Gairy, who had been in power since 1951, was a repressive leader who rigged elections and unleashed terror through his own army of thugs called the Mongoose Gang.

The Bishop government, called the People's Revolutionary Government looked to Cuba as a model and tried to establish the first Marxist state in the English-speaking Caribbean.

The PRG promised to provide jobs, food, housing, education and free elections.

However, they suspended the constitution and put in its place a series of "people's laws", the most unpopular of which were those that curtailed individual freedoms and facilitated the detention of dissidents.

An ideological struggle between Bishop and his deputy prime minister Bernard Coard, caused a revolt within the party. This led to the downfall of the PRG and the murder of Bishop and many others on October 19, 1983.

In the midst of this bloody situation, a US-led invasion force that consisted of troops from Caribbean nations toppled People’s Revolutionary Government (PRG).

One of those involved in the 1979 coup was attorney Lloyd Noel. He became attorney general in the PRG but was later imprisoned without trial after falling out with his colleagues.

Noel spoke briefly with BBC Caribbean Service's Rosie Hayes about the coup.

Rosie Hayes: Did the coup come as a shock to Grenadians at the time?

Lloyd Noel: Yes and no. The struggle against Gairyism had been going on for several years, so while it was an unusual manner of taking power, it didn't shock them so much. In fact if it was a shock that there was a bullet, bullet meaning they had guns rather than the ballot, it didn’t take very long for that shockwave to disappear.

RH: It was at the time of the Cold War, and with a leftist government in Cuba, life was never going to be easy for you with the Americans breathing down your neck?

LN: It certainly wasn't, because of the Cold War and the fact that there were two superpowers both equally able to do whatever they wanted to do. Then it was not easy because of the geographical position of Grenada versus Cuba and of course, the US. But because the government at the time did not depend on the Western side (the US) they were able to co-exist at the time.

RH: The Prime Minister at the time, Eric Gairy was regarded as oppressive, and a manipulator of elections. If the circumstances were the same today, would you be prepared to back another coup?

LN: No, I don't think I would be prepared to back another coup, but I also would say the circumstances can never be the same as they were at the time.

Eric Gairy started in 1951 and this coup took place in 1979, 28 years after. The government here was popularly elected in 1995, Eric Gairy wasn't. The government here won 15 seats in 1999, so there was no question about whether the populace went along with them and it was only four months ago in their third term of office that they lost seven seats and are now operating with an 8-7 majority.

I don't think we can ever see anything like what existed in 1972-79, which was the time it took for the New Jewel Movement to galvanise people around its ideas for the eventual coup that took place on March 13, 1979.

RH: They say one coup can lead to another and the PRG regime imploded. Is the lesson from taking power by the gun that you can also fall by the gun?

LN: Yes, in fact, the lesson is more than valid in Grenada's case because that's exactly what happened.