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Guyana History
An indigenous tribe known as Warrau had control over Guyana long before the European settlers came. |
In the early half of the 17th century, the Dutch established a colony along the Essequibo River, and then even the English and French established colonies. Then the Treaty of Breda was signed in 1667, and this effectively gave the Dutch control of all the colonies established by the English.However, the control of Guyana kept changing hands right until the early part of the 19th century. Then in 1815, the Congress of Vienna handed over the colonies of Berbice, Demerara and Essequibo to Great Britain. In 1831, the colonies were united to form the British Guyana. In 1834, slavery was abolished from the country.
When gold was found in the region in 1879, the British were quick to expand their presence right until Orinoco Delta. This is what led to the Venezuela boundary dispute.
After World War II, the Guyanese were given right to some amount of self-governance. In 1953, elections were held and Cheddi Jagan of the PPP won the majority and formed the government. This was possible under the new constitution that was formed in 1952. However, the British saw the new government as being pro-communism and ended up suspending the constitution. The ruling party then split, and one of the top leaders Forbes Burnham formed the PNC.
Then in 1957, the British allowed self-governance again, and the PPP won the elections once more in 1957 and 1961. However, these terms of the PPP were marked with civil unrest and strikes.
The next elections were held in 1964, and the PNC managed to form a coalition with the help of another party, and Forbes Burnham became the prime minister. He was instrumental in negotiating independence in 1966. The two subsequent elections were won by the PNC, and Burnham stayed the prime minister of Guyana. However, the 1960s saw a lot of problems between the East Indians and the Africans. Finally, the fighting between the two groups reduced by the 1970s.
In 1970, Guyana gained independence, but its socialist policies had a very negative effect on the economy. In 1980, a new constitution was adopted by the country, and this led to Burnham becoming the president.
When Burnham died in 1985, Desmond Hoyte took over the reins, and he started many liberalization programs, and also invited foreign investors to invest in the country. In 1992, Hoyte lost the elections and Cheddi Jagan once more came to power. Under Jagan, the country started on the path of economic growth, especially in agricultural and mining industries.
When Jagan died in 1997, Samuel Hinds became the president and Janet Jagan, Cheddi Jagan's widow, became the prime minister. However, in August 1999, Janet Jagan resigned citing bad health, and Bharat Jagdeo became the prime minister.
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