{
  "id": "93-931",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "93-931",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 305940,
      "date": "1993-10-22",
      "retrieved": "2016-05-24T21:04:54.616941",
      "title": "Haiti: Background to the 1991 Overthrow of President Aristide",
      "summary": "The overthrow of Haiti's first democratically elected president in September 1991 propelled Haiti\ninto its worst crisis since popular protests brought down the 29-year dictatorship of the Duvalier\nfamily in 1986. Father Jean-Bertrand Aristide was elected President of Haiti in a landslide victory\non December 16, 1990, in what was widely heralded as the first free and fair election in the country's\n186-year history. A Catholic priest of the radical left, he was inaugurated on February 7, 1991, and\noverthrown by the military on September 30.\n  Politics in Haiti have been generally violent and authoritarian, ever since Haiti became an\nindependent republic in 1804. The legacy of despotic rulers has been difficult to overcome. \n  The United States intervened in Haiti in 1915 to stop civil strife and prevent Germany from\nestablishing a foothold. The U.S. Marines occupied Haiti until 1934, overseeing public works, tax\ncollection, treasury management, and the development of a native Haitian Constabulary which was\nHaiti's first professional military force. While many of these contributions were welcomed and\nmuch needed, many Haitians deeply resented the U.S. presence as an affront to Haitian sovereignty. \n  From 1957 through 1986, Francois Duvalier and his son Jean-Claude rule Haiti for nearly 30\nyears, leaving behind a legacy of repression and corruption. After Duvalier's ouster in 1986, a series\nof short-lived governments, most military-dominated, ruled through 1990.\n  This report provides background information on the violent and authoritarian traditions that\nhave characterized Haiti's political dynamics since Haiti attained independence in 1804. It examines\nHaiti's difficult path toward democracy after the fall of the Duvalier regime, from numerous\nshort-lived governments until the election of Aristide in December 1990. Finally, the report also\nbriefly surveys Aristide's rule from February 1991 until his subsequent overthrow by the Haitian\nmilitary 8 months later, in September 1991.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
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          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/93-931",
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          "filename": "files/19931022_93-931_051def0912af742f2aa5ecbcdcf5d0b0abe2554c.html",
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      ],
      "topics": []
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Foreign Affairs"
  ]
}