Grenada is an island nation in the southeastern Caribbean with a small population. This nation gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1974. Since then, Sir Eric Gairy has become the leader of the country. During his tenure, the Prime Minister of Grenada still experienced civil unrest and strengthened ties with communist nations, such as within the country. An organization, organized by the New Jewel Movement, was created to protest the government. In the late 1970s, the organization began planning to overthrow the government. On March 13, 1979, the NJM led by pro-Marxist Bishop Maurice Bishop overthrew the government and established the People's Revolutionary Government (Yi). It was presented as the new Cuba and the Soviet Union. The main cause of the American invasion of Grenada was due to the Cold War, which was the bloodless war between capitalism and communism. When Prime Minister Maurice Bishop was in power, he allowed Cuba to gain communist influence in Grenada, including building airports with thousands of Cuban engineers. United States President Ronald Reagon considered such actions a huge threat to his country, as airports could be used as military bases. Furthermore, former Deputy Prime Minister Bernard Coard used violence with hard-line Marxism and took power. Neighboring Caribbean nations were deeply concerned that his actions could affect their countries. Additionally, more than 1,000 American medical students were in Grenada, which also caused America's concern (Lee). On October 25, 1983, American troops invaded Grenada in the morning. President Reagon called this plan “Operation Urgent Fury.” The main objective of the plan was to change the form of government...... middle of paper...... with the help of Cuba. Additionally, the United States invaded the country without prior warning. This action is considered a violation of international law and appears to be a return to the era of American imperialism. After losing a huge population and driving the country into poverty, the United States still has not learned a lesson from the Vietnam War. Works Cited Clarke, Jeffrey. “Operation Urgent Fury.” Army of history. Np, February 2, 2011. Web. May 5, 2011. .Lee, R. “The Story Guy: The Invasion of Grenada.” The History Guy: A resource for history, military history, politics and biography. Np, April 7, 2011. Web. May 15, 2011. Yi, Sharon. “The American Invasion of Grenada.” History of the United States. Np, and Web. May 15 2011.