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The early history ofSuriname dates from 3000 BCE whenNative Americans first inhabited the area. The Dutch acquired Suriname from the English, and European settlement in any numbers dates from the 17th century, when it was a plantation colony utilizing slavery for sugar cultivation. With abolition in the late 19th century, planters sought labor fromChina,Portugal (Madeira), theBritish Raj, and theDutch East Indies (Java), which was also colonized by the Dutch. Dutch is Suriname's official language. Owing to its diverse population, it has also developed acreole language,Sranan Tongo.[1]
Suriname was populated millennia before the Europeans by many distinct indigenous cultures. The largest nations at the time of colonialization were theArawaks, anomadic coastal tribe that lived fromhunting andfishing, and theCaribs. The Caribs conquered the Arawaks along much of the coast, and into the Caribbean, using sailing ships.[2][3] They settled in Galibi (Kupali Yumï, meaning "tree of the forefathers") on the mouth of theMarowijne river. While the Arawak and Carib lived off the coast andsavanna, smaller groups ofindigenous peoples lived in therainforest inland, such as theAkurio,Trió,Warrau, andWayana.
The first Europeans who came to Suriname were Spanish explorers and Dutch traders who visited the area along with other parts ofSouth America's 'Wild Coast.' In 1613, a Dutch trading post near the village "Parmurbo" was in existence on the Suriname River, while in the same year the Spanish took over another Dutch trading post on the Corantijn River.[4] The first significant attempt to settle the area by Europeans was in 1630, whenEnglish settlers led by Captain Marshall attempted to found a colony.[5] They cultivated crops oftobacco, but the venture failed financially.[6] In 1640, perhaps while the English were still at Marshall's Creek, the French built an outpost near the mouth of the Suriname River.[7]
In 1650,Lord Willoughby, the governor ofBarbados, furnished out a vessel to settle a colony in Suriname. At his own cost he equipped a ship of 20 guns, and two smaller vessels with things necessary for the support of the plantation.[8] MajorAnthony Rowse settled there in his name. Two years later, for the better settling of the colony, he went in person, fortified and furnished it with things requisite for defence and trade. The settlement consisted of around 30,000 acres (120 km2) and "Fort Willoughby" near the mouth of the Suriname River, expanded from the abandoned French outpost. In 1663 most of the work on the 50 or so plantations was done by native Indians and 3,000 African slaves.[9] There were around 1,000 whites there, joined by Brazilian Jews, attracted by religious freedom which was granted to all the settlers by the English.[citation needed]
The settlement was invaded by sevenDutch ships (from theZeeland region), led byAbraham Crijnssen, on February 26, 1667. Fort Willoughby was captured the next day after a three-hour fight[10] and renamedFort Zeelandia. On July 31, 1667, the English andDutch signed theTreaty of Breda, in which for the time being the status quo was respected: the Dutch could keep occupyingSuriname and the English the formerly Dutch colonyNew Amsterdam (modern-dayNew York). This arrangement was made official in theTreaty of Westminster of 1674, after the English had regained and again lost Suriname in 1667. In 1683 theSociety of Suriname was set up, modelled on the ideas ofJean-Baptiste Colbert to profit from the management and defence of theDutch Republic's colony. It had three participants, with equal shares in the society's responsibilities and profits—the city ofAmsterdam, the familyVan Aerssen van Sommelsdijck, and theDutch West India Company. The Van Aerssen family only managed to sell its share in 1770. The Society came to an end in 1795 when this kind of trade and business was no longer seen as acceptable.
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In South America, slavery was the norm. The native people proved to be in limited supply and consequently theAtlantic slave trade supplied the workforce for the plantations. The plantations were producingsugar,coffee,cocoa, andcotton which were exported for the Amsterdam market. In 1713, for instance, most of the work on the 200 plantations was done by 13,000African slaves. Their treatment was horrific, and slaves periodically escaped to the jungle from the start.[11][12] TheseMaroons (also known as "Djukas" or "Bakabusi Nengre") attacked the plantations in order to acquire goods that were in short supply and to free enslaved women. Notable leaders of the Surinam Maroons wereAlabi,Boni, Joli-coeur andBroos (Captain Broos). In the 18th century, three of the Maroon people signed a peace treaty, similar to the peace treaty ending theFirst Maroon War in Jamaica, whereby they were recognised as free people and received a yearly tribute that provided them with the goods they used to "liberate" from the plantations. A contemporary description of the war between the Maroons and the plantation owners in Suriname can be found inNarrative of a Five Years Expedition Against the Revolted Negroes of Surinam byJohn Gabriel Stedman.
Suriname was occupied by the British in 1799, after the Netherlands were incorporated by France, and was returned to the Dutch in 1816, after the defeat ofNapoleon. In 1861–63, PresidentAbraham Lincoln of the United States and his administration looked abroad for places to relocate freed slaves who wanted to leave the United States. It opened negotiations with the Dutch government regarding African-American emigration to and colonization of the Dutch colony of Suriname in South America. Nothing came of it and after 1864, the proposal was dropped.[13] The Dutch abolished slavery only in 1863, although the British had already abolished it during their short rule. The freed slaves were, however, still required to continue their plantation work on a contract basis and were not released until 1873;[14] up to that date they conducted obligatory but paid work at the plantations. Slaves were required to work on plantations for 10 transition years for minimal pay, which was considered as partial compensation for their masters. Besides that, the Dutch government in 1863 also compensated each slave-owner for the loss of the working force of each slave 300 Dutch florins - in 2021 worth about 3,500 euros. After 1873, most freedmen largely abandoned the plantations where they had worked for several generations in favor of the capital city,Paramaribo. In the meantime, many more workers had been imported from theDutch East Indies, mostly Chinese inhabitants of that colony, creating aChinese Surinamese population. From 1873 to 1916, many laborers were imported from India, creating theIndo-Surinamese. After 1916, many laborers were again imported from theDutch East Indies, especiallyJava, creating theJavanese Surinamese.
