Expansive and ambitious yet comprehensive and coherent, From Slavery to Services: The Struggle for Economic Independence in the Caribbean is a tour de force, offering a broad sweep of the economic history of the modern Caribbean.


Building on the earlier Economic History of the Caribbean since the Napoleonic Wars (2012) with its pan-Caribbean focus, Victor Bulmer-Thomas examines the Caribbean region on a country-by-country basis. Divided into four parts covering the language territories of the region, Bulmer-Thomas deftly analyses the economic history of the countries of the Caribbean, highlighting their range and diversity as well as their commonalities and similarities all within the context of global economic history.


Spanning more than two centuries from the 1800s to the present day, this book is unmatched in its scope of the breadth of Caribbean economic history whilst remaining accessible for undergraduate and graduate students of history and economics as well as those with a general interest.


With documented historical data, illustrations, and charts, From Slavery to Services is an invaluable and indispensable introduction to the economic history of the Caribbean.