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The slave trade had long-lasting negative effects on the islands of the Caribbean. The indigenous peoples, the Arawaks, were largely wiped out by European diseases, violence, starvation and enslavement. They were replaced with West Africans.

These new, larger plantations stifled the region’s economies and created an over-reliance on sugar production. This meant that any fall in the international price of sugar would have a huge impact on its economy.

For example, in Barbados, 93% of exports were sugar, which meant that when European powers realised that they could get sugar for a cheaper price from countries such as India, Barbados was unable to compete and their economy crashed as they had no other products or services to rely on.

Due to a large number of the population being enslaved, new slave codes were introduced to the Caribbean. These were a set of rules intended to maintain law and order by replacing existing laws with ones that supported slavery. With the introduction of these codes, it has been argued that nations like Britain exported their own racist views and attitudes to the Caribbean region, where they still exist to this day.

Alongside this, as the enslaved populations would outnumber the European population roughly 20:1, the Europeans lived in fear of rebellions.

As well as the slave code, countries such as Britain would post soldiers on the islands, and arm local militias, to protect the interests of the European residents and to swiftly put down any sign of rebellion. Their presence increased tensions on the islands and were a further reminder of the difference in status between the Europeans and Africans.

The lasting effects of colonisation are still felt as these countries try to recover their own cultures which were effectively wiped out by colonial domination. The wealth and power accumulated by the rich western world still makes it difficult for colonised countries to become truly self-sufficient financially.