The Struggle for Majority Rule and Political Parties
The Background
Key concepts: a restricted franchise, a propertied minority in the Assembly, and a black majority without political power. After the 1964 constitution brought internal self-government, the central issue became who would control the government and on what terms.
The Parties
Understand the two main parties. The United Bahamian Party (UBP) drew support from the white business elite and was associated with the 'Bay Street' merchant interests. The Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), founded in the 1950s, drew support from the black majority and labour. Candidates must know that the PLP's victory in 1967, under Lynden Pindling, is the landmark of majority rule, and that the 1967 result was close and involved a coalition arrangement before the PLP took office.
Labour and the General Strike
The 1958 general strike was a turning point: it united workers across sectors and exposed the political weight of labour. Understand that labour organising and the suffrage movement reinforced each other.
Universal Adult Suffrage
Know that universal adult suffrage came in 1962, allowing all adults to vote. This changed the arithmetic of politics and made majority rule possible. The key trap is confusing 1962 (suffrage) with 1967 (majority rule) and 1973 (independence).
Traps and Rule of Thumb
- Do not say majority rule came in 1964; that was internal self-government.
- Do not say independence came before majority rule.
- Do not treat the UBP as a labour party.
Rule of thumb: 1962 = votes for all adults; 1967 = majority rule; 1973 = independence. Keep that ladder in order.
Worked Example
A question asks why 1967 is called majority rule. The best answer explains that the PLP, representing the black majority, won office after universal suffrage, ending elite control. A distractor citing 1964 confuses self-government with majority control.