User:TheBrowniess/sandbox/Liberal Party (Haiti)

The Liberal Party, (Parti Liberal; PL) founded in February 1870 by Jean-Pierre Boyer Bazelais and Edmond Paul, was an economically liberal political party in Haiti that advocated for technocratic leadership, well embodied in its motto "Government by the Most Competent". Central to the party's ideology was the belief that Haiti’s economic advancement depended on a well-educated and skilled elite.

Membership primarily comprised of urban merchants, traders, and affluent elites. The Liberal Party is believed to have garnered support from Mulatto Haitians, while its main rival, the National Party is believed to have drawn support from Black Haitians - a perspective known as the Color Legend argument, attributed to David Nicholls. However, this interpretation is disputed by some scholars, including Chelse Stieber.

The Liberal Party rotated power with the National Party from the 1870s until the 1910s with the US occupation of Haiti. By then, the traditional party system had largely disintegrated.

Background

Following the abdication of Faustin Soulouque and the collapse of the Second Empire of Haiti, Fabre Geffrard assumed the presidency, restoring the republic and welcoming back exiled liberals. Whatever goodwill this gained him gradually dissipated in the repression of opposition that his regime later carried on.

Between 1864 and 1869, Haiti was wracked by repeated insurrections and regional uprisings, including the brief seizure of the north in 1865 by Sylvain Salnave. Driven into exile, Salnave returned in February 1867 to retake the country. Geffrard, facing mounting pressure, resigned without resistance. By June, Salnave was officially elected president by popular vote. The new president however proved unable to unify the country, and Haiti splintered into several separatist states, leading to civil war.

By 1869, with opposition forces moving in on the capital of Port-au-Prince, the defeat of Salnave was all but certain. In spectacylar fashion, Salnave blew up the presidential palace as he fled the capital. His escape however was short-lived and Salnave was captured and ultimately executed on January 15, 1870.

The destruction of the presidential palace symbolized the end of conflict over the form of government (republic vs monarchy/empire). Out of the 1868-1869 crisis emerged a new political paradigm, one characterized by factional divides within a republican framework. By 1869, the ideological debate was no longer about what type of government Haiti should adopt but instead about how the republic should be governed. Both of the political parties that dominated this era of party-based politics - the Liberal Party and the National Party - committed themselves to republican ideals.

Michel-Roplh Troulliot argues that during this period, "Haiti came as close as it ever has to an effective parliamentary experience". Though it should not be mistaken that this was a period of calm. Civil wars, insurrections, and exiles still persisted throughout this era.

History

Founding and Early Dominance of the Liberal Party (1870-1874)

The Liberal Party was established in February 1870 by Jean-Pierre Boyer Bazelais and Edmond Paul following the civil war in the 1860s. The party dominated politics in the early 1870s, controlling the majority of the seats in Haiti's parliament and implementing a reformist agenda under a Liberal president, Nissage Saget.

In 1874, the National Party boycotted parliamentary sessions to stop the Liberal candidate, Sénèque Momplaisir Pierre, from getting elected. When President Saget finished his four-year term later that year, he was left without a successor, and thus handed over power to the head of the military and National Party leader, Michel Domingue.

1876-1879

In 1876, prominent Liberals regrouped in exile in Jamaica and St. Thomas, and organized an invasion of Jacmel that killed many, including the founder of the National Party, Rameau. The Liberal Party successfully overthrew President Domingue and installed Pierre Théoma Boisrond-Canal as president of a provisional government.

Throughout the remainder of the 1870s, the Liberal Party became increasingly divided, splitting into two factions: one led by Boisrond-Canal (Canalistes), and the other by one of the party's founders, Boyer-Bazelais (Bazelaisistes). These divisions culminated in a power struggle that forced President Canal to step down by July 1879. A provisional government, led by General Joseph Lamothe, was formed to oversee elections.

