|
Haiti THE MILITARY IN HAITIAN HISTORY
The origins of Haiti's military lie in the country's
revolution
(see The Haitian Revolution
, ch. 6). A decade
of
warfare produced a military cadre from which Haiti's early
leaders emerged. Defeat of the French demonstrated Haiti's
considerable strategic stamina and tactical capabilities,
but
Haiti's victory did not translate into a successful
national
government or a strong economy. Lacking a strong
constitution,
Haiti was usually ruled by force. The armed forces, who
had been
united against the French, fragmented into warring
regional
factions. The military very soon took control of almost
every
aspect of Haitian life. Officers assumed responsibility
for the
administration of justice and for municipal management.
According
to a Haitian diplomat, the country was in its earlier days
"an
immense military camp." Without viable civilian
institutions,
Haiti was vulnerable to military personalities, who
permanently
shaped the nation's authoritarian, personalist, and
coercive
style of governance.
During the latter half of the nineteenth century, the
army
either failed to protect the central government or
directly
caused the government's collapse. Rural insurgent
movements led
by piquets and cacos limited the central
government's authority in outlying areas. These groups
carried on
war into the twentieth century; they were finally put down
by the
United States Marines in 1919.
Prolonged instability weakened the military. By the end
of
the nineteenth century, Haiti's military had become little
more
than an undisciplined, ill-fed, and poorly paid militia
that
shifted its allegiances as battles were won or lost and as
new
leaders came to power. Between 1806 and 1879, an estimated
sixtynine revolts against existing governments took place;
another
twenty uprisings, or attempted insurrections, broke out
between
1908 and 1915. At the beginning of the twentieth century,
Haiti's
political problems attracted increasing foreign
involvement.
France, Germany, and the United States were the major
actors; the
latter occupied the country in 1915
(see The United States Occupation, 1915-34
, ch. 6). During the occupation, the
United
States made an unsuccessful attempt to modernize Haiti's
armed
forces.
The United States Marines disbanded Haiti's army, which
consisted of an estimated 9,000 men, including 308
generals. In
February 1916, the Haitian Constabulary (Gendarmerie
d'Haïti) was
formed. United States Marine and United States Navy
officers and
noncommissioned officers (NCOs) commanded the group. The
Gendarmerie attempted to secure public safety, initially
by
subduing the cacos; to promote development,
particularly
road construction; and to modernize the military through
the
introduction of a training structure, a health service,
and other
improvements.
The United States administration of Haiti (1915-34)
brought
order and resulted in some economic and social
development. At
the same time, the United States overhauled Haiti's
disintegrated
military infrastructure. The Gendarmerie became the Garde
d'Haïti
in 1928; the Garde formed the core of Haiti's armed forces
after
the United States administration ended. The United States
sought
to establish a modern, apolitical military force in Haiti.
On the
surface, it succeeded; the organization, the training, and
the
equipment of the Garde all represented improvements over
the
military conditions existing before the occupation. What
the
United States did not (and probably could not) reform was
the
basic authoritarian inclination of Haitian society, an
inclination antithetical to the goal of military
depoliticization.
Data as of December 1989
|
