 COLONIZATION
TO REVOLT |
|
1536 |
Portuguese
explorer Pedro a Campos visits the island. |
|
1627 |
Captain
Henry Powell lands a party of English settlers who establish
a colony, which they then develop as a sugar plantation
economy using slaves brought in from Africa. |
|
1639 |
Barbados'
first parliament, the House of Assembly, holds its first
meeting. |
|
1663 |
Barbados
is made into a British crown possession. |
|
1816 |
Slaves
stage a revolt. |
|
1834 |
Slavery
abolished. |
|
1876 |
British
proposal for a confederation of Barbados and the Windward
Islands triggers bloody riots in Barbados. |
| POLITICAL
PARTIES FORMED |
|
1937 |
Outbreak
of riots in response to poor economic conditions; British
Royal Commission sent in to investigate conditions; Barbados
Labour Party (BLP) founded by Grantley Adams. |
|
1951 |
Universal
adult suffrage introduced; BLP wins general elections. |
|
1954 |
Ministerial
government set up with Grantley Adams as premier. |
|
1955 |
Democratic
Labour Party (DLP) formed out of a splinter of the BLP. |
|
1958-1962 |
Barbados
a member of the British-sponsored Federation of the West
Indies, of which Grantley Adams became the first prime
minister. |
|
1961 |
Barbados
granted full internal self-government with DLP leader
Errol Barrow as premier. |
| INDEPENDENCE |
|
1966 |
Barbados
becomes independent with Barrow as first prime minister. |
|
1967 |
Barbados
joins the United Nations. |
|
1972 |
Barbados
establishes relations with Cuba. |
|
1976 |
BLP,
led by Tom Adams, the son of Grantley Adams, returns to
power (in their first win in a general elections since
1961). |
|
1983 |
Barbados
supports and provides a base for the US invasion of Grenada.
|
|
1985 |
Adams
dies and is replaced by Bernard St John (BLP) as prime
minister. |
|
1986 |
Errol
Barrow becomes prime minister after his DLP wins the general
elections. |
|
1987 |
Erskine
Lloyd Sandiford (DLP) becomes prime minister following
the death of Barrow. |
|
1994 |
Owen
Arthur becomes prime minister after his BLP wins a decisive
victory in the general elections, securing 19 of the 28
seats in the House of Assembly, the lower chamber of parliament. |
|
1999 |
BLP
wins a landslide in the general elections, capturing 26
of the 28 seats in the House of Assembly. |
|
2002 |
Barbados
is removed from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD) list of countries deemed to be
uncooperative tax havens. The country was put on the list
in 2000. |
|
2003 |
Barbados Labour Party wins third consective election with 23 of 30 seats; Owen Arthur returned for third term. DLP wins other 7 seats. |
| 2004 |
Sea border disagreement with Trinidad and Tobago flares after arrest of Barbadian fishermen. Barbados takes border case to UN-backed tribunal. |
| 2008 |
Country's only prison is badly damaged and subsequently evacuated following fires and an uprising among inmates. |
| 2008 |
Parliamentary elections on January 15 won by opposition Democratic Labour Party. David Thompson becomes prime minister. |
| 2010 |
Prime Minister Thompson dies in office on 23 October 2010. Freundel Stuart becomes premier. |
