The U.S. Occupation of Haiti, 1915-1934 (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
May 26, 1994 |
| Report Number |
94-459 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Richard A. Best, Jr., Foreign Affairs and National Defense Division |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
In 1915, the United States undertook a military occupation of Haiti to preempt any European
intervention, to establish order out of civil strife, and to stabilize Haitian finances. During the
nineteen-year occupation, U.S. military and civilian officials, numbering less than 2,500 for the most
part, supervised the collection of taxes and the disbursement of revenues, maintained public order,
and initiated a program of public works. The Haitian government remained in place, but was subject
to U.S. guidance. The Haitian people benefitted from the end of endemic political violence and from
the construction of roads, bridges, and ports as well as from improved access to health care. The
U.S. occupation was, nonetheless, deeply resented throughout Haitian society, and many of its
accomplishments did not long endure its termination in 1934.
