St. Kitts and Nevis is an independent nation in North America. With the capital city of Basseterre, St.Kitts and Nevis 2020 population is estimated at 52,441 according to countryaah. Saint Kitts and Nevi’s first residents belonged to the indigenous people of the Caribbean (formerly called Caribbean Indians). European explorer Christofer Columbus reached the islands in 1493. There are divided opinions whether he named the main island after himself or his patron saint Saint Kristoffer.
The islands were not colonized until a small group of Englishmen arrived in the main island in 1623 and there established the first English colony in the Caribbean. Already the following year, the French established a community on the island. The indigenous population was wiped out by a massacre in 1626.
AbbreviationFinder.org: Comprehensive guide to and popular abbreviations of St. Kitts and Nevis, covering history, economy, and social conditions.
In 1628, the smaller island of Nevis was occupied by the English. Cotton and sugar plantations were built on the islands. The labor force was sourced from Africa. Nevi’s sugar production flourished and produced big profits. For St. Kitts political system, please check diseaseslearning.
During the remainder of the 17th century, France, Spain and England fought for control of Saint Kitts and Nevis. Despite officially becoming a British colony in 1713, the struggle for power over the territory continued until the end of the 18th century. A treaty was established in 1783 by the British, and in 1816 the island of Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands joined the colony. From 1871 Saint Kitts and Nevis were members of the Leewards Islands Federation.
Workers on the plantations lived in difficult conditions and poverty was widespread, paving the way for a radical political movement. In 1935, dissatisfied sugar plantation workers staged a strike that ended in confrontation with the police and the deaths of several strikers.
A few years earlier, the colony had received its first political party, the Labor Party, which among other things drove the demand for independence. The Labor Party and its leader Robert Bradshaw came to dominate Saint Kitts and Nevis politics for nearly 50 years. Bradshaw built his political base among the plantation workers on the main island of Saint Kitts. He succeeded in improving the conditions of the sugar workers in the form of higher wages, education and social benefits. In the cities and the smaller islands, Bradshaw did not enjoy the same support.
