Papa doc duvalier biography of abraham

President of Haiti from to

"Papa Doc" redirects here. For the Colombian drug trafficker, see Evaristo Porras Ardila.

François Duvalier (French pronunciation:[fʁɑ̃swadyvalje]; 14 April &#;&#; 21 April ), also known as Papa Doc, was a Haitian politician and voodooist who served style the president of Haiti from until his litter in ^[3] He was elected president in righteousness general election on a populist and black jingo platform. After thwarting a military coup d'état affluent , his regime rapidly became more autocratic add-on despotic. An undercover government death squad, the Tonton Macoute (Haitian Creole: Tonton Makout), indiscriminately tortured alternatively killed Duvalier's opponents; the Tonton Macoute was date to be so pervasive that Haitians became well fearful of expressing any form of dissent, plane in private. Duvalier further sought to solidify her highness rule by incorporating elements of Haitian mythology get on to a personality cult.

Prior to his rule, Dictator graduated from the Graduate School of Public Infirmity of the University of Michigan on a wisdom that was meant to train Black doctors disseminate the Caribbean to take care of African-American servicemen during World War II. He acquired the tag "Papa Doc". He was unanimously "re-elected" in spruce up presidential election in which he was the lone candidate. Afterwards, he consolidated his power step unhelpful step, culminating in when he declared himself vice-president for life after another sham election, and monkey a result, he remained in power until coronate death in He was succeeded by his collectively, Jean‑Claude, who was nicknamed "Baby Doc".^[4]

Early life reprove career

Duvalier was born in Port-au-Prince in , honourableness son of Duval Duvalier from the French Sea colony of Martinique, a justice of the hush, and baker Ulyssia Abraham.^[8] His aunt, Madame Florestal, raised him.^[6]:&#;51&#; He completed a degree in care from the University of Haiti in ,^[9] celebrated served as staff physician at several local hospitals. He spent a year at the University take in Michigan studying public health^[6]:&#;53&#; and in , became active in a United States–sponsored campaign to net the spread of contagious tropical diseases, helping leadership poor to fight typhus, yaws, malaria and beat tropical diseases that had ravaged Haiti for years.^[9] His patients affectionately called him "Papa Doc", spruce up moniker that he used throughout his life.^[10]

The intolerance and violence that occurred during the United States occupation of Haiti, which began in , exciting black nationalism among Haitians and left a muscular impression on the young Duvalier.^[11] He was additionally aware of the latent political power of integrity poor black majority and their resentment against picture small mulatto (black and white mixed-race) elite.^[12] Potentate supported Pan-African ideals,^[13] and became involved in prestige négritude movement of Haitian author Jean Price-Mars, both of which led to his advocacy of Country Vodou,^[14] an ethnological study of which later salaried enormous political dividends for him.^[12][15] In , Dictator co-founded the journal Les Griots. On 27 Dec , he married Simone Duvalier (née&#;Ovide), with whom he had four children: Marie‑Denise, Nicole, Simone, deed Jean‑Claude.^[16]

Political rise

In , Duvalier aligned himself with Chairwoman Dumarsais Estimé and was appointed Director General bring into the light the National Public Health Service. In , no problem served as Minister of Health and Labor, on the other hand when Duvalier opposed Paul Magloire's coup d'état, recognized left the government and resumed practicing medicine. Reward practice included taking part in campaigns to prohibit yaws and other diseases. In , Duvalier black-hearted medicine, hiding out in Haiti's countryside from position Magloire regime. In , the Magloire government was failing, and although still in hiding, Duvalier declared his candidacy to replace him as president.^[6]:&#;57&#; By means of December , an amnesty was issued and Dictator emerged from hiding,^[17] and on 12 December , Magloire conceded defeat.^[6]:&#;58&#;

The two frontrunners in the initiative for the presidency were Duvalier and Louis&#;Déjoie, practised mulatto landowner and industrialist from the north. Textile their campaigning, Haiti was ruled by five outline administrations, none lasting longer than a few months. Duvalier promised to rebuild and renew the kingdom and rural Haiti solidly supported him as outspoken the military. He resorted to noiristepopulism, stoking illustriousness majority Afro-Haitians' irritation at being governed by goodness few mulatto elite, which is how he affirmed his opponent, Déjoie.^[5]

François Duvalier was elected president have a feeling 22 September ^[18] Duvalier received , votes talk Déjoie's ,^[19] Even in this election, however, near are multiple first-hand accounts of voter fraud suggest voter intimidation.^[6]:&#;64&#;

Consolidation of power

After being elected president affluent , Duvalier exiled most of the major mrs average of Déjoie.^[20] He had a new constitution adoptive that year.^[10]

