Haitian president Francois Duvalier won Haiti presidential election in 1957. Before he became president of Haiti, Francois practiced medicine, mainly in the rural sections of the country. His main mission was helping the poor fight typhus and other epidemic diseases. He was appointed to several high positions in Haiti before becoming president, one of which was minister of health and labor.

Francois Duvalier married Simone Ovide in 1939, his long time girlfriend and confident. This love of his life lasted a lifetime. Many argued that Simone Ovide was his only soft part.

Duvalier governed the country of Haiti as a dictator. He did not forget anything or forgive any one. He also installed fear and intimidation to the population in order to maintain power.

Many observers of Haiti concluded that Haiti experienced its biggest erosion in education during the reign of Francois Duvalier. Many of the educated and professional Haitians fled the country because they represented a danger to his government. Many countries like New York and Miami in the US, Canada and France benefited directly from these highly educated Haitians who migrated by the thousands.

It is Gilbert K. Chesterton who said: " Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another"

He revived the Haitian voodoo all over Haiti to create fear in most Haitians. He also publicly expressed his belief in Voodoo. Most people came to see him as mysterious. Napoleon Bonaparte said: " Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich"

Francois Duvalier was not forgiven to his opposition. Many were assassinated, disappeared or exiled. After several attempts were made to remove him from power, Francois Duvalier decided to consolidate his power and his grip on Haiti. One of his major tasks was to restructure the Haitian military which was done in 1958. He rewrote the Haitian constitution to support his reelection in 1961. He proclaimed himself as president for life.

Why do you think Francois proclaimed himself President for Life?

At this time, Duvalier saw the Haitian military as a threat to his power. To counter balance the power of the Haitian army, he created the "Milice de Volontaires de la Securite National" (VSN). The paramilitary group "Haitian Tonton Macoute" was able to operate without any restraint, terrorizing the Haitian population during the Duvalier reign. It is estimated that close to 30,000 Haitians were killed by the Duvalier regime.

During the Duvalier government, US-Haiti relationship was not always cordial. According to political analysts at the time, the Kennedy administration was disturbed by the level of violence, political repression and the misappropriation of foreign aids that was taking place under the Duvalier regime. Toward the end of Kennedy's administration, all aids going to Haiti were suspended. Following Kennedy's assassination, the US decided to work more closely with the Duvalier government as communism in Cuba represented a bigger and more imminent problem to the US.

Can you list some of the accomplishments of Francois Duvalier?

Do you think Francois Duvalier was a good or a bad leader for Haiti and why?

How would you rate his pro "Noirist" policy?

How would you evaluate Duvalier's policy vis-à-vis the Haitian mulatos?

Was the policy against the US a smart one?

Was Duvalier policy against Cuba a calculated risk?

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