Blaze, Herbert

Born in a family of African descent. He served in the financial department of the colonial administration. He was an English teacher, engaged in the sale of soft drinks. In 1944-1952, on the island of Aruba, he worked as a secretary-stenographer, then as head of the department of the oil company Largo Oil Transport Company ^[1] .

In 1957, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Grenada from a constituency comprising the islands of Carriacou and Small Martinique . He remained a member of the Grenadian parliament until the end of his life.

Since 1953 he was actively involved in politics. He founded the National Party of Grenada , which, from the right-wing conservative standpoint, opposed the radical populist United Labor Party of the future dictator Eric Geyrie . Blaise’s confrontation with Gary for more than two decades determined the Grenadian political process.

In 1957, he became Minister of Trade and Industry. In January 1960 he became the chief minister of Grenada. In March 1961, he lost to Eric Geyry, but in September 1962 he again headed the government. He remained in this position for four and a half years. Since March 1967 - Prime Minister of the United States of Grenada.

In August 1967, Eric Geyry reappeared to government. In 1974, Grenada gained independence. The ultra-right features were strengthened in Gayry's politics. Gradually, a dictatorial regime of geyrism was established in Grenada, based on the Mongoose Gang .

In 1976, the conservative National Party of Herbert Blaze joined the People's Union coalition with the left-wing radical New JUEL Movement , Maurice Bishop . The ideological and political disagreements were left for a common goal - the removal of Eric Geyry from power. However, according to the election results, the victory of the Geyry party was announced.

The alliance between Blaise and Bishop broke up in March 1979, when the “New JUEL Movement” overturned and took power. A socialist regime was established on the island. Opposition was virtually banned. Herbert Blaze departed for Carriacou and temporarily moved away from politics.

In October 1983, Maurice Bishop was overthrown and killed in an internal party conflict. A few days later the US invasion of Grenada followed. The new JUEL movement was removed from power.

Before the 1984 election, conservative and centrist political forces established the New National Party (NNP). It brought together the Herbert Blaze National Party of Grenada, George Bryzan's National Democratic Party , the Democratic Movement of Grenada Francis Alexis and the Christian Democratic Labor Party of Winston Wheat ^[2] . The NNP held a center-right position, rejecting the political legacy of the radical regimes of both Bishop and Geyry. Herbert Blaze became the leader of the new party.

December 3, 1984 elections were held. The new national party received more than 58% of the vote, the United Labor Party (Geyry's supporters) - 36%, the Maurice Bishop Patriotic Movement - only 5% ^[3] . Due to the particularities of the electoral system, NNP got 14 out of 15 parliamentary mandates. Herbert Blaise became the Prime Minister of Grenada again. He also headed the Ministries of the Interior, Security, Industrial Development, Finance, Information, Trade, Planning, Carriacou and Petit Martinique.

He was a staunch conservative, anti-communist and Reaganist ^[4] . At the head of the government of Grenada, he conducted a course of close military-political cooperation with the United States . American instructors trained the Grenada police . The economy relied on the development of a tourism cluster and the maximum attraction of foreign, primarily American, investments. An international airport was completed (construction began by the Cubans in cooperation with the Bishop government), several small assembly plants were created with American help ^[5] .

The opposition accused the head of government of authoritarian methods of government. There were also internal party disagreements in the NNP. In July 1989, he established the new National Party, and on December 17 at the party conference he was elected its leader. However, two days later he passed away.

He was married, had three sons and three daughters.