History SBA Conditions Leading Up To The 1937 Riots
Conditions Leading up to the 1937 Riots
There were many different factors which influenced the conditions in not only Barbados but across the British Caribbean which eventually led to uprisings in the various territories but namely Barbados. These factors can be broken down into 3 categories of Economic, Social and Political.
Economic Factors
Leading up to the riots Barbados’ economy was in a dreadful state due to many different factors, both internal and external. One of the more substantial external factors was The Great Depression of the 1930’s which originated in the United States of America but affected all the countries of the world. On October 29, 1929 the American stock market crashed and officially started The Great Depression. This had a kind of domino effect across the world. Firstly, the collapse of the stock market caused a significant drop in the value of stock which caused many businesses to go bankrupt since no one would buy the stock. Since banks had invested most of their clients’ money in the stock market, when it crashed many banks were forced to close. This threw the masses into a frenzy in which those lucky enough to reach their bank before it closed withdrew all their money. This massive cash withdrawal from the banks caused the banks to close. Those who didn’t make it in time went bankrupt. The next place affected by the economic turmoil was the working sector. In an attempt to make up for the lost capital as a result of the stock market crash businesses started to cut wages, which were already low to begin with. Even with these new wage cuts some businesses still ended up having to close and layoff their workers. Unemployment saw a surge due to this and also made existing conditions such as malnutrition. Overall The Great Depression set the scene for the black populous of Barbados who was ready to do whatever it took to improve their situation.
World War I was another significant external factor which impacted the state of Barbados’
There were many different factors which influenced the conditions in not only Barbados but across the British Caribbean which eventually led to uprisings in the various territories but namely Barbados. These factors can be broken down into 3 categories of Economic, Social and Political.
Economic Factors
Leading up to the riots Barbados’ economy was in a dreadful state due to many different factors, both internal and external. One of the more substantial external factors was The Great Depression of the 1930’s which originated in the United States of America but affected all the countries of the world. On October 29, 1929 the American stock market crashed and officially started The Great Depression. This had a kind of domino effect across the world. Firstly, the collapse of the stock market caused a significant drop in the value of stock which caused many businesses to go bankrupt since no one would buy the stock. Since banks had invested most of their clients’ money in the stock market, when it crashed many banks were forced to close. This threw the masses into a frenzy in which those lucky enough to reach their bank before it closed withdrew all their money. This massive cash withdrawal from the banks caused the banks to close. Those who didn’t make it in time went bankrupt. The next place affected by the economic turmoil was the working sector. In an attempt to make up for the lost capital as a result of the stock market crash businesses started to cut wages, which were already low to begin with. Even with these new wage cuts some businesses still ended up having to close and layoff their workers. Unemployment saw a surge due to this and also made existing conditions such as malnutrition. Overall The Great Depression set the scene for the black populous of Barbados who was ready to do whatever it took to improve their situation.
World War I was another significant external factor which impacted the state of Barbados’