A Short Biography of George Price

“It has been my dedicated task to lead the movement of Belizean independence from the chains of British colonialism”- George Price

George Cadle Price was born January 15th, 1919 in Belize City. He was Belize’s first Prime Minister and was an anti-colonial activist and a founder of the People’s United Party (PUP), who helped lead the nation to semi-independence from Great Britain. In Belize many call him the Father of the Nation. Below is a very short timeline analysis of his career, from his early activist years till independence.

Activist Years

In 1947 George Price ran for Belize City Council and was elected. This was the beginning of a long successful political career. He ran to address the deplorable living standards of the Belizean peoples.

In 1950 British Honduras (Belize) unemployment was very high and the working class was idle and poverty stricken under the conditions imposed on them by British colonialism. Under these conditions George Price helped form the precursor to the PUP, the Peoples Committee.

Later that year the Peoples Committee would be reconstituted as the PUP and the fight for independence from Britain began. The PUP and the General Workers Union (GWU) organized a national general strike in 1952 to protest the British colonists. The strike was partially successful, but the main victory was awakening the militancy of the Belizean working class.

The year 1954 saw the British colonial government grant the people of Belize the right to vote, this was due to the agitation and organizing of the PUP and GWU. In 1956 George Price became the leader of the PUP after a dispute between PUP party leaders, this gave Price the chance to push for independence with the party under his control.

Under the leadership of Price the PUP was able to create a strong foundation amongst the Belizean people, and local elections started seeing PUP candidates winning campaigns. The PUP used tactics such as mass mobilizations and political agitation to become a force that the British would be forced to acknowledge and deal with.

In 1964 George Price became the premier of Belize and self-government was finally in the hands of a Belizean. The British colonial government kept the reigns on foreign affairs as well as the defense forces.

For fifteen years George Price and the PUP organized the masses for political independence from Britain and in 1981 they were granted it. They were granted Common Wealth status which means the Queen and or King is officially still the head of state but Common Wealth countries still enjoy nearly complete independence.

George Price continued to be a force in Belize and the PUP until he resigned as party leader in 1996.

Awards:

2000- Price was awarded the Order of National Hero (of Belize). This is the highest award granted in Belize and it was the first.

2001- The Caribbean Community (CARICOM-Trade bloc) awarded Price the Order of the Caribbean Community. “George Price remains the patriarch of his nation, birthing its existence as an independent national state and charting its emergence from economic backwardness to a state of development in which it stands as a centripetal and unifying force in Central American/Caribbean relations.”

2005- Fidel Castro awarded Price the highest award a non-national can receive the Jose Marti award.

References

http://www.pup.org.bz/index.php/the-party/history-of-party/item/194-peoples-united-party-1950-2000

http://www.belizenet.com/history/

http://www.mayanbzevideo.com/4.html

http://www.caricom.org/jsp/projects/personalities/rt_hon_george.jsp?menu=projects