The Progression of Haiti
Jenny Freedman
February 24, 2019
In 1946, Papa Doc became a minister for health under a fellow Noirist. Four years later, the army overthrew the regime, so Papa Doc went into hiding to plot his path for power. He studied Marx and Machiavelli, who practiced prioritizing fear over love, which ended up shaping Duvalier’s identity and tactics as a leader. Papa Doc and Baby Doc portrayed themselves as black nationalists, but they both married mulatto women. They often convert their views and practices to adapt to the identity in which they will reach their goals and maintain power; their rise to power had defined their role as megalomaniacs and unethical dictators within Haitian history. Francois Duvalier and Jean-Claude Duvalier’s 30 years of corrupt rule is one central factor in Haiti’s lack of progress.
Francois Duvalier fundamentally understood that to stay in power they had to eliminate any opposing threats. After the attempted coup, Duvalier lost trust in the Haitian army. He then utilized volunteers for National Security, a special operations unit in which he called the Tonton Macoute, which eventually outnumber the actual army. This force, primarily made of rural, lower class blacks, used intimidation tactics. At the same time, Duvalier used the United States’ hatred of communism to receive money in aid. Since Duvalier outwardly denounced communism, the U.S. bolstered his regime and Haiti gained support from the international community. Duvalier often accused other countries of racism for not helping “poor negroes”.[1] A documentary series entitled Evolution of Evil outlined Papa Doc’s rule in one episode and proclaimed him as “madly evil” and a ruthless dictator. After Papa Doc won the election with 1.3 million vote, utter violence ensued. His presidency was motivated by greed and kleptocracy; Millions of dollars of taxes and aid went straight to Duvalier. Many Haitians believed he had voodoo abilities, as they could not believe it was medicine alone that he used to heal illnesses. Duvalier used this reputation to try and gain total power.
General trends throughout the rule of the Duvaliers include political corruption, such as misappropriation of aid and fraudulent elections, consolidating power, and a lack of compassion, leaving Haiti impoverished. Their mindsets were very self-centered and unempathetic. Papa Doc seems to be contradictory, as he has extreme statements of his beliefs. He puts up a front of a listener and a compassionate leader; however, this act is only used to further expand power. The harshness and extremity are also shown by their actions during their presidencies. While Francois and Jean-Claude Duvalier were in control of Haiti, much of the middle and upper class fled due to political persecution. Many Haitian sought political asylum across the globe. The Haitian Diaspora increased Haiti’s dependence on overseas populations; primarily the U.S. has exponentially been involved in Haitian affairs.[2]
In its current state, the U.S. has not ultimately been very successful on nation building. Many of the target countries have very little durations of nation-building efforts, and only 4 out of the 16 nations listed have an official democracy after 10 years, as stated by the chart. This is because the United States often has other interests than just bringing democracy to a nation. The US has mostly been interested in natural resources, like oil, for economic purposes. They, for the most part, don't bother learning the culture or language of the nations. It is important for the United States to not intervene in the affairs of other countries if they have alternative motivations. The U.S. should not take control of other nations in an attempt to "fix" their values or exploit them for their resources, but rather the U.S. should work with trusted developing nations.
The United States stopped trading with Haiti after they gained independence because they did not want to ruin their relationship with France or upset Southern slaveholders. The United States did not officially recognize Haiti because they wanted to isolate themselves because they feared that the ideas they spread during the slave revolt would spread to the Southern states and would influence the slaves in the United States after seeing how successful the Haitian slave revolt was. Additionally, the aspect of racism against the first black republic played a part in the U.S.’s policy of isolationism. However, by the 1900s, the United States grew to have a major role in Haitian affairs. The U.S. was Haiti’s biggest trade partner and occupied Haiti between 1915 and 1938. The U.S. took control of the collection of revenues, banks, and forced a new constitution which repealed the 1804 provision that foreigners could not own land. Education remained similar, so schools continued to be taught in French language and structure, but there was an increase in literacy. Later on, the Duvaliers controlled an economically unstable Haiti between 1957 and 1986 with support from the United States.
