Surviving Haitian Empire?

Hagre

Hagre

Jean-Jacques Dessalines was known for being one of the leading Haitian revolutionaries and its leading figure after Toussaint Louverture's death in 1803/04. He is also known for ordering the massacre of the island nation's French community, militarist nationalism and declaring Haiti an all-Black nation. Interestingly enough, he proclaimed himself Emperor of an elective Monarchy until his assassination led to the quite literal political fracturing of Haiti between those behind his assassination.

Supposing Dessalines avoids his assassination in 1806 and continues to govern Haiti, what shape would a surviving Haitian Empire ultimately take? What might it look like by the modern day?
 

Musadutoe

Given the decisions initiated by Dessalines, IMO I do not believe that Dessalines living any longer than he did would have made a difference to the ultimate Haitian timeline.
 
Hagre

Hagre

Musadutoe said:
Given the decisions initiated by Dessalines, IMO I do not believe that Dessalines living any longer than he did would have made a difference to the ultimate Haitian timeline.
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So it still ends up a poorly-developed nation beset with rampant political instability and foreign interventionism? I was thinking more about the institution of elective monarchy as a whole instead of just Dessalines' survival.
 

bbctol

The survival of the Haitian Empire depends less on the survival of Dessalines than on other factors. As for the institution of elective monarchy, even during the periods of Haitian history when it wasn't an open monarchy, almost every president tried to make himself president-for-life, and almost all were only removed by assassination or revolution.

The problem for Haiti was always that they were in danger of being invaded by more powerful forces (first France, later the United States) and had few powerful friends; most European nations viewed them as an illegitimate and dangerous force. Haiti's economy relied on cash crops, particularly sugar, which requires good trading networks that they simply didn't have after the revolution. Basically every president following Dessalines tried to do what Dessalines did: switch the island's agricultural production to getting enough food to feed the inflated population, while building a strong army and navy and negotiating any possible treaty to stave off invasion. It's a situation that's a set-up for political instability, dictatorship, and poverty.
 
AltoRegnant

AltoRegnant

bbctol said:
The survival of the Haitian Empire depends less on the survival of Dessalines than on other factors. As for the institution of elective monarchy, even during the periods of Haitian history when it wasn't an open monarchy, almost every president tried to make himself president-for-life, and almost all were only removed by assassination or revolution.

The problem for Haiti was always that they were in danger of being invaded by more powerful forces (first France, later the United States) and had few powerful friends; most European nations viewed them as an illegitimate and dangerous force. Haiti's economy relied on cash crops, particularly sugar, which requires good trading networks that they simply didn't have after the revolution. Basically every president following Dessalines tried to do what Dessalines did: switch the island's agricultural production to getting enough food to feed the inflated population, while building a strong army and navy and negotiating any possible treaty to stave off invasion. It's a situation that's a set-up for political instability, dictatorship, and poverty.
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What if Britain offered recognition and the french caribbean after one of the coalition wars with Nappy?
 
Chris Triangle

Chris Triangle

bbctol said:
The survival of the Haitian Empire depends less on the survival of Dessalines than on other factors. As for the institution of elective monarchy, even during the periods of Haitian history when it wasn't an open monarchy, almost every president tried to make himself president-for-life, and almost all were only removed by assassination or revolution.

The problem for Haiti was always that they were in danger of being invaded by more powerful forces (first France, later the United States) and had few powerful friends; most European nations viewed them as an illegitimate and dangerous force. Haiti's economy relied on cash crops, particularly sugar, which requires good trading networks that they simply didn't have after the revolution. Basically every president following Dessalines tried to do what Dessalines did: switch the island's agricultural production to getting enough food to feed the inflated population, while building a strong army and navy and negotiating any possible treaty to stave off invasion. It's a situation that's a set-up for political instability, dictatorship, and poverty.
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Add in the ludicrous reparations France extracted from Haiti that sucked up much of what little capital the country had... for over 100 years. It was simple extortion.

Anyone wanna take a wild guess why the Monroe doctrine didn't apply in Haiti?
 
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