ABSTRACT
The Gambia and Trinidad & Tobago, all considerations of size aside, provide an interesting contrast in the study of political development in the post-colonial era. This chapter provides overviews of the political evolution of both countries followed by a discussion of how smallness has affected the development and maintenance of democracy in these two small states. The Gambia is a small state in West Africa covering an area approximately the size of Connecticut. The historical experiences of The Gambia with regard to Europe have been largely determined by its location, which is fairly close to Europe and straddling The Gambia River. The nineteenth century saw a number of changes that would affect the future of The Gambia as a British colony. The historical development of political parties in The Gambia illustrates some of the effects of smallness on political life, particularly in terms of how power is distributed.
