Guyana: Politics in a Plantation Society Politics in Latin America

This volume examines the politics and government of Guyana from World War II to the present. Professor Singh ably describes the downfall of a nation which, when it became independent in 1966, had good prospects, ample resources, and a relatively educated population. He examines how a liberal democracy succumbed to authoritarian tendencies, resulting in a defacto one-party state.

Next, the author demonstrates how economic development became a casualty of over-centralilzed political and economic decision making. He argues that the persistence of underdevelopment in ex-colonies such as Guyana is traceable to domestic causes.