Background to the Overthrow of President Aristide (CRS Report for Congress)
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| Release Date |
Oct. 22, 1993 |
| Report Number |
93-931 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Maureen Taft-Morales, Foreign Affairs and National Defense Division |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
The overthrow of Haiti's first democratically elected president in September 1991 propelled Haiti
into its worst crisis since popular protests brought down the 29-year dictatorship of the Duvalier
family in 1986. Father Jean-Bertrand Aristide was elected President of Haiti in a landslide victory
on December 16, 1990, in what was widely heralded as the first free and fair election in the country's
186-year history. A Catholic priest of the radical left, he was inaugurated on February 7, 1991, and
overthrown by the military on September 30.
Politics in Haiti have been generally violent and authoritarian, ever since Haiti became an
independent republic in 1804. The legacy of despotic rulers has been difficult to overcome.
The United States intervened in Haiti in 1915 to stop civil strife and prevent Germany from
establishing a foothold. The U.S. Marines occupied Haiti until 1934, overseeing public works, tax
collection, treasury management, and the development of a native Haitian Constabulary which was
Haiti's first professional military force. While many of these contributions were welcomed and
much needed, many Haitians deeply resented the U.S. presence as an affront to Haitian sovereignty.
From 1957 through 1986, Francois Duvalier and his son Jean-Claude rule Haiti for nearly 30
years, leaving behind a legacy of repression and corruption. After Duvalier's ouster in 1986, a series
of short-lived governments, most military-dominated, ruled through 1990.
This report provides background information on the violent and authoritarian traditions that
have characterized Haiti's political dynamics since Haiti attained independence in 1804. It examines
Haiti's difficult path toward democracy after the fall of the Duvalier regime, from numerous
short-lived governments until the election of Aristide in December 1990. Finally, the report also
briefly surveys Aristide's rule from February 1991 until his subsequent overthrow by the Haitian
military 8 months later, in September 1991.
