West Indies Federation

The West Indies Federation was a short-lived federation of British Caribbean territories that existed from 1958 to 1962. It aimed to create a political union capable of eventual independence.

Federal Government of the West Indies: The central government established to govern matters assigned to the West Indies Federation. It held limited authority alongside the governments of the member territories.
British West Indies: The British-controlled Caribbean territories that formed a shifting colonial region over several centuries. The federation brought together a subset of these territories under a new political structure.
Grantley Herbert Adams: A Barbadian politician who served as the West Indies Federation’s first and only prime minister. He led the federal government through its brief existence.
1961 Jamaican federation referendum: A referendum in which Jamaican voters chose to leave the West Indies Federation. The vote converted growing Jamaican opposition into a formal exit.
Caribbean Free Trade Association: A regional trade organization established in 1968 to reduce trade barriers among Caribbean countries. Unlike the federation, it coordinated trade without creating a central political government.
West Indies Federal Parliament: The legislature of the West Indies Federation, composed of a Senate and a House of Representatives. Its structure embodied the federation’s attempt to represent territories at a shared level.
British Caribbean Federation proposals: Proposals, developed from the nineteenth century onward, for political federation among British Caribbean colonies. Earlier plans supplied precedents and arguments for the 1950s union.
Eric Williams: A Trinidadian historian and politician who became Trinidad and Tobago’s first prime minister. His government’s withdrawal of Trinidad and Tobago dealt the federation a decisive blow.
Dissolution of the West Indies Federation: The termination of the West Indies Federation in 1962 after member territories withdrew or failed to sustain it. The federation ended when its largest members would not remain in the union.
Caribbean Community: A regional organization founded in 1973 to promote economic integration and cooperation among Caribbean states. Its member governments cooperated regionally while retaining national sovereignty.

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