ABSTRACT
This case study describes Haiti’s transition from the richest colony in the New World in the eighteenth century to one of the poorest countries in the twentieth century. Large plantations were subdivided into subsistence plots in the early nineteenth century, and subsequent environmental degradation through deforestation and erosion destroyed formerly productive lands. Haiti’s precipitous economic decline, however, took place after the colonial powers—Spain, France, and the United States—had left, most notoriously under the three-decade-long rule of the Duvalier family. The Duvaliers feared and persecuted the educated elites who might contest their rule, causing an exodus of educated Haitians. The Duvaliers’ hopes for economic development based on tourism, labor-intensive exports, and foreign aid could not keep up with population growth. Their overthrow, however, brought political instability that undermined hopes for prosperity. Despite a stable international security environment, a rich endowment in natural resources, and proximity to the U.S. market, Haiti has been unable to move beyond a tradition of strongman rule and highly flawed political leadership.