In the 20th century, the natural resources of Suriname,rubber,gold andbauxite, were exploited. The US companyAlcoa had a claim on a large area in Suriname where bauxite, from which aluminum can be made, was found. Given that the peace treaties with the Maroon people granted them title to the lands,[15] there have been international court cases that negated the right of the Surinam government to grant these claims (meaning the right to take the land for themselves and ignoring autonomy).[16][17]
On November 23, 1941, under an agreement with the Dutch government-in-exile, the United States stationed troops in Suriname to protect the bauxite mines.[18]
In 1949, the first full election was held.[19]Julius Caesar de Miranda was elected as firstPrime Minister of Suriname.[20] As a member of the Colonial States, he had been critical ofGovernorKielstra and had argued for end to subservience to the Ministry of Colonies.[21]
In 1954,Suriname gained self-government, with the Netherlands retaining control of defence and foreign affairs. It would become one of three member states - the others being theNetherlands Antilles and theNetherlands under oneKingdom.[22]
In 1973 the Dutch government started independence negotiations with the local government, led by theNPS (a largely Creole party), at the request of members of the NPS, which was granted on November 25, 1975. The Dutch instituted an aid programme worth US$1.5 billion to last till 1985. The first President of the country wasJohan Ferrier, withHenck Arron (leader of the NPS) as Prime Minister. Despite agreements with the new Surinam government roughly a third of the population emigrated to the Netherlands prior to and after independence, fearing that the new country would not be viable.[23] Also contrary to the agreements with the new Surinam government, many originally Dutch settlers (bakra's/boeroes) were expropriated by the new Surinam Government.
In 1980, the government of Henck Arronwas overthrown in a military coup led by Sergeant-MajorDési Bouterse.[24][25] President Ferrier refused to recognise the new government, appointingHenk Chin A Sen (of theNationalist Republican Party). Another coup followed five months later, with the army replacing Ferrier with Chin A Sen. These developments were largely welcomed by a population that expected the new army-installed government to put an end to corruption and improve the standard of living. This was despite the fact that the new regime banned opposition parties and became increasingly dictatorial. The Dutch initially accepted the new government; however, relations between Suriname and the Netherlands collapsed when 15 members of the political opposition were killed by the army on December 8, 1982, inFort Zeelandia. This event is also known as theDecembermoorden ('December murders'). The Dutch and Americans cut off their aid in protest at the move.[26][27]
In 1985, the ban on opposition parties was lifted, and work began on devising a new constitution. The following year saw the start of an anti-government rebellion of the Maroons in the interior, calling themselves the Jungle Commando and led byRonnie Brunswijk. The Bouterse government violently tried to suppress the insurgency by burning villages and other similar means. More than 10,000 Maroons fled toFrench Guiana, and were recognised refugees. The number of illegal refugees is unknown.[28]
In 1987, Suriname got a new civilian constitution and next yearRamsewak Shankar was elected as president. He was ousted in amilitary coup organized by Bouterse in 1990. In 1991, opposition theNew Front for Democracy and Development won majority inparliamentary elections.Ronald Venetiaan was elected as new president.[29] The civil war ended after a peace agreement between the government of Suriname and the Surinamese Liberation Army (SLA), commonly known as the Jungle Commando (or Commandos), led by Ronnie Brunswijk, was reached in August 1992.[30]
In 1992, an ally of Bouterse,Jules Wijdenbosch, was elected as new president. In 2000, Ronald Venetiaan became president again after winning the earlyelections.[29] In 2005, Venetiaan wasre-elected and his New Front coalition won narrowly the parliamentaryelection.[31]
In July 2010, the parliament elected Bouterse as the new president.[32] In 2015, his partyNational Democratic Party (NDP) narrowly won the parliamentaryelection, giving Bouterse a second five-year period in power.[33]
In 2019, Bouterse was sentenced to 20 years in prison over the execution of 15 political opponents in 1982. Before, he was convicted in absentia of drug trafficking by a court in the Netherlands in 1999. Bouterse has denied any wrongdoing.[34]
In 2020, theCOVID-19 crisis began and oil prices fell. There was an economic crisis. On 25 May 2020,a general election took place. TheProgressive Reform Party (PRP) got 20 seats (+11) out of 51 and the National Democratic Party (NDP) got 16 seats (-10). In July 2020,Chandrikapersad "Chan" Santokhi (PRP) waselected as the newPresident of Suriname, replacing Bouterse. The PRP formed a coalition with theGeneral Liberation and Development Party led by former guerilla leaderRonnie Brunswijk, the new vice president.[35]
In February 2023, protests against rising living costs occurred in the capital Paramaribo. Protesters accused the government of PresidentChan Santokhi of corruption. They stormed the National Assembly, demanding that the government resign. However, the government condemned the protests.[36] In December 2024, Desi Bouterse, Suriname’s fugitive former president, died.[37]
On 6 July 2025,Jennifer Geerlings-Simons of theNational Democratic Party (NDP) was elected as Suriname's first woman president by the parliament.[38]
In 1614 the states of Holland granted to any Dutch citizen a four years' monopoly of any harbour or place of commerce which he might discover in that region (Guiana). The first settlement, however, in Suriname (in 1630) was made by an Englishman, whose name is still preserved by Marshal's Creek.
Other regional events in 1980 included a coup in Suriname in February and the "Marial boat lift" from Cuba, which caused a refugee crisis.
