Haiti
Subtitle: the aftershocks of history
By: Laurent Dubois
Edition: 1st ed.
Publisher: Metropolitan Books
Published: 2012
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 434
ISBN-13: 9780805093353
Subjects: History
Description: Even before the 2010 earthquake, Haiti was known as a benighted place of poverty and corruption, and has often been blamed for its own wretchedness. But as historian Laurent Dubois makes clear, its difficulties are rooted in its founding revolution, the only successful slave revolt in the history of the world; the hostility that this rebellion generated among the colonial powers; and the intense struggle within Haiti itself to define its newfound freedom and realize its promise. Dubois vividly depicts the isolation and impoverishment that followed the 1804 uprising. He details how the indemnity imposed by the former French rulers initiated a devastating cycle of debt, while frequent interventions by the United States further undermined Haiti's independence. At the same time, Dubois shows, the internal debates about what Haiti should do with its hard-won liberty alienated the nation's leaders from the broader population, setting the stage for enduring political conflict. Yet the Haitian people have never given up on their struggle for true democracy.--From publisher description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [371]-413) and index.
Table of contents: title: Independence; title: The Citadel; title: Stalemate; title: The sacrifice; title: Looking north; title: Occupation; title: Second independence; title: An immaterial being.