Red And Black In Haiti Chapter Summary

In the book Red and Black in Haiti: Radicalism, Conflict, and Political Change, 1934-1957, author Matthew J. Smith discussed the radical political changes that occurred during the post-occupation years in Haiti. It focused mainly from the period of the Vincent presidency to the dictatorship of Francois Duvalier. Other important themes include the rise of Marxism and how it became vital in many socialist and communist political groups. The author stated that “the book’s central thesis is that various radical movements issued a powerful challenge to the country’s political traditions and transformed its political culture” (Smith, 3). Throughout the book, the thesis is somewhat clearly supported with various sources such as interviews and books

The reasons are because the history of this period of political upheaval is hard to understand. There are different political groups that come along that all have different desires for the nation. Most of these groups were either composed of communists or socialists who advocated for the working class laborers. In chapter one, the author discusses the regime of President Vincent. He includes information on how Vincent catered to the elite in Haiti and how “he used the Garde d’ Haiti to effectively silence his opposition” (Smith, 13). This would lead to the rise of Marxism and influential figures such as communist leader Jacques Roman and socialist leader Max Hudicourt. Both men pushed for the rights of workers but they were soon imprisoned by the Vincent regime. The author explains the reason for Hudicourt’s arrest was due to letters that the Haitian government claimed as a plan “to overthrow the government” (Smith, 18). Vincent would later resign from office due to anti-corruption protests and outrage from