, Laura

• Bernard Coard
• Eric Gairy
• Grenada
• Grenada Revolution
• Maurice Bishop
• Revolution

Language dc:language.iso

en_US, English

Repository record dc:identifier.uri

https://scholarwolf.unr.edu/handle/11714/11825

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarwolf.unr.edu:11714/11825