396 p., Foreign interests have dominated the economic development of the Caribbean since the first arrival of Europeans in the region five centuries ago. From the plantation system and slavery to the exploitation of oil and bauxite by the multinational corporations, the history of the Caribbean people is one of dependency and impoverishment. For the great majority, past and present--slaves, indentured laborers, peasants and workers, the unemployed--the region's subjection to external control has meant systematic hardship and social injustice. in this survey of economic development in the Caribbean, Clive Thomas traces the history of colonialism and neocolonialism from the perspective of this majority.