Throughout the United States’ supervision of Haiti, there were improvements to infrastructure. In this, more roads and bridges were built, irrigation canals were rehabilitated, there was an increase hospitals, schools, and public buildings, and drinking water was brought to the city. Despite these developments, the negative aspects of U.S. intervention far outweigh the benefits. The U.S. held veto power over governmental decisions, overruling the Haitian people, $500,000 of gold was removed from Haitian treasury, US marines were largely racist toward the native population, and, most importantly, U.S. occupation of Haiti caused a major loss of Haitian autonomy and self-determination.[3]
The brutality and corruption occurring in Haiti at the time creates a difficult moral dilemma for the United States, as it seems necessary to intervene in Haiti. However, the U.S. did not have purely selfless intentions for the benefit of Haiti, but, rather, it was a strategy to protect the U.S., while shaping Haiti into the country that they choose – not one that the Haitian people choose. The U.S. needed to understand Haitian culture and the citizens living in Haiti. Much of the outside world viewed Haitians as lazy, primitive, and as lower class because a lot of pictures of Haitians without any clothes, walking around with swords, completing mysterious Vodou rituals, and living in straw houses.[4] At the same time, the U.S. did not fully recognize the importance of self-sufficiency for a country. If the U.S. were to use different methods of intervention, U.S. involvement could definitely be supportive for Haiti; however, constant supervision is not beneficial for Haiti’s future.
One other main factor in Haiti’s lack of progress as a nation is their recurrent lack of unity and peace. Adam Hochschild points to the fact that Haitians have limited experience with democracy. Leaders came to power by defeating the current dictator, so there was no history of a peaceful transfers of power. The consequences of the Haitian Revolution not only include Dessalines’ detrimental scorched earth policy, but also the continued cycle of violence and a precedent for poor leadership. The revolution was preceded by years of built up repression and indignation. Toussaint Louverture exemplified the violent transfers of political powers within Haiti. Louverture seemed like an outlier, but he was determined and had business contacts in U.S. along with bank accounts. He managed affairs well with large organizational capacity; however, he also allowed Haiti to sink into instability and violence.[5] Also, the aspect of a racial hierarchy, or judgement based on the amount of whiteness in a family line or the lightness of skin, majorly held Haiti back as a nation. Haitians outnumbered whites 12-1, but few had military experiences. The main issue was they had no long-term vision or unification. At the same time, anybody threatening to Toussaint ended up dead or deported.
Toussaint rose to power as a dictator and the introduction of Europeans and non-native populations brought disease to Haiti as well as unsanitary conditions. Poverty crippled Haiti due to the loss of skilled workers and because of the independence debt faced by Haiti. Prior to 1915, Haiti had 25 presidents since 1815; Seven of those presidencies took place after 1900. Haiti was plagued by political instability, corruption, and violence. Although a sovereign nation, Haiti’s focus on race exacerbated the tremendous poverty; Haiti became the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. At one point, Saint Domingue was the sugar capital of the world and the richest colony in West Indies, but the continued cycle of violence and disunity were played major parts in Haiti’s political and economic instability.
[1] Simpson, Alisdair, prod. "Papa Doc: Haiti's President for Life." In Evolution of Evil. ZDF. September 17, 2015.
[2] Nestor, Michelet. "The Haitian Diaspora’s Potential." Haiti Liberte. August 30, 2018. Accessed March 02, 2019. https://haitiliberte.com/the-haitian-diasporas-potential/.
[3] Dubois, Laurent. Haiti: The Aftershocks of History. New York, NY: Picador, 2013.
[4] Schmidt, David. "Cannibals and Savages: Racism and Images of Haiti." Canadian Dimension. August 14, 2012. Accessed March 02, 2019. https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/cannibals-and-savages.
[5] Égalité for All: Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution. Directed by Noland Walker. Performed by Edwidge Danticat, Jacques Derosena, and Krystel Roche. Youtube. 2009. Accessed March 2, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOGVgQYX6SU.
February 24, 2019
In 1946, Papa Doc became a minister for health under a fellow Noirist. Four years later, the army overthrew the regime, so Papa Doc went into hiding to plot his path for power. He studied Marx and Machiavelli, who practiced prioritizing fear over love, which ended up shaping Duvalier’s identity and tactics as a leader. Papa Doc and Baby Doc portrayed themselves as black nationalists, but they both married mulatto women. They often convert their views and practices to adapt to the identity in which they will reach their goals and maintain power; their rise to power had defined their role as megalomaniacs and unethical dictators within Haitian history. Francois Duvalier and Jean-Claude Duvalier’s 30 years of corrupt rule is one central factor in Haiti’s lack of progress.
