Duvalier dynasty
| Duvalier dynasty | ||||||||||
| Dynastie des Duvalier | ||||||||||
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Motto L'Union Fait La Force (French) "Unity Makes Strength" |
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Anthem La Dessalinienne (French) The Dessalines Song |
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| Capital | Port-au-Prince | |||||||||
| Languages | French, Haitian Creole | |||||||||
| Religion | Roman Catholic, Vodou | |||||||||
| Government | ||||||||||
| President for Life | ||||||||||
| • | 1957–1971 | François Duvalier | ||||||||
| • | 1971–1986 | Jean-Claude Duvalier | ||||||||
| History | ||||||||||
| • | Established | 22 October 1957 | ||||||||
| • | Disestablished | 7 February 1986 | ||||||||
| Currency | Haitian gourde | |||||||||
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The Duvalier dynasty (French: Dynastie des Duvalier) was an authoritarian dictatorship in Haiti that lasted almost twenty-nine years, from 1957 until 1986, spanning two generations of a single family.
Direct elections, the first in Haiti's history, were held in October 1950, and Paul Magloire, an elite black Colonel in the military, was elected. Hurricane Hazel hit the island in 1954, which devastated the nation's infrastructure and economy. Hurricane relief was inadequately distributed and misspent, and Magloire jailed opponents and shut down newspapers. After refusing to step down after his term ended, a general strike shut down Port-au-Prince's economy, and Magloire fled, leaving the government in a state of chaos. When elections were finally organized, François Duvalier, a rural doctor, was elected, on a platform of activism on behalf of Haiti's poor.
Duvalier produced a constitution to solidify power, and replaced the bicameral legislature with a unicameral one. In 1964, Duvalier declared himself President-for-Life and changed the color of the national flag and arms from red and blue to red and black. He fired the chief of the military and established a Presidential Guard to maintain his power. He also established the Volontaires de la Sécurité Nationale (National Security Volunteers), commonly referred to as the Tonton Macoute, named after a bogeyman in Haitian mythology. The Tonton Macoute became Haiti's secret police, and had pervasive influence throughout Haiti's rural countryside. Duvalier used his newly gained influence in the military to establish his own elite. Corruption was endemic, and he stole money from government agencies to reward officials loyal to him. Duvalier also exploited popular Vodou beliefs, creating a cult of personality surrounding himself, claiming to be a houngan (a sorcerer). Due to his repressive and authoritarian rule, U.S. President John F. Kennedy revoked aid and recalled Marine Corps missions in 1962. However, after the assassination of Kennedy, relations with Duvalier eased, partially due to Haiti's strategic location near Cuba.
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