Significance of Haitian Revolution

Haiti was the most prosperous of all the French colonies during the period of slavery. The production of sugar, coffee and other agricultural products brought tremendous profits to the colonial landowners on the island of Hispaniola, which today encompasses both the Dominican Republic and Haiti. At the time of an uprising on Aug. 14, 1791, led by Boukman, more than 500,000 enslaved Africans and thousnads more free blacks and people of mixed race lived in Haiti. During the rebellion of 1791, more than 200 sugar plantations, 600 coffee plantations and 200 indigo plantations were liberated bythe haitian masses. Some 12,000 people died during this period, including 2,000 European settlers. For three centuries, French, Spanish and British colonialists competed for dominance over the island. At the time of Haiti's independence from France in 1804, Spain still controlled the island's eastern part.
The slave owners of the United States and of Britain's colonies in the Caribbean saw the haitian revolution as a serious threat to their system. In 1799, Edward Stevens, the U.S. consul general to France's colony there, wrote to Gen. Thomas Maitland, commander in chief of the British Expeditionary Force, warning that Britain's colony of Jamaica as well as the United States were in danger of an invasion by the armed forces of Gen. Toussaint Louverture.
After the proclamation of independence on Jan. 1, 1804, France and the United States both blockaded Haiti. France refused to recognize the Republic of of Haiti and in 1825 the Haitians had to begin paying "indemnity" to the former colonial ower for claims related to the destruction and seizure of the slave masters' property during the revolutionary period of 1791-1803.
France's defeat in haiti caused tremendous financial losses for the colonial power, prompting it to sell land -- the Lousiana Purchase -- that allowed the U.S. to expand its control over lare sections of North America.
The U.S. position at the time was ex-emplified by South Carolina Sen. Robert V. Hayne, woho said that "Our policy with regard to Haiti is plain. We never can acknowledge her independence." ("Haiti: A Slave Revolution," p. 104)
It was not until 1862, during the Civil War, that the U.S. recognized Haiti. However, France maintained economic dominance over Haiti during the 19th century. When the Haitian National Bank was established in the 1880s, it was overseen by French officers and financed with French capital.
France remained the principal neocolonial power in haiti until 1915, when the U.S. invaded and occupied the country. A guerrilla campaign organized by the Haitian masses was crushed by the U.S. imperialists. Even after the Roosevelt administration withdrew from Haiti in 1934, the U.S. continued to have enormous influence inside the country.

The regimes of Papa Doc and Baby Doc Duvalier further extended the exploitation of haitian labor and state militarization from the 1950;s through the 1980's. the Haitian masses rose up in rebellion in February 1986 and forced the resignation of the Duvalier regime. However, the absence of a well-organized political party or coalition allowd the military to take the reins of power.
The social process that unfolded from 1986 to 1990 saw a sharpening of the political situation inside the country. In 1990 a former priest, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, was elected to office with the overwelming support of the working class and the poor.
President Aristide was overthrown by the U.S.-trained and CIA-backed haitian military in 1991.
The Aristide government had not come to power through force of arms. As soon as he sent volunteers to Scandinavian countries for military training, the army and police pushed Aristide aside. Presumably for his safety, the U.S flew him to the mainland. Aristide continued to push for the restoration of his government while living in exile in the United States.
A naval blockade set up in 1992 under the first Bush administration to prevent Haitians from entering Florida was continued under the Clinton Presidency. This racist immigration policy is still enforced.
The U.S. restored Aristide to the presidency in 1994 on condition that he would remain in office for just one year. In December 1995, whith only 25 percent of the voters going to the polls, Rene Preval was elected.
In 2000, the popular Aristide ran again and was elected, to the great consternation of the United States. In 2003, opposition parties suported by the U.S. engaged in a massive destabilization campaign against the Aristide government, including military attacks on government offices.
On Feb. 29, 2004, U.S. military forces kidnapped president Aristide and deposed his government. Under the guise of a humanitarian mission, thusands of imperialist troups from the U.S, France and Canada occupied haiti.
The U.S. flew President Aristide to the Central African Republic...

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