"Matthew Smith boldly goes where no one has been before. He argues that the period from 1934 to 1957 was an era of rapid and radical transformation in Haitian polity and culture. Smith provides us with critical, cogent, and intelligent explanations about those lost years hitherto neglected by scholarship. He gives us a big book that, on its own, will transform the course of Haitian studies. Red and Black in Haiti is destined to become a modern classic."--Patrick Bellegarde-Smith, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
Argues that the period from 1934 until the rise of dictator Francois 'Papa Doc' Duvalier to the presidency in 1957 constituted modern Haiti's greatest moment of political promise. This title emphasizes the key role that radical groups, particularly Marxists and black nationalists, played in shaping contemporary Haitian history.
This title provides a full political history of postoccupation Haiti. In 1934, the republic of Haiti celebrated its 130th anniversary as an independent nation. In that year, too, another sort of Haitian independence occurred, as the United States ended nearly two decades of occupation. In the first comprehensive political history of postoccupation Haiti, Matthew Smith argues that the period from 1934 until the rise of dictator Francois 'Papa Doc' Duvalier to the presidency in 1957 constituted modern Haiti's greatest moment of political promise.Smith emphasizes the key role that radical groups, particularly Marxists and black nationalists, played in shaping contemporary Haitian history. These movements transformed Haiti's political culture, widened political discourse, and presented several ideological alternatives for the nation's future. They were doomed, however, by a combination of intense internal rivalries, pressures from both state authorities and the traditional elite class, and the harsh climate of U.S. anticommunism. Ultimately, the political activism of the era failed to set Haiti firmly on the path to a strong independent future.
“Thorough, exhaustive and authoritative.-- The Nation”
"One of the most significant, insightful, and decisive contemporary studies of the period. Painstakingly researched, meticulously documented, tightly argued, and well written. It is a singular contribution to the history of postoccupation Haiti." - Alex Dupuy, Wesleyan University"
MATTHEW J. SMITH is a lecturer in the Department of History and Archaeology at the University of the West Indies at Mona, Jamaica.
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