FORMERLY known as the New Hebrides, the path to independence for Vanuatu – a collection of 83 small islands in the South Pacific – was not straightforward.
Like many former colonies, the tiny nation with a population smaller than that of Edinburgh became independent on this day in 1980 through a process of fraught political wrangling and occasional bursts of violence.
Vanuatu was colonised by both the French and the British and had been ruled under a joint “condominium”, effectively a joint-administration run primarily by the two European countries, since 1906 before the country became independent in 1980.
Coconuts were the premier crop of the country for much of its history, but by the mid-1960s, its price was falling unsustainably and landowners (European settlers claimed ownership of around 30% of the land) began clearing jungles to farm cattle.
Ni-Vanuatu, the indigenous population of the islands, objected to this and began forming political parties to represent their interests.
The stirrings of nationalism began in the mid-1960s and became split along both religious and linguistic differences.
READ MORE: The National explores independence around the world in new series
The New Hebrides National Party was formed in 1971 and was backed by the British, who wanted to quit the colony. It was generally supported by those on the islands who were of British extraction, either wholly or in part, spoke English and were protestants. This party was in favour of independence immediately.
The Francophone parties which formed in response advocated a more gradualist approach.
The British and French authorities recognised they must allow inhabitants more say over the running of the islands and so held Vanuatu’s first democratic election in 1975, in which the pro-independence New Hebrides National Party came out on top.
The results were contested in some areas and the resulting assembly did not meet until two years after the election.
At this stage, the New Hebrides National Party renamed itself the Vanua'aku Pati, on an agenda of creating an independent state ruled by a strong central government as well as making English the official language of the islands.
On the other hand were the Francophone parties who preferred a more federalist system, a more gradual transition to independence and keeping French as the official language.
Relations between the two wings deteriorated after a conference in 1977 announcing plans for another election in three years’ time was boycotted by the Vanua'aku Pati.
They set up a rival “People's Provisional Government” which enjoyed de-facto control over many areas, which led to violent confrontations between those loyal to the French gradualists and the colonial authorities.
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Once a compromise had been reached by the two competing factions, another election was held in 1979, which again resulted in the pro-independence side winning a majority.
The gradualist Francophone side disputed the results and tensions escalated into bloody confrontations between the two sides.
Independence was declared on July 30, 1980 – but some gradualists led by the political leader Jimmy Stevens did not accept this outcome and launched attacks on the fledgling state.
Stevens, with financial backing from the Phoenix Foundation, a US right-wing organisation, led an aborted attempt to declare a separate republic on the island of Espiritu Santo, which led to a central government blockade. There was also a rebellion by the gradualist side on another island which resulted in its leader being shot and killed.
The government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Walter Lini who founded the New Hebrides National Party in 1971, managed to quell Stevens’ rebellion with the help of troops from Papua New Guinea – a brief conflict sometimes called the Coconut War.
The period from independence has been characterised by political parties fracturing and unstable coalition governments.
Despite this, Vanuatu has remained reasonably peaceful and prosperous since gaining its independence from Britain and France 43 years ago.
This is the second article in a new series exploring the histories of how countries around the world became independent from Britain.
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