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History
1804: Independence
Freed blacks
and mulattos joined with slaves against Napoleonic France to achieve
the Caribbean's first successful revolution for independence. The largely black
nation remained isolated politically throughout the 19th century, though
penetrated economically by international capitalism.
1915-1934: U.S.
Occupation
From July 28,
1915 until mid-August 1934, Haiti was under the occupation of the U.S. Marine
Corps, effectively making Haiti a colony in all but name.
Efforts were made to improve Haiti's
infrastructure and education systems in particular, but because of the imposed
nature of these reforms, with little regard for Haitian customs or traditions,
these generally were not well-received or especially effective.
The Rise of Duvalier
A medical doctor, François Duvalier was not allowed to establish
his own practice due to racist customs in Haiti (he was black). After
securing employment with an American medical project that was fighting
widespread tuberculosis, Duvalier had the opportunity to see the poverty that
existed in the countryside.
This fueled his interest in
politics, and despite the fact that the Haitian government was predominantly
mulatto, Duvalier was able to gain a following and joined forces with powerful
union leader Daniel Fignole. Together they formed the popular Mouvement
Ouvriers Paysans (MOP) party. They continued to gain public support and
waited for their moment to seize the power.
Both men wanted to take the
top job of President, therefore the party was split and in 1957 Fignole became
president of Haiti.
His position lasted only 18 days, however, because Duvalier was able to
overthrow him and began what was to become a 29-year dynasty.
1957-1986: Duvaliers and Aborted freeport
Duvalier, also known as
"Papa Doc," became president in 1957 and dictator in 1964. He was known for his
army of sunglasses-clad volunteers, the Tonton
Macoute. In 1967
proposals were made to construct a free port
on the Haitian island of Tortuga by a consortium formed in the United States
by Don Pierson
of Eastland,
Texas.
These plans reached
maturity in 1971
when a 99-year contract was entered into by François Duvalier on behalf of the
Haitian government. Although construction of infastructure and a new
international airport was commenced, two other events brought about the sudden
demise of the whole venture. When François Duvalier suddenly died in 1971 his son Jean-Claude Duvalier ("Baby
Doc") took over at the age of 19. The advisers soon concluded that Haiti needed a
new image to attract economic assistance, tourism, and investment. In 1974 it became known that
the freeport
had entered into a multimillion dollar contract with the Gulf Oil
corporation to advance development on the island. This news prompted "Baby
Doc" to expropriate the venture for himself, under prompting from his advisors
including his mother, Simone Ovide Duvalier; Defense and Gen. Claude Raymond,
commander of the army, and his brother, Foreign Minister Adrien Raymond; and
Minister of Coordination and Information Fritz Cinéas. This move by the regency
caused the collapse of the freeport
venture.
Under the Baby Doc regime
some political prisoners were released, press censorship eased, and a policy of
"gradual democratization of institutions" was professed. But in fact
no sharp changes from previous policies occurred. No political opposition was
tolerated, and all important political officials and judges were still
appointed by the president. Haiti
continued a semi-isolationist approach to foreign relations, although the
government actively solicited foreign aid. In 1980 Duvalier married Michèle
Bennett, who later supplanted his hard-line mother in Haitian politics. In the
face of increasing social unrest, however, Duvalier and his wife left the
country early in 1986, leaving the entire country in poverty and lacking international
commercial development. A six-member council replaced Duvalier when he fled to
southern France, where he
lived in luxury in Cannes
until his wife left him and took his children and most of their cash. He now
lives in modest circumstances in Paris.
1986: After Duvalier Regime
After Duvalier fled, US
installed a military regime, The National Council of Government
(CNG), headed by General Henri Namphy.
It was supposed to design a new Constitution and arrange for democratic
elections within two years, but didn't step down until 1990, when Jean-Bertrand Aristide was elected
president. Most of his term was usurped by a military coup d'etat, but he was
able to return to office in 1994 and oversee the installation of a close associate to the
presidency in 1996.
In the late 1970s, a time
of increasing militancy against the brutal regime of Jean-Claude Duvalier,
Aristide urged change and often found himself at odds with his superiors in the
Roman Catholic Church. In 1986, the year Duvalier was driven from power,
Aristide survived the first of many assassination attempts. In 1990, when a
notorious Duvalierist announced his candidacy for president, progressive-centre
forces united to urge Aristide to run for the office. He was elected in Haiti's first
free democratic election on Dec. 16, 1990, with an overwhelming 67% of the
vote. Aristide's campaign motto, "Lavalas" (Creole for
"flood"), became the name for a diverse coalition of parties that
symbolized hope for the Haitian people (80% of whom earned less than $150 a
year). In his seven months as president in 1991, Aristide proposed raising the
minimum wage, initiated a literacy campaign, dismantled the repressive system
of rural section chiefs, and oversaw a drastic reduction in human rights
violations. A coup on Sept. 30, 1991, led by the military and financed by
members of Haiti's
elite, declared that such reforms would not be tolerated. The coup's leaders:
General Raul Cedras, Colonel Michel Francois, and general Philippe Biamby, were
all graduates of the US Army School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Georgia. After three years of
exile, a U.S.
invasion allowed Aristide to return and resume his presidency on Oct. 15, 1994.
The economy was in shambles, infrastructure almost nonexistent, and more than
4,000 people had been killed. Barred constitutionally from immediate
reelection, he stepped down in 1996. The old Lavalas coalition fractured, and
in November 1996 he launched a new political party, Fanmi Lavalas (Lavalas
Family).
2000-2004: Second Aristide Term and
Ensuing Crises
In May 2000, Haiti held
legislative and local government elections. The Family Lavalas Party won over
50% of the vote in nearly all the contests but a dispute arose about the method
used to tabulate the percentages for the Senate elections. The Organization of American States
(OAS) and the international community condemned the results for the Senate
elections as fradulent. The Haitian government refused to re-calculate the
percentages. In response, most of the opposition parties refused to acknowledge
the results or take part in second-round run-offs. In the months leading up to
the Presidential election at the end of the year, numerous negotiations failed
to produce a settlement. Therefore, most opposition groups boycotted the
Presidential election. Aristide won this election by a 90% popular vote, but
due to the earlier dispute, the opposition parties never accepted his victory
as legitimate.
Aristide took office on February 7,
2001, but his presidency
was mired in controversy, and his government was undermined by the political
impasse and the use of armed gangs, called 'chimeres', to enforce his rule. By 2003, the country was
deeply divided between pro-and anti-Aristide camps. This finally led to an
armed conflict which increased in intensity on February 5,
2004, 200 years after the Haitian Revolution, when an armed rebel group
calling itself the Revolutionary Artibonite Resistance
Front took control of the Gonaïves
police station. This rebellion then spread throughout the central Artibonite
province by February 17 and was joined by opponents of the
government who had been in exile in the Dominican Republic.
In a coup d'etat on February 29,
2004, the United States
overthrew Haiti's
democratically elected government. Aristide was forced to resign as President
of Haiti and was allowed to flee to Central African Republic. The coup was
supported by the United States of America,
France, and Canada.
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