Bernard Coard: Encyclopedia II - Bernard Coard - The coup d'état

Bernard Coard - The coup d'état

Bernard Coard was acting as Bishop's Minister of Finance, Trade and Industry, as well as the Deputy Prime Minister. In an attempt to keep up a good relationship with the US, Bishop allowed private enterprise to continue in Grenada, something Coard, a Stalinist who favoured a Soviet Union style command economy and detente class collaborationism, disagreed strongly with.

Among other things, Coard also disagreed with Bishop's ideas on grassroots democracy.

Deciding that action needed to be taken to remove Maurice Bishop from power, Coard enlisted the support of General Hudson Austin and thus the army, and on October 19, 1983, overthrew the government. He had Bishop and seven of Bishop's supporters rounded up and shot in the basketball court at Fort Rupert.

Austin proclaimed himself head of the "Revolutionary Military Council" and became the nation's new head of government. Governor General Sir Paul Scoon was detained.

The United States took advantage of the post-coup chaos to launch Operation Urgent Fury on October 25, an invasion to depose Coard, a Stalinist who proved loyal to the Soviet Union.

Just after Marines landed in Grenada, Coard, along with his wife Phyllis, Selwyn Strachan, John Ventour, Liam James and Keith Roberts were arrested.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "The coup d'état", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki