Review: "Detailed and useful history of US intervention in Haiti (1915-34); originally published in 1971, and re-released in 1995 at the time of the US invasion of Haiti. Contains many interesting insights"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 57. http://www.loc.gov/hlas/

Cent douze ans après avoir proclamé son Indépendance, conquise sur l'armée du beau-frère de Napoléon, la République d'Haïti fut soudain occupée par l'armée des Etats-Unis, en juillet 1915. L'occupation dura 19 ans. Comment en est-on arrivé là ? Que venaient faire les Américains racistes dans un pays pauvre et peuplé de descendants d'esclaves africains ? Comment furent-ils accueillis ? Quelle furent les conséquences pour le pays ? L'ouvrage apporte nombre d'informations nouvelles sur cet événement de l'histoire d'Haïti et propose une explication des causes de son échec.

Clash of Cultures retraces the United States intervention and occupation of Haiti for two decades, 1915-1934 and highlights the patterns of racism which permeated educational aims and objectives pursued by American bureaucrats.

"Consistent American intervention and imperialist foreign policy has cast a long shadow over the development and geopolitical context of the Caribbean and Latin America. In order to place the United States Occupation of Haiti (1915-1934) and the related historical dynamics in context, attention must first be focused on the nature of the United States interventions and imperialism in the Caribbean and South America. A broad scope is necessary to understand the involvement of the United States in Haiti as part of a larger pattern in the region. The experience of the neighboring Dominican Republic is closest to Haiti s regarding a parallel military presence" -- back cover.

A passionate and insightful account by a leading historian of Haiti that traces the sources of the country's devastating present back to its turbulent and traumatic history Even before the 2010 earthquake destroyed much of the country, Haiti was known as a benighted place of poverty and corruption. Maligned and misunderstood, the nation has long been blamed by many for its own wretchedness. But as acclaimed historian Laurent Dubois makes clear, Haiti's troubled present can only be understood by examining its complex past. The country's difficulties are inextricably rooted in its founding revolution—the only successful slave revolt in the history of the world; the hostility that this rebellion generated among the colonial powers surrounding the island nation; and the intense struggle within Haiti itself to define its newfound freedom and realize its promise. Dubois vividly depicts the isolation and impoverishment that followed the 1804 uprising. He details how the crushing indemnity imposed by the former French rulers initiated a devastating cycle of debt, while frequent interventions by the United States—including a twenty-year military occupation—further undermined Haiti's independence. At the same time, Dubois shows, the internal debates about what Haiti should do with its hard-won liberty alienated the nation's leaders from the broader population, setting the stage for enduring political conflict. Yet as Dubois demonstrates, the Haitian people have never given up on their struggle for true democracy, creating a powerful culture insistent on autonomy and equality for all. Revealing what lies behind the familiar moniker of "the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere," this indispensable book illuminates the foundations on which a new Haiti might yet emerge.