The Haitian Revolution caused an ideological upheaval that began to threaten the world order that upheld the beliefs of many Americans and other white people that they used to justify the act of slavery. After the success of the revolution, the establishment of Haiti as the first, independent ‘black state’ struck terror in the hearts of those who feared that it would inspire more enslaved people to rebel. The United States, in particular, viewed Haiti’s new independence as a threat. Haiti proved that a slave rebellion could, in fact, be successful, which was a precedent that the U.S. did not want to be set for fear that it would disrupt the very lucrative system of slavery that a large part of the U.S. economy relied on for another half century after the Haitian Revolution. In order to maintain this system, as many white Americans were desperate to do, the United States began a long-lasting pattern of undermining and obstructing Haiti’s growth as a country. For many decades following Haiti’s independence, the US refused to acknowledge the new nation and many other countries followed suit. This caused a series of obstacles in the development of Haiti as an independent nation that were difficult to foresee. As the United States continued to refuse to acknowledge Haiti as a state until 1862 and France demanded the Haitian government repay the loss of French “property,” which consisted of the enslaved people that fought for their freedom, the new nation took economic hit after hit. Haiti’s susceptibility to natural disasters, like the earthquake in 2010, has also put a major strain on the nation’s development, as Haiti is forced to rely on foreign aid (Dupuy, 68). As a result, it has been incredibly difficult for Haiti to recover socially from the imprint of slavery on the nation’s past, economically from the demanded reparations from the French, and even environmentally from the mass deforestation that occurred so French colonists could build Saint Dominique’s plantations. 

       
      The Haitian Revolution started in 1791

The ROC came to being after the end of a civil war in China between Mao Zedong’s communist party and the Kuomintang (KMT) democratic party. The war began in 1927 and was not summarily lost until 1949 when the remaining KMT party members fled mainland China and established an independent, democratic in Taiwan. Since that day, China has refused to acknowledge that independence, instead, maintaining that the island of Taiwan is under Chinese control and referring to the ROC as “Chinese Taipei.”  Most notably, during the Beijing Olympics, Taiwanese athletes could only participate in the events by allowing the Chinese government and news coverage to say they were representing Chinese Taipei, not the ROC or even Taiwan. As discussed in detail previously, China has pointedly endeavored to undermine the ROC's independence, and, as of now, they have been succeeding. Most countries that have any form of interaction with Taiwan do so with carefully worded stiltedness, never willing to slip up and refer to Taiwan as separate from China. 
                                                         
                                                            Chinese Taipei's Olympic Flag

Due to the circumstances surrounding these two vastly different countries declaring their independence, they alienated countries that were considerably more powerful both economically and politically. This has caused a series of difficulties ranging from economic stagnation to diplomatic roadblocks. It took Haiti over fifty years to be recognized as an independent state by internationally influential superpowers like the US. Unfortunately, the paternalistic view the US has taken of Haiti since then has framed Haiti as an unruly and unwelcome burden to the international community. Similarly, Taiwan continues to struggle for acknowledgment of its independence almost eighty years after its split from mainland China. China’s insistence that Taiwan is not an independent nation has cut them out of the international stage and has ensured that the only way many countries will have any kind of interaction with the ROC is by jumping through a series of complicated hoops so as not to anger China. Despite the work of outside forces, both Haiti and Taiwan have maintained their independence through, at times, sheer force of will alone. Haiti continues to refuse to break under the pressure from the US, while Taiwan follows the example by not breaking under China's pressure. The relationship between these two countries has kept their resilience solid in their independence.