Social unrest has shaped the development of Trinidad and Tobago since the middle of the 19th century. Attempts by the

British colonial The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

government to crack down on the celebration of

Carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...

sparked the

Canboulay Riots The Canboulay riots were a series of disturbances in the British colony of Trinidad and Tobago in 1881. The riots came about in response to efforts by the colonial police to restrict aspects of the island's annual Carnival festival. In Port of S ...

in 1881 and 1884. Attempts to control the celebration of Hosay by the Indian population culminated in the

Hosay Riots The Hosay massacre (also known as the Hosay riots or the Jahaji massacre) took place on 30 October 1884 in San Fernando, Trinidad when the British colonial authorities fired on participants in the annual Hosay procession (the local name for the S ...

in 1884. In the early 20th century, the Water riots culminated in the destruction of the Red House,https://web.archive.org/web/20050404170053/http://www.ttparliament.org/html/seatofpar.htm the seat of government, by a mob of protestors. In response to poor working conditions and inadequate pay, the

Labour riots of 1937 Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

shook Trinidad and led to the birth of the trade union movement. Labour problems again resulted in unrest in 1965. The rise of the Black Power movement late in the 1960s culminated in the 1970 Black Power Revolution which threatened the government of Prime Minister Eric Williams. In 1975 there was labour unrest when the major unions representing oil workers and sugar workers marched in San Fernando and were met by brutal police resistance. This became known as "Bloody Tuesday". Further unrest in the 1970s had little lasting impact. The economic downturn following the end of the

oil boom An oil boom is a period of large inflow of income as a result of high global oil prices or large oil production in an economy. Generally, this short period initially brings economic benefits, in terms of increased GDP growth, but might later lead ...

saw the People's National Movement losing power after 30 unbroken years in government. Austerity measures introduced by the new National Alliance for Reconstruction government led to a series of protests by labour and social groups. One of these groups, the Islamist Jamaat al Muslimeen staged an attempted coup d'état in July 1990.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Social Unrest In Trinidad And Tobago Politics of Trinidad and Tobago Riots and civil disorder in Trinidad and Tobago