industrial development in the 20th century

• By the early 20th century, agriculture was not providing enough money or jobs for the growing population in the Caribbean
• Land was limited and it could only produce so many crops which could only be sold for so much money
• As a result, people started thinking about developing the manufacturing, oil and mining industries in the region
• The exploitation of natural resources in British Guiana, Jamaica and Trinidad was the basis upon which industrialization was embarked on in the 1940's
• Apart from minerals, there were a few other industries


  • ice
  • bread
  • cakes
  • matches
  • coals
  • a few types of clothing
  • sugar
  • rum
• Barriers to industrialization


  • Limited capital
  • Lack of fuel
  • Limited knowledge of industry
  • Few workers with technical skills
  • Few entrepreneurs
• Countries in the region had to depend on foreign investors to provide money to start these industries
• Before investors would decide to spend their money on building these industries Caribbean countries had to promise the investors certain incentives such as tax breaks, protection from foreign competition and the promise that they would not have to pay taxes on raw materials and equipment
• In the 1890s, the first tourists had to be satisfied with the few inns available in the islands
• By the 1920s, a few hotels had been built
• The colonial government also gave tax incentives to hotel builders
• The Caribbean governments after the 1960s began to advertise their countries as tourist destinations
• There were some problems in the beginning of the development of the tourist industry in the Caribbean as the tourists were seen as the new colonial masters and blacks working in the tourist industry sometimes experienced prejudice as tourists were mostly white
• In 1972 about 5 million people travelled to the Caribbean
• By 1985, the figure increased to 8 million
• The importance of tourism varies from island to island
• The entire region accounts for only 2.5% of the world tourist trade
• The islands


  • They are famous for their scenic beauty, warm climate and white sandy beaches as well as the warmth of the people
  • The historical diversity of the islands offers a wide variety of French, English and Spanish cultures which have been blended in with African and Indian traditions
• The proximity of the Caribbean to the United States has been favourable for the islands' tourist industry since many visitor come from the US
• Many airlines offer vacation packages which enable visitors to stop over at several islands at reasonable rates
• Cruise shipping has become so important that in the late 1980's the government of Trinidad invested several million dollars in building a cruise ship complex to facilitate tourists who vacation via cruises
• The growth and development of transportation saw larger ships that could carry more passengers
• Only in Jamaica (mining), Barbados, Puerto Rico (manufacturing) and Trinidad (petroleum production and refining) have the mining and manufacturing sectors managed to outstrip growth in the agricultural sector
• In most territories, mining centers on the quarrying of local stone and sands for construction
• Manufacturing comprises processing of local agricultural products and down line assembling of products at their final stage
• Screwdriver industries


  Industries based on automobiles, radios, televisions, aluminium, steel, rubber, and plastics. They were called screwdriver industries because in these factories, the workers only put together parts to make the finished product
• Bauxite


  A clay-like ore aluminium which consists mainly of hydrated aluminium oxide but includes other substances as well
• Bauxite is found primarily in tropical areas where water has dissolved the soluble minerals from the soils, leaving a residue of insoluble aluminium oxide and iron
• Bauxite is refined into an intermediate product called alumina which in turn is smelted into aluminium
• Bauxite was first found in Guyana in 1910. In 1916, the first bauxite company was set up. called the Demerara Bauxite Company. In 1917, bauxite was exported from Guyana for the first time and soon after another company called the Suriname Bauxite Company was set up
• The depression of 1929 in the U.S. however caused a slump in the Bauxite Industry in Guyana
• Bauxite was first found in Jamaica in 1869 and first mined in 1890
• There was a huge demand after 1939 because of World War II because bauxite was used to make weapons and vehicles
• Jamaica ranks as the world's third largest exporter of bauxite behind Australia and Guinea
• The growth in world demand for oil helped grow the oil industry due to major developments in motor vehicle, aircraft and ship technology by World War II (1939- 1945) which caused an increase in the need for oil products
• Trinidad and Tobago's oil production and export levels raised higher year after year, in fact, Trinidad supplied the British and Allied Forces with much of the fuel needed for WWII
• By the 1960s, the island was supplying over 20 million barrels of oil each year
• This pushed oil exports to the position of number 1 revenue earner for Trinidad and Tobago
• Interested people both in Trinidad and abroad saw the vast potential of the oil industry
• The government was also very interested and involved in the industry