INTL 190 - Haiti in a Transnational Context

Introduction

Haiti’s significant population comprises black Haitians. During the 19th century, Haiti was involved in a lot of conflicts with the US and the UK. The two western nations were looking forward to controlling Haiti and enforcing their policies (Trouillot 75). The US was instrumental in this fight. However, racism, which is common among the Negros in the US, was no different from the whites’ portrayed in Haiti. The Americans introduced strict policies to be followed by the Haitians. According to Plummer (242), in 1915, the US military occupation was launched in Haiti and lasted about two decades. During this time, the American troops prevented and ordered a non-interference order by the Europeans on Haiti and brought the entire country under the rule of the American forces, who directed all the country's affairs. These strict policies brought about a declined pace of economic growth. The measures prompted an increase in racism incidences in the country, bringing about a resurgence of revolts by the Haitians against the Americans. However, by 1930, the Hoover administration accepted changes to the US policy on Latin America regarding ending the expensive interventions in the era of the great depression. One of the main reforms was the substitution of the indigenous armed forces that controlled Haiti and other Latin American nations to US troops and the introduction of the good neighbor policy, which emphasized cooperation and negating coercion. In 1933, under the Hoover administration, the occupation of Haiti was terminated gradually before the reign of president Franklin Roosevelt. This termination saw the American troops control Haiti through a signed treaty. The treaty abolished all the functions of the protectorate except those related to land alienation, financial administration, maintaining law and order, and avoiding the entangling alliances. This treaty created an independent Haiti, free to form relations with other nations. This scalar project seeks to discuss the relations between Haiti and Chile through the lenses of the migration of many Haitians to Chile.
 

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