West Indies Conference 1932

The West Indies Conference was an essential political meeting held in 1932 and chaired by Cecil Edgar Alan Rawle. It was one of the first formal attempts to unite the British West Indian colonies under a single federated system. The conference’s purpose was to discuss the region’s political and socio-economic future, aiming for greater cooperation and autonomy from British colonial rule. The meeting was initially referred to as the Dominica Conference of 1932, but it later became known as the West Indies Conference due to its broader regional significance.

This conference laid the groundwork for what would later become the West Indies Federation, a bold experiment in regional cooperation. Though the federation ultimately dissolved in 1962, the discussions initiated at the West Indies Conference were crucial in inspiring future efforts toward Caribbean unity and self-governance.