The American invasion of Grenada, also known as Operation Urgent Fury, was an invasion of the Caribbean island nation by forces led by the United States. United. This resulted in a victory for the United States in just a few weeks. Grenada is a nation inhabited by approximately 91,000 inhabitants. The invasion was provoked by a military coup, which overthrew the revolutionary government and restored constitutional government. The invasion was also a response to the Organization of American States' (OAS) request for help. The official reason given by the U.S. government for the invasion was the presence of approximately eight hundred American students at the True Blue Medical Center. The presence of Soviet and Cuban personnel on the island was also a key factor in causing the U.S. government to invade. After gaining independence, Grenada was ruled by Sir Eric Gairy until 1974. His tenure was marred by civil unrest in the country. In a tense political atmosphere, he was declared winner of the 1976 general elections, a result disputed by the opposition. What followed was violence between gangs loyal to the New Jewel Movement (NJM), a group formed by the opposition, and Gairy's private army; the mongoose gang. The NJM began plotting to overthrow the government; they began to receive specialized military training outside the country. In March 1979, the NJM, under the leadership of Maurice Bishop, overthrew Gairy's government and established the People's Revolutionary Government (PRG). In October 1983, a splinter group of the party led by Deputy Prime Minister Bernard Coard dismissed Maurice Bishop. The group placed him under house arrest, but protests against this action allowed him to escape detention...... middle of paper ......a Intervention: Analysis and documentation. New York: facts on file. 1984 Hayward, SF The Reagan Era: The Conservative Counter-Revolution: 1980-1989. New York: Random House. 2009 Kenworthy, Eldon. “Grenada as theatre”. Journal of World Politics, 1(3), 635-651. 1984 Kinzer, S. "30 Years Later: The Legacy of Reagan's Invasion of Grenada." » Al Jazeera America, October 25, 2013 Martin, D. (09/09/2013). "Paul Scoon, who invited Granada invaders, dies at 78". The New York Times. Miroff, B. “The Presidential Show.” In Michael Nelson (Ed.), The Presidency and the Political System. Washington, DC: CQ Press. 2010Reagan, R. An American Life page 454. 1990Stewart, RW Operation Urgent Fury: The Invasion of Grenada, October 1983. United States Army Center of Military History. CMHZunes, S. The American invasion of Grenada: a twenty-year retrospective. Focus on foreign policy. 2003