HISTORY
Prior to the discovery of
Martinique by Columbus in 1493, the area was inhabited by Arawak
and Carib Indians. There was no real European interest in the
island until French colonies were established in 1635. Though
the British made brief attempts to occupy the island during the
18th and 19th centuries, it has remained under French control
ever since (along with Guadeloupe). Slavery was abolished in 1848
and, in the late 19th century, tens of thousands of immigrant
workers arrived from India to replace the slave workforce on the
plantations. In 1946, both islands of the French Antilles were
given the status of Overseas Departments.
There was little political
movement until 1974 when Martinique, along with Guadeloupe and
French Guiana, was given regional status entailing some local
political and economic autonomy. This was increased in 1982 and
1983 following a package of decentralisation policies introduced
by French President Mitterand. Most affairs, with the major exceptions
of defence and security, are now broadly under local control.
The thrust of French government policy in the region is now to
bolster links between its remaining possessions, Martinique and
Guadeloupe, and other Francophone Caribbean nations.
Four
parties dominate the political scene in Martinique: the Gaullist
RPR-UDF (allied to the French party of the same name), the Parti
Communiste Martiniquais and two island-based nationalist parties,
the Parti Progressiste Martiniquais (PPM) and the Mouvement Indépendantiste
Martiniquais (MIM, which now operates under the moniker Patriotes
Martiniquais). Martinique is generally, but not always, somewhat
to the left of the French mainstream. The PPM controls the Conseil
Générale (elected into office in 2000), while the
RPR is the majority party in the Conseil Regional (1998). ]
