Overview

"Patriots, Royalists, and Terrorists in the West Indies examines the complex revolutionary struggle in Martinique and Guadeloupe from 1789 to 1802. The arrival of tricolour cockades – badges showing support for the French Revolution – and news from Paris in 1789 undermined the royal governors’ authority, unleashed bitter conflict between white factions, and encouraged the aspirations of free people of colour to equality and black slaves to freedom. This book provides a detailed narrative of the shifting political developments, and analyses the roles of planter resentment of metropolitan control, social and racial tensions, and the ambiguity of revolutionary principles in a colonial setting. Recent scholarship has tended to over-emphasize the colonies’ agency, and to accentuate the conflict between masters and slaves, while downplaying metropolitan influences. In contrast, this study seeks to restore the importance of destabilizing political struggles between white factions. It argues that metropolitan news, ideas, language, and political culture – the ""revolutionary script"" from France – played a key role in shaping the revolution in the colonies."

Full Product Details

Author:   William Cormack ,  Keith Smith ,  Shelley Ross
Publisher:   University of Toronto Press
Imprint:   University of Toronto Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.90cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 23.50cm
Weight:   0.740kg
ISBN:  

9781487503956

ISBN 10:   1487503954
Pages:   400
Publication Date:   06 February 2019
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Temporarily unavailable  
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Table of Contents

List of Illustrations and Maps Acknowledgments Introduction 1. The Windward Islands on the Eve of Revolution 2. Rumours of Revolution: The Impact of 1789 in Martinique and Guadeloupe 3. Patriots versus Aristocrats: The Coming of Civil War, 1789-1790 4. The Nation, the Law, the King : The Liberal Revolution's Failure in the Windward Islands, 1791 5. Counter-Revolution: The Revolt of Martinique and Guadeloupe, 1792-1793 6. The Slave-Holding Republic in the Windward Islands, 1793-1794 7. Reign of Terror: Victor Hugues's Regime in Guadeloupe, 1794-1798 8. Return of the Old Regime: Martinique under British Occupation, 1794-1802 Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

Reviews

Cormack's book sheds important light on the revolutionary era in the Windward Islands and serves as a foundation for future studies examining the complicated, shifting alliances that transcended race, class, and even legal status during this tumultuous period. -- Rebecca Hartkopf Schloss * <em>New West Indian Guide</em> *

Author Information

William S. Cormack is an associate professor in the Department of History at the University of Guelph.

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