Francois Duvalier fundamentally understood that to stay in power they had to eliminate any opposing threats. After the attempted coup, Duvalier lost trust in the Haitian army. He then utilized volunteers for National Security, a special operations unit in which he called the Tonton Macoute, which eventually outnumber the actual army. This force, primarily made of rural, lower class blacks, used intimidation tactics. At the same time, Duvalier used the United States’ hatred of communism to receive money in aid. Since Duvalier outwardly denounced communism, the U.S. bolstered his regime and Haiti gained support from the international community. Duvalier often accused other countries of racism for not helping “poor negroes”.[1] A documentary series entitled Evolution of Evil outlined Papa Doc’s rule in one episode and proclaimed him as “madly evil” and a ruthless dictator. After Papa Doc won the election with 1.3 million vote, utter violence ensued. His presidency was motivated by greed and kleptocracy; Millions of dollars of taxes and aid went straight to Duvalier. Many Haitians believed he had voodoo abilities, as they could not believe it was medicine alone that he used to heal illnesses. Duvalier used this reputation to try and gain total power.
General trends throughout the rule of the Duvaliers include political corruption, such as misappropriation of aid and fraudulent elections, consolidating power, and a lack of compassion, leaving Haiti impoverished. Their mindsets were very self-centered and unempathetic. Papa Doc seems to be contradictory, as he has extreme statements of his beliefs. He puts up a front of a listener and a compassionate leader; however, this act is only used to further expand power. The harshness and extremity are also shown by their actions during their presidencies. While Francois and Jean-Claude Duvalier were in control of Haiti, much of the middle and upper class fled due to political persecution. Many Haitian sought political asylum across the globe. The Haitian Diaspora increased Haiti’s dependence on overseas populations; primarily the U.S. has exponentially been involved in Haitian affairs.[2]
In its current state, the U.S. has not ultimately been very successful on nation building. Many of the target countries have very little durations of nation-building efforts, and only 4 out of the 16 nations listed have an official democracy after 10 years, as stated by the chart. This is because the United States often has other interests than just bringing democracy to a nation. The US has mostly been interested in natural resources, like oil, for economic purposes. They, for the most part, don't bother learning the culture or language of the nations. It is important for the United States to not intervene in the affairs of other countries if they have alternative motivations. The U.S. should not take control of other nations in an attempt to "fix" their values or exploit them for their resources, but rather the U.S. should work with trusted developing nations.
The United States stopped trading with Haiti after they gained independence because they did not want to ruin their relationship with France or upset Southern slaveholders. The United States did not officially recognize Haiti because they wanted to isolate themselves because they feared that the ideas they spread during the slave revolt would spread to the Southern states and would influence the slaves in the United States after seeing how successful the Haitian slave revolt was. Additionally, the aspect of racism against the first black republic played a part in the U.S.’s policy of isolationism. However, by the 1900s, the United States grew to have a major role in Haitian affairs. The U.S. was Haiti’s biggest trade partner and occupied Haiti between 1915 and 1938. The U.S. took control of the collection of revenues, banks, and forced a new constitution which repealed the 1804 provision that foreigners could not own land. Education remained similar, so schools continued to be taught in French language and structure, but there was an increase in literacy. Later on, the Duvaliers controlled an economically unstable Haiti between 1957 and 1986 with support from the United States.
Throughout the United States’ supervision of Haiti, there were improvements to infrastructure. In this, more roads and bridges were built, irrigation canals were rehabilitated, there was an increase hospitals, schools, and public buildings, and drinking water was brought to the city. Despite these developments, the negative aspects of U.S. intervention far outweigh the benefits. The U.S. held veto power over governmental decisions, overruling the Haitian people, $500,000 of gold was removed from Haitian treasury, US marines were largely racist toward the native population, and, most importantly, U.S. occupation of Haiti caused a major loss of Haitian autonomy and self-determination.[3]
The brutality and corruption occurring in Haiti at the time creates a difficult moral dilemma for the United States, as it seems necessary to intervene in Haiti. However, the U.S. did not have purely selfless intentions for the benefit of Haiti, but, rather, it was a strategy to protect the U.S., while shaping Haiti into the country that they choose – not one that the Haitian people choose. The U.S. needed to understand Haitian culture and the citizens living in Haiti. Much of the outside world viewed Haitians as lazy, primitive, and as lower class because a lot of pictures of Haitians without any clothes, walking around with swords, completing mysterious Vodou rituals, and living in straw houses.[4] At the same time, the U.S. did not fully recognize the importance of self-sufficiency for a country. If the U.S. were to use different methods of intervention, U.S. involvement could definitely be supportive for Haiti; however, constant supervision is not beneficial for Haiti’s future.