1879-1888

The 1879 elections concluded on October 23. The Liberals' infighting proved disastrous for their party, with the National Party establishing a clear parliamentary majority in parliament and its presidential candidate, Lysius Salomon, winning the presidency. In response, Bazelais and the Liberals boycotted the election results, leading to an armed standoff that culminated into a multi-day firefight with the military. Bazelais was ultimately forced into exile in Jamaica.

Under President Salomon, the Nationals were in power for nearly a decade, from 1879 to 1888. Though their rule was marred by violent attempts to unseat them, the most notable being the the failed 1883 Liberal uprising which began in Miragoâne and was led by Boyer Bazelais. The uprising came about following the passage of Salomon's controversial 1883 land reform law.

Over a hundred Liberal partisans, led by Boyer-Bazelais, captured Miragoâne, a port town and Liberal stronghold. The victory emboldened the insurgents, who spread their movement throughout the southern peninsula, including in Jérémie and Jacmel. By September, the insurrection had reached the nation's capital. The insurgents however failed to gain ground in Port-au-Prince. Under pressure from foreign powers concerned of the uprising threatening their business interests, President Salomon quickly reestablished order in the capital. Thereafter, the movement lost momentum and its leader, Boyer-Bazelais, died in Miragoâne in October 1883.

1888-1896

In 1888, there were more uprisings. In the north, the separatist République Septentrionale was formed, led by Séïde Thélémaque. In the remaining southern territories of the republic, François Légitime replaced Salomon as president. After Thélémaque's death, the new separatist leader, Florvil Hyppolite, led a successful uprising against Légitime and managed to reunify Haiti by 1889, ushering in an era of relative peace. President Hyppolite exiled many National opposition figures while reintegrating prominent Liberal leaders (Edmond Paul and Anténor Firmin) into government roles. The north benefited heavily from Hyppolite's modernization efforts.

1896-1908

Tirésias Simon Sam succeeded President Hyppolite following his death in 1896 and successfully completed his term, serving as President of Haiti until 1902. However, the transition of power after his presidency proved to be more contentious, with the country split. In the north, the Nordistes supported Nationalist general Perre Nord Alexis. Those in the south were divided between two Liberal candidates: Calisthène Fouchard and Sénèque Momplaisir Pierre. Additionally, Anténor Firmin emerged as a formidable third party candidate, introducing Haiti to his brand of ideas, named Firminisme. Firmin's movement sought to transcend the traditional Liberal and Nationalist divide, advocating for economic reform, reduction of military influence within politics, and the broadening of civilian participation in governance.

Between June and December 1902, Haiti was engulfed in civil war between the Nordistes and Firministes. The war concluded with the defeat of the Firministes. Firmin was exiled to St. Thomas in the Danish West Indies and Nord Alexis served as president until 1908.

1908-1915

In January 1908, Haiti was gripped by war once more when the Firministes attempted to overthrow the government of President Alexis. Firmin returned to Haiti, landing in Gonaïves on January 15, and tried to rally the Artibonite region to his cause. President Alexis responsed with harsh repression, using his militia, the "zinglins", to arrest and execute Firmin's supporters. The Firministe rebellion ultimately failed. The next six years in Haiti were marked by near constant civil war. This period of unrest culminated in the brutal killing of President Vilbrun Guillaume Sam in 1915, which led to the US occupation of Haiti. By then, the traditional party system between the Liberal Party and the National Party had largely disintegrated.

Bibliography

• Stieber, Chelsea. Haiti's Paper War: Post-Independence Writing, Civil War, and the Making of the Republic, 1804–1954. pp. 201–227. ISBN 978-1479802135.
• Byrd, Brandon; Stieber, Chelsea. Haiti for the Haitians: by Louis-Joseph Janvier.
• "Haiti On His Mind: Antonio Maceo And Caribbeanness". Caribbean Studies.
• Smith, Matthew. Liberty, Fraternity, Exile: Haiti and Jamaica after Emancipation. ISBN 1469617986.

External links

• www.example.com