Government initiative and resource exploitation in Belize /
Belize differs from other former British Caribbean colonies because it is primarily a late creation, because its economy has historically been based on timber extraction and not agriculture, and because it was never at the center of British foreign policy in the Caribbean. This dissertation explain...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
[Place of publication not identified] :
[publisher not identified] ;
1994.
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Link to OAKTrust copy http://proxy.library.tamu.edu/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=741944121&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=2945&RQT=309&VName=PQD |
| Summary: | Belize differs from other former British Caribbean colonies because it is primarily a late creation, because its economy has historically been based on timber extraction and not agriculture, and because it was never at the center of British foreign policy in the Caribbean. This dissertation explains how the peoples of Belize, constrained and encouraged by external market conditions and by policies of the colonial government, developed the natural resources and created the landscapes of that country. The study outlines Belize's development in terms of the differing effects that timber extraction and agriculture had on the shaping of its landscape thus providing a fresh opportunity to understand the special course the country has taken relative to the rest of the Caribbean. This research is organized around three themes: 1) Belize's evolving position in the British imperial system determined official policies to exploit and develop the territory; 2) various physical and economic factors have affected the production of forest and agricultural goods and have brought about great changes to the settlement geography of the country; and 3) the nature and consequences of political decisionmaking and the past booms and busts of various commodities are expressed in the landscape of the Stann Creek Valley. Using the Stann Creek Valley as a case example demonstrates the utility of focusing on a particular place to understand the landscape consequences of the complex political and economic processes that occur on a macroscale. Belize's historical evolution is viewed as a series of abrupt and radical shifts in its relation to Britain which directly impacted its geography. Prior to 1900, Belize's political status had shifted from an English "settlement" under first Spanish then British authority, to a colony, to a Crown colony. With each stage, Britain effectively evoked a set of new assumptions about its powers and responsibilities in Belize. Only in the 1900s did Britain begin to develop Belize, focusing on agriculture. With the help of the government, the production of sugar, coconuts, bananas, and citrus has intensified after 1940. |
|---|---|
| Item Description: | Vita. "Major Subject: Geography". |
| Physical Description: | xiii, 230 leaves : illustrations, maps ; 28 cm. Issued also on microfiche from University Microfilms Inc. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references. |