Afro-Caribbean leftism refers toleft-wing political currents that have developed among variousAfrican-Caribbean communities in theCaribbean, theUnited States of America,France,Great Britain, or anywhere else they have chosen to settle.
During the early nineteenth century, theJamaican-born activistsWilliam Davidson andRobert Wedderburn were drawn to the politics ofThomas Spence.
Many Afro-Caribbean soldiers who served in theBritish West Indies Regiment (BWIR) became left-wing activists after the war during theinterwar era. While serving inEuropean andMiddle Eastern fronts of theFirst World War, experiences of discrimination fromwhite servicemen inspired a resurgence inanti-colonial nationalism among theBritish West Indian islands.[1] The9th Battalion of the BWIR initiated theTaranto Revolt, amutiny against poor working conditions and a wage increase awarded to white but not black servicemen by theWar Office. In response, theWorcestershire Regiment was dispatched toTaranto to suppress the mutiny; sixty BWIR servicemen were tried for mutiny, with one serviceman being sentenced todeath by firing squad. Between 50 and 60 BWIR sergeants met on 17 December, 1918 to form the left-wingCaribbean League, which held four meetings in the following weeks. Aside from discussing various grievances held by the servicemen, the Caribbean League also discussedCaribbean nationalism and plans for a West Indian independence movement. Members of the League made plans to establish an office inKingston, Jamaica, and organise strikes. After the colonial government started to crack down on the League, it disbanded. In February 1919, Army Order No. 1 was issued, extending the wage increase to the BWIR.[2]
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