ABSTRACT
The years from 1794 to 1800 were characterized by complex and intriguing power struggles among the various factions and class interests in the colony to determine who would finally control it. The Spanish and the English had invaded Saint-Domingue. The French colonial officials and general officers in charge of the colonial army wanted to repulse the foreign armies and restore full control over the colony. The struggle between English and French capitalism to take over India ended in victory for the English, and Bonaparte at once turned his attention to the colonies. With the French eliminated from the national scene, the military state tackled the questions of what to do with the properties they left behind and how to reorganize the economy. After the departure of the French, many mulattoes improved their economic position by inheriting or claiming lands belonging to French planters to whom they were legitimately or illegitimately related.
