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World War II
In the early 20th century, several British and Australian firms began
large-scale coconut planting. Economic growth was slow, however, and the
islanders benefited little. With the outbreak of World War II, most planters and
traders were evacuated to Australia, and most cultivation ceased. Some of the
most intense fighting of World War II occurred in the Solomons. The most
significant of the Allied Forces' operations against the Japanese Imperial
Forces was launched on August 7, 1942 with simultaneous naval bombardments and
amphibious landings on the Florida Islands at Tulagi and Red Beach on
Guadalcanal. The Battle of Guadalcanal became an important and bloody campaign
fought in the Pacific War as the Allies began to repulse Japanese expansion. Of
strategic importance during the war were the coastwatchers operating in remote
locations, often on Japanese held islands, providing early warning and
intelligence of Japanese naval, army and aircraft movements during the campaign.
Sergeant-Major Jacob Vouza was a notable coastwatcher who after capture refused
to divulge Allied information in spite of interrogation and torture by Japanese
Imperial forces. He was awarded the highest award for bravery by the Americans.
Islanders Biuku Gasa and Eroni Kumana would be noted by National Geographic for
being the first to find the shipwrecked John F. Kennedy and his crew of the
PT-109. They suggested using a coconut to write a rescue message for delivery by
dugout canoe, which was later kept on his desk when he became the president of
the United States.
The U.S. employment of tanks in Guadalcanal was hampered by the nature of the
terrain
Independence movement
Following the end of World War II, the British colonial government returned. The
capital was moved from Tulagi to Honiara to take advantage of the infrastructure
left behind by the U.S. military. A revolutionary movement known as Maasina Ruru
helped to organize and focus a mass campaign of civil disobedience and strikes
across the islands. There was much disorder and the leaders were jailed in
late-1948. Throughout the 1950s, other indigenous dissident groups appeared and
disappeared without gaining strength. In 1960, an advisory council of Solomon
Islanders was superseded by a legislative council, and an executive council was
created as the protectorate's policymaking body. The council was given
progressively more authority. In 1974, a new constitution was adopted
establishing a parliamentary democracy and ministerial system of government. In
mid-1975, the name Solomon Islands officially replaced that of British Solomon
Islands Protectorate.
On January 2, 1976, the Solomons became self-governing, and independence
followed on July 7, 1978, the first post-independence government was elected in
August 1980. The series of governments formed from there on have not performed
to upgrade and build the country. Following the 1997 election of Bartholomew
Ulufa'alu the political situation in the Solomons began to deteriorate.
Governance was slipping as the performance of the police and other government
agencies deteriorated due to what is commonly known as "the tensions".
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