The Legacy of Revolution on Haiti - Essay Example

Did the legacy of Haiti’s revolution have any influence on the objectives, as well as outcome, of the Lavalas Movement? The Lavalas movement of the early 1990s under the charismatic leadership of Jean Bertrand Aristide proved to be a landmark in the history of Haiti after the Haitian revolution. The major goal of the Lavalas movement was to bring about radical changes in Haiti’s political and economic structure. As Miles and Charles have rightly pointed out, “the Lavalas movement endeavored to create a moderate social democracy in Haiti and was in direct contradiction to the imperatives of U.

S policy” (Miles & Charles 125). The movement received a wide level of recognition and support among the urban youths and the marginalized urban poor. In the same way, supporters of the movement included diverse grassroots organizations from the rural areas and provincial cities, peasant organizations, civic, political, and economic networks, and professional cadres. The proponents of the movement also aimed at dismantling dictatorship and building “a democratic state that prioritized the demands of the excluded and exploited majority and their full participation in deciding the agenda of their communities and of the nation” (Dupuy 91).

A critical evaluation of the movement convinces one that the legacy of Haiti’s revolution has had a great influence on the objectives, as well as outcome, of the Lavalas movement and this calls for the need to unearth the influences of the Haitian revolution on the Lavalas movement. The Haitian Revolution has often been regarded as the most successful rebellion initiated by the slaves in 1791that culminated in the abolition of slavery and French domination. In fact, the revolutionaries were influenced by the French revolution itself and fought for equality, fraternity and liberty.

Even though the Haitian revolution was proved to be successful, poverty was political and economic instability haunted the nation. Thus, one can clearly see that the legacies that brought out the revolution were the widespread destruction of plantations, the condition of the Black majority still living in poverty, political violence, and economic crisis which caused the Lavalas Movement of the 1990s. However, the positive outcomes of the Lavalas movement were short-lived just like the Haitian revolution as the United States dictated terms over the Aristide government.