A New Deal in Puerto Rico: Colonial Development and Governmentality, 1929-1935. Manuel R. Rodrguez - Paperbackby Manuel R. Rodriguez (Author) In the 1930s, Puerto Rico was economically and culturally a nineteenth century agrarian state dominated by sugar and coffee plantations. Then came the New Deal, and the island changed forever. Puerto Rico entered the twentieth century in every respect, including its economy, culture, and infrastructure. This transformation was neither easy nor without resistance. The author capably leads the reader through this upheaval