ABSTRACT
New Caledonia, consisting of one large island and several nearby smaller islands, was annexed by France in 1853 and has remained a French colony ever since. The main island of New Caledonia, "La Grande Terre," contains very large deposits of nickel and chrome, as well as significant deposits of iron, manganese, and cobalt. The war had upset the colonial social order and the immediate postwar period was an unsettled one for New Caledonia. Immediately after the war, conservatives, moderate liberals, and radicals among the settler population vied for influence in the midst of political reforms that included a gradual incorporation of Melanesians into the political process. The New Caledonian economy experienced a nickel-based boom between 1969 and 1972, that had profound implications throughout the colony. Even before the boom began, nickel accounted for about ninety-eight per cent of the value of New Caledonia's exports.
