Emancipation of The British West Indies - Legacy

Legacy

Despite the population's freedom from slavery, living conditions on the islands did not improve much over the next several decades. Without a cheap source of labor, sugar cane production declined and economies crumbled. With a growing population, and a decrease in export trade, poverty became widespread. With few sound economic alternatives, many islands turned to drug trafficking and acting as offshore banks as an easy source of income in the 20th century.