9+a.+The+Sugar+Revolution


 * __The Sugar Revolution__**

Revolution means change. There was an economic revolution that occurred in the 17th Century. Some refer to it as the Sugar Revolution.During this period, several basic changed took place.

(1) Sugar replaced tobacco as the chief export crop in the Caribbean

(2) The population changed from one that was mainly white to one that was mainly black because of the introduction of African slaves.

(3) The size of land holdings changed.

n.b. The Sugar Revolution occurred the fastest in Barbados where it occurred in about one decade (1640 to 1650). It happened at a slower pace in other islands. Some other small islands had fast rates of change such as Nevis, Antigua, St Kitts and Montserrat.

Although the Sugar Revolution took place at different times for different countries, the approximate period when it began was between the mid 1600's and the end of the 1600's.

__**CAUSES OF THE SUGAR REVOLUTION**__

(1) There was a fall in tobacco prices. Tobacco was previously the main cash crop of the Indies because of sales to Europe. However in the early 160"s, new competitors emerged selling tobacco mainly from Virginia and Venezuela. Because of this new competition, there was less demand for tobacco, prices fell and many small farmers went out of production.

(2) There was a rise in demand for sugar. Sugar was already being used for sweets and baked goods, but it was demanded even more as a sweetener for coffee and tea which were becoming popular in Europe.

(3) At the same time that tobacco was declining and sugar demand was increasing, the Dutch who were losing a war against the Portuguese for possession of Brazil, ran away to the eastern Caribbean islands and brought with them their expertise in large scale sugar production.

__**SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL CHANGES ACCOMPANYING THE COMING OF THE SUGAR REVOLUTION**__

__**S**OCIAL CHANGES:__

(1) The introduction of a great number of African slaves changed the population structure in the islands because there were then more blacks than whites. This also caused the emergence of different social classes.

(2) Absenteeism was a new factor brought about by the sugar revolution. Absenteeism refers to the sugar planters (plantation owners) living away f from the plantations in Europe and hired an overseer to stay on the island and manage and take charge of the plantation. The plantation owner would meanwhile live a comfortable life in Europe where they prefered to stay so they could maintain their lifestyle and enjoy a climate that was more comfortable to them.

__ECONOMIC CHANGES__

(1) The emergence of the large plantation and an almost complete dependence on sugar and the adoption ofrestrictive navigation laws by the European mother countries.

(2) The sugar revolution led to a change from //agricultural diversification// (planting of a variety of crops for sale) to //monoculture// ( a one crop economy).

__POLITICAL CHANGES__

There was more direct control by the European mother countries of the respective colonies and this led to international rivalry and war.