What was a plantocracy in colonial Barbados?

In colonial Barbados, a plantocracy was a social and political system in which a small elite of white sugar planters held concentrated control over both the economy and government institutions.12

This structure emerged following the mid-17th-century "Sugar Revolution," during which the island’s economy shifted from diverse small-scale farming to large-scale sugarcane plantations. As these planters amassed significant wealth, they consolidated political power, effectively creating an authoritarian regime. This elite maintained control through the systemic exploitation of enslaved people brought from West Africa, who were forced to labor under brutal conditions defined by colonial slave laws.12

The plantocracy’s dominance persisted for centuries, as the planter and merchant elite utilized government resources to protect the sugar industry even during 19th-century economic crises. Their hold on power was only significantly challenged and eventually curtailed in the 20th century, following labor revolts in the 1930s and subsequent political reforms that expanded the franchise and led to the rise of mass political organizations.12