In the presidential elections of 1981, France voted in a Socialist government, yet the island of Martinique, former colony and slave-plantation island, voted overwhelmingly against the party of Francois Mitterand. This volume examines the political climate of present-day Martinican society, as borne out in those crucial 1981 elections. The author explores all currents of Martinican political thought and analyzes the political instruments of change, especially those emanating from the Left. He also presents information on the development of colonial doctrine in the French West Indies and discusses the economic, ethnic, and nationalist components of the political situation on Martinique.