• Monument honoring Martinicans who died for France during World War I

    Martinique during the First World War

    The First World War broke out while Martinique was still reeling from two major events in its history: the abolition of slavery and the eruption of Mount Pelée. Saint-Pierre, once the capital, had given way to Fort-de-France, and the island remained largely rural. The economy, centered on sugarcane, was suffering from the sugar crisis in Europe, yet this crop still covered most of the island’s farmland. The political situation was equally fragile. This study explores life in Martinique during the Great War.

    23 minutes

War Assessment and Consequences in Martinique

While the war was still raging in Europe, the first soldiers returned to Martinique as early as 1917, traumatized by its horrors. For them, returning to Europe if called upon again was out of the question.

In total, Sabine Andrivon-Milton, a Martinican historian who researched World War I veterans, identified 2,000 deaths among the 9,000 men who went to war. Research continues to trace all the Martiniquais participants and their fates after the conflict. The number of wounded remains unknown, as they were neither identified nor counted after the war.

At the signing of the armistice in 1918, Martiniquais soldiers were hailed as national heroes. Patriotic events were held in their honor, and they were presented to the public as heroes. As veterans, they were granted symbolic privileges such as being given the right of way on sidewalks and priority seating on public transport.

However, they received no financial compensation unless they had been wounded. Those injured were granted (modest) pensions and free medical care, but only after appearing before a commission—a process that took time. Often, their families had to care for them and support them daily. Those who had been mutilated could no longer return to the sugarcane fields to earn a living.

Many veterans were deeply disappointed, having believed their sacrifice for the nation would be more greatly rewarded. Nationally, veterans’ associations emerged to gather grievances and present them to the authorities, with varying degrees of success.

Despite this, Martinique’s participation in the Great War strengthened patriotic sentiment toward France. Throughout the conflict, Martiniquais demonstrated their commitment to the national effort. Some men went off to fight, others stayed behind to work the fields and meet the demand for rum and sugar, and women also played an active role.

The war made the Martinican feel French. The sense of assimilation into the French nation was full and complete, and political forces advocating for this integration were delighted by the renewed momentum toward making Martinique a full part of France and eventually a French department. However, this would take time, and Martinique had to wait until March 1946 to transition from colony to department status.