Person

Eric Williams

1911–1981 · 20th century

Eric Williams was a historian and the first Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, leading the country from 1956 until his death in 1981. His book Capitalism and Slavery argued that economic motives drove British abolition. After Jamaica left the West Indies Federation in 1961 he took Trinidad out, and it became independent in 1962.

Eric Williams
Image: Joop van Bilsen for Anefo · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 3 state histories

Colony of Trinidad and TobagoWest Indies FederationTrinidad and Tobago

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Eric Williams. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/eric-williams
MLA
“Eric Williams.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/eric-williams. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Eric Williams.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/eric-williams.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Eric Williams’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/eric-williams (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