Suriname, unlike many other Caribbean islands is actually connected to South America. Suriname is the very smallest of all sovereign states in South America but does this mean it's any less important? It featured at an important stage in Candide, a very famous novel by French writer Voltaire. So, apart from its fictional past, what else does Suriname history reveal?
Suriname History: Early Inhabitants
Suriname was inhabited by the Arawak tribe which was a tribe of peaceful people. Their main activities were those of a religious nature and fishing, hunting and other general survival tasks. Things began to change when the Caribs moved in; the Caribs were a very aggressive tribe and were expanding across much of the Caribbean at that time. They were nearly unstoppable and the Caribbean is named in their honor.
The 16th century was one of exploration as far as the European nations were concerned and the race was to colonize as many new territories as possible. Suriname was spotted by the English, French and Spanish and was later settled in by the Dutch and English. They planted plantations in the country and weren't the happiest of neighbors. To this effect the English were driven out of the island and were left with a small part of land known as New York City after signing the country over to the Dutch in a treaty.
Slavery in Suriname
To work the plantations, the Dutch brought in many African slaves in order to return a decent profit from the country. It was clear the slaves wanted to leave a very different mark on Suriname history when they formed their own tribes. This was one of the more successful attempts to break away from plantation owners. These tribes often attacked plantations which allowed them to recruit other slaves and get more weapons. They were so dangerous that the Dutch signed over sovereign status and trade rights.
Slavery in Suriname was abolished by the Netherlands, but not until 1863. This was 30 years after it was abolished in Britain and the slaves had to endure a ten year period of working for free on the plantations. They were, at least, spared much of the torture that was formerly legal. Upon freedom, many slaves left the plantations and moved into the city in search of a better life. The Dutch had to bring in laborers from other parts of their empire to keep the plantations running.
Suriname history was clearly cut out to break away and become independent. In 1954, the Netherlands granted the ability to self govern to Suriname, although it maintained control over its international affairs. 1973 saw the start of a process which was to lead to full independence in 1975. Many people were worried by this and feared it would not be a worthwhile move for the country. Up to one third of the population are estimated to have fled the country in favor of living in the Netherlands.
In 1980, a military coup overthrew the government and this marked a difficult time Suriname history. It was turned into a socialist republic and fared very badly in many senses as a result, particularly in terms of its economy. All aid from the Netherlands was suspended following this and eventually resulted in the murder of several citizens. A new constitution is now in place and the country has somewhat stabilized.
Suriname history is thus as interesting and diverse as the book in which it appeared - Candide. It's rich and colorful history brings much hope for the future with a new constitution and much more economic stability.