The West in front of the mirror. Liberalism’s contradictions in (post)colonial terms. The Haitian case (1791-present)

Abstract

The history of Haiti underlines the major contradictions of western liberalism since its inception in the eighteenth century. Those contradictions have lasted up to the present and have become evident in four historical contexts: firstly, the start of the Haitian revolution in August 1791 showed the actual limits of the liberty, equality, and fraternity that French bourgeoisie proclaimed in Paris. Secondly, when the Dominican Republic became independent in February 1844, to get Dominican friendship and control of the area, the United States promised the Dominicans protection against the Haitians, as long as they denied their own African ancestry. Thirdly, the United States continued to interfere in Haitian internal affairs throughout the twentieth century, determining the miserable fate of the country in the following decades. Finally, western intervention in Haiti since the 1980s, ostensibly inspired by the wish to guarantee political, economic, and social freedom, has turned the country into a puppet of foreign interests. The Haitian case underlines the contradictions of liberalism, especially in connection to its postcolonial legacies in the Third World.