This study puts contemporary Caribbean development into historical perspective. By first constructing a Marxist framework for the study of development, it assesses the reasons why the region emerged underdeveloped and evaluates post-world-war two efforts to overcome the legacy of poverty.

This text examines the post-emancipation and recent economic history of the Commonwealth Caribbean. Through the use of an analytical framework derived from the works of Marx and Kuznets, the book focuses attention on technological change as the driving force behind economic modernization.