The Nationalist Movement (Belize)

The Nationalist Movement (Belize)

1930's–1950's
A Major Event in the Political Campaign for Nationalism
Preceded by	The Belizean Labor Movement
Including	The passing of Universal Adult Suffrage
Followed by	The Declaration of Independence
Monarch	Queen Elizabeth II
Leader(s)	Antonio Soberanis Gómez, Leigh Richardson, George Cadle Price and Philip Goldson

The Nationalist Movement came into thought in 1934 when Antonio Soberanis Gómez led a group of struggling workers to fight for more jobs and better pay. This made the people begin to question what being colonized by England had done for Belize. The people then though how a country with many resources, wealthy landowners and merchants, had so much poverty. The poor economic and social conditions of many people living in Belize in the 1950s encouraged them to think about self-government and independence, thus bringing The Nationalist Movement to life.

This historic movement had several events that lead to its overall success such as The Economic and Social Conditions, Campaign Against Colonialism, Alliance with Workers, The Constitutional Struggle and The Political Struggle. The People's Committee presently known as the People's United Party (PUP) along with the General Workers Union was the major force that lead to the success of this movement. The Nationalist movement was the major historic event that influenced the country's independence.

Around the 1930s and 1940s, the Belizean economy was mainly based on forestry which was an industry that was declining quickly at the time. In the industry's revival during World War II (1939–1945) unemployment was eased because workers in the thousands immigrated to Britain for jobs in forestry, to work in Panama for the building of the Panama Canal and to the United States of America for jobs in agricultural estates.

Eventually, the war ended and the workers returned to Belize to unemployment and poverty. On December 31, 1949, there was a devaluation of the Belize dollar which caused the situation of the workers to worsen. During these economic times, the working class suffered from unemployment, low wages, bad housing, severe malnutrition, and poor health care.

The Campaign Against Colonialism all started the night of the devaluation of the Belizean dollar when the People's Committee was formed. It started as a protest against the devaluation and quickly became a campaign against the entire colonial system. The People's Committee became the People's United Party (PUP) on September 29, 1950. The newly formed political party's objective against colonialism and towards political and economic independence.

In 1951 the group split and the leaders of the party now were Leigh Richardson, George Cadle Price and Philip Goldson. A group of graduates of Saint John's College won control of the Belize City Council and started a newspaper, the Belize Billboard. The main political task set by these leaders was to create national unity from the colonially created divisions.