One other main factor in Haiti’s lack of progress as a nation is their recurrent lack of unity and peace. Adam Hochschild points to the fact that Haitians have limited experience with democracy. Leaders came to power by defeating the current dictator, so there was no history of a peaceful transfers of power. The consequences of the Haitian Revolution not only include Dessalines’ detrimental scorched earth policy, but also the continued cycle of violence and a precedent for poor leadership. The revolution was preceded by years of built up repression and indignation. Toussaint Louverture exemplified the violent transfers of political powers within Haiti. Louverture seemed like an outlier, but he was determined and had business contacts in U.S. along with bank accounts. He managed affairs well with large organizational capacity; however, he also allowed Haiti to sink into instability and violence.[5] Also, the aspect of a racial hierarchy, or judgement based on the amount of whiteness in a family line or the lightness of skin, majorly held Haiti back as a nation. Haitians outnumbered whites 12-1, but few had military experiences. The main issue was they had no long-term vision or unification. At the same time, anybody threatening to Toussaint ended up dead or deported.
Toussaint rose to power as a dictator and the introduction of Europeans and non-native populations brought disease to Haiti as well as unsanitary conditions. Poverty crippled Haiti due to the loss of skilled workers and because of the independence debt faced by Haiti. Prior to 1915, Haiti had 25 presidents since 1815; Seven of those presidencies took place after 1900. Haiti was plagued by political instability, corruption, and violence. Although a sovereign nation, Haiti’s focus on race exacerbated the tremendous poverty; Haiti became the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. At one point, Saint Domingue was the sugar capital of the world and the richest colony in West Indies, but the continued cycle of violence and disunity were played major parts in Haiti’s political and economic instability.
[1] Simpson, Alisdair, prod. "Papa Doc: Haiti's President for Life." In Evolution of Evil. ZDF. September 17, 2015.
[2] Nestor, Michelet. "The Haitian Diaspora’s Potential." Haiti Liberte. August 30, 2018. Accessed March 02, 2019. https://haitiliberte.com/the-haitian-diasporas-potential/.
[3] Dubois, Laurent. Haiti: The Aftershocks of History. New York, NY: Picador, 2013.
[4] Schmidt, David. "Cannibals and Savages: Racism and Images of Haiti." Canadian Dimension. August 14, 2012. Accessed March 02, 2019. https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/cannibals-and-savages.
[5] Égalité for All: Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution. Directed by Noland Walker. Performed by Edwidge Danticat, Jacques Derosena, and Krystel Roche. Youtube. 2009. Accessed March 2, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOGVgQYX6SU.
Works Cited
Dubois, Laurent. Haiti: The Aftershocks of History. New York, NY: Picador, 2013.
Égalité for All: Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution. Directed by Noland Walker. Performed by Edwidge Danticat, Jacques Derosena, and Krystel Roche. Youtube. 2009. Accessed March 2, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOGVgQYX6SU.
Nestor, Michelet. "The Haitian Diaspora’s Potential." Haiti Liberte. August 30, 2018. Accessed March 02, 2019. https://haitiliberte.com/the-haitian-diasporas-potential/.
Schmidt, David. "Cannibals and Savages: Racism and Images of Haiti." Canadian Dimension. August 14, 2012. Accessed March 02, 2019. https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/cannibals-and-savages.
Simpson, Alisdair, prod. "Papa Doc: Haiti's President for Life." In Evolution of Evil. ZDF. September 17, 2015.
Égalité for All: Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution. Directed by Noland Walker. Performed by Edwidge Danticat, Jacques Derosena, and Krystel Roche. Youtube. 2009. Accessed March 2, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOGVgQYX6SU.
Nestor, Michelet. "The Haitian Diaspora’s Potential." Haiti Liberte. August 30, 2018. Accessed March 02, 2019. https://haitiliberte.com/the-haitian-diasporas-potential/.
Schmidt, David. "Cannibals and Savages: Racism and Images of Haiti." Canadian Dimension. August 14, 2012. Accessed March 02, 2019. https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/cannibals-and-savages.
Simpson, Alisdair, prod. "Papa Doc: Haiti's President for Life." In Evolution of Evil. ZDF. September 17, 2015.