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'Maurice Rupert Bishop' (May 29, 1944 – October 19, 1983) was a Grenadian politician and revolutionary.

Contents

Background

Bishop's Coup d'état

Arrest and execution

US Invasion

Bishop's Family

See also

External links

Background

Bishop was the son of Rupert and Alimenta Bishop. He was educated at the London School of Economics and had an extensive background in studies of the black power movement. Returning to Grenada, he became active in politics. In 1973 he became head of the Marxist New Jewel Movement political party. He was elected to parliament, and for several years he held the position of leader of the opposition in the Grenadian House of Representatives, opposing the government of Prime Minister Eric Gairy and his United Labour Party.

Bishop's Coup d'état

In 1979 Bishop's party staged a revolutionary coup and deposed Gairy, who was out of the country addressing the United Nations at the time. Bishop subsequently declared himself Prime Minister of Grenada. Bishop's coup was popular, applauded by many within Grenada and abroad. Gairy's rule had faced increasing charges of corruption and authoritarianism, so expectations were high for the new "People's Revolutionary Government" (PRG).
One of Bishop's first acts as chief of state was to send a delegation to the United States to obtain financing for the reconstruction of the national airport. The New Jewel Movement's plan was to lengthen the runway to accommodate large passenger planes from the United States and Europe and thereby increase tourism, a main souce of foreign exchange. The delegation visited Wall Street, then other banking centers, then Canada; it was slowly, obliquely rejected in all its travels through North American capital markets. As months went by, Bishop realized that modernization in many realms needed to be implemented swiftly. In addition to its crumbling airport, the entire nation had not one modern fishing boat. With its evident failure to obtain financing for straightforward commercial development, the young government accepted funding whence it was offered, primarily Cuba. A complex discussion still unsolved turns on the argument that, had capitalism not roughly abandoned Grenada, the New Jewel Movement would have continued on a trajectory similar to modern European social-welfare programs. In the event, Washington accused Grenada of lengthening its airport runway for the benefit of Soviet fighters, which were in fact stymied by their inablity to land anywhere in the region when Cuba's airports were socked in by weather. Accusations and countercharges amplified into acrimonious exchanges.
Shortly after taking power, Bishop dissolved the parliament, and no new elections were held during his rule. In its place, the PRG sought to pursue certain grassroots democracy initiatives and workers' councils. The structure began with small groups of persons from a hamlet - a zonal council - who held weekly meetings to identify local needs and then sent an elected representative to the next council up, a collection of hamlet representatives. By steps, the structure reached the top of government, where information and instructions from the entire populace waere presented to Ministers and the chief of state. Governance itself was concentrated in the hands of the Politburo and the New Jewel party hierarchy. The intent was to transform Grenada into a socialist state in the mold of other Eastern bloc nations. To this effect Bishop sought ever closer relationships with Cuba, the Soviet Union and other Eastern bloc nations.
However, many members of the PRG and the party were divided as to how to best conduct reforms, with one faction proposing radical Marxist reforms while others, including Bishop himself, favoring a more moderate path. Collective farms were introduced, as were the nationalization of various sectors of industry, but growth remained stagnant.
A People's Revolutionary Army (PRA) was also formed during his administration. Critics accused the army as being a waste of money and resources, and there were many complaints that the PRA was used as a tool to commit human rights abuses, such as torture and detention of political dissidents without trial.

Arrest and execution

Internal political infighting grew and the military, which supported Deputy Prime Minister Bernard Coard, placed Bishop under house arrest during the first week of October 1983. On October 19 protesters freed Bishop from his house arrest at the official prime minister's residence. The release, however, was brief. Later that day Bishop and a number of his supporters and ministers were captured and executed at Fort Rupert.

US Invasion

Six days later, on October 25th, under the assertion that US citizens on the island were in danger, the US invaded the island under "Operation Urgent Fury," and deposed Coard. The US also claimed that an airport under construction included an airstrip which could be used to launch attacks against the US (Bishop had planned to build a large international airport on Grenada with Cuban assistance). The airport was eventually completed with US assistance several years later and is now Grenada's main international airport, named simply Point Salines International Airport.

Bishop's Family

Maurice Bishop married Angela Redhead in 1966. They had two children John and Nadia. Angela Redhead Bishop emigrated to Canada with her children John and Nadia in 1981 while Bishop was still prime minister. He also fathered a son, Vladimir, with his longtime mistress Jacqueline Creft, who was also a minister in the PRG. She was killed with Bishop at the confrontation in St. George’s. Like his parents, Vladimir was killed in violent circumstances in Canada while still a young man.

See also

★ History of Grenada

★ Invasion of Grenada

External links

★ The Grenada Revolution Online

★ Bishop's biography on The Grenada Revolution Online