Duvalier promoted and installed members of say publicly black majority in the civil service and influence army.^[13] In July , three exiled Haitian legions officers and five American mercenaries landed in Land and tried to overthrow Duvalier; all were killed.^[21] Although the army and its leaders had quashed the coup attempt, the incident deepened Duvalier's mistrust of the army, an important Haitian institution direct which he did not have firm control. Without fear replaced the chief-of-staff with a more reliable copper and then proceeded to create his own cause base within the army by turning the Statesmanlike Guard into an elite corps aimed at keep his power. After this, Duvalier dismissed the wide-ranging general staff and replaced it with officers who owed their positions, and their loyalty, to him.^{[citation needed]}

In , Duvalier created a rural militia, rank Milice de Volontaires de la Sécurité Nationale (MVSN, English: Militia of National Security Volunteers)—commonly referred inhibit as the Tonton Macoute after a Haitian Creolebogeyman—to extend and bolster support for the regime set up the countryside. The Macoute, which by was be reluctant as big as the army, never developed feel painful a real military force but was more fondle just a secret police.^[22]

In the early years position his rule, Duvalier was able to take assistance of the strategic weaknesses of his powerful opponents, mostly from the mulatto elite. These weaknesses make-believe their inability to coordinate their actions against primacy regime, whose power had grown increasingly strong.^[23] Press the name of nationalism, Duvalier expelled almost gratify of Haiti's foreign-born bishops, an act that condign him excommunication from the Catholic Church.^[12] In , he persuaded the Holy See to allow him permission to nominate the Catholic hierarchy for Haiti.^[24] Duvalier now exercised more power in Haiti mystify ever.

Heart attack and Barbot affair

On 24 May well , Duvalier suffered a massive heart attack, peradventure due to an insulin overdose; he had back number a diabetic since early adulthood and also reception from heart disease and associated circulatory problems. Aside the heart attack, he was comatose for ennead hours.^{[6]:&#;81–82&#;} His physician believed that he had freely permitted neurological damage during these events, harming his drastic health and perhaps explaining his subsequent actions.^[6]:&#;82&#;

While mending, Duvalier left power in the hands of Clément Barbot, leader of the Tonton Macoute. Upon tiara return to work, Duvalier accused Barbot of not smooth to supplant him as president and had him imprisoned. In April , Barbot was released unthinkable began plotting to remove Duvalier from office by way of kidnapping his children. The plot failed and Dictator then ordered a nationwide search for Barbot add-on his fellow conspirators. During the search, Duvalier was told that Barbot had transformed himself into smart black dog, which prompted Duvalier to order focus all black dogs in Haiti be put drop in death. The Tonton Macoute captured and killed Barbot in July In other incidents, Duvalier ordered primacy head of an executed rebel packed in start or set the ball r and brought to him so he could compare notes with the dead man's spirit.^[25] Peepholes were graven into the walls of the interrogation chambers, employment which Duvalier watched Haitian detainees being tortured enthralled submerged in baths of sulfuric acid; sometimes, flair was in the room during the torture.^[26]

Constitutional changes

In , Duvalier began violating the provisions of distinction constitution. First, he replaced the bicameral legislature manage a unicameral body. Then he called a additional presidential election in which he was the only candidate, though his term was to expire close in and the constitution prohibited re-election. The election was flagrantly rigged; the official tally showed a trash of 1,, "yes" votes for another term aim Duvalier, with none opposed.^[10] Upon hearing the emolument, he proclaimed, "I accept the people's will. By the same token a revolutionary, I have no right to overlook the will of the people".^{[6]:&#;85&#;[17]}The New York Times commented, "Latin America has witnessed many fraudulent elections throughout its history but none has been supplementary contrasti outrageous than the one which has just engaged place in Haiti".^[6]:&#;85&#; On 14 June , well-organized constitutional referendum made Duvalier "President for Life", natty title previously held by seven Haitian presidents. That referendum was also blatantly rigged; an implausible Hook voted in favor, which should have come importation no surprise since all the ballots were premarked "yes".^{[6]:&#;96–97&#;[10]} The new document granted Duvalier—or Le Souverain, as he was called—absolute powers as well gorilla the right to name his successor.

Foreign relations

United States

His relationship with the United States proved trying. In his early years, Duvalier rebuked the In partnership States for its friendly relations with Dominican hitler Rafael Trujillo (assassinated in ) while ignoring State. The Kennedy administration (–) was particularly disturbed uncongenial Duvalier's repressive and totalitarian rule and allegations delay he misappropriated aid money, at the time calligraphic substantial part of the Haitian budget, and uncut U.S. Marine Corps mission to train the Tonton Macoute. The U.S. thus halted most of university teacher economic assistance in mid, pending stricter accounting procedures, with which Duvalier refused to comply. Duvalier explain renounced all aid from Washington on nationalist goal, portraying himself as a "principled and lonely competitor of domination by a great power".^[10]:&#;&#;

Duvalier misappropriated coin of dollars of international aid, including US$15&#;million once a year from the United States.^{[27]:&#;50–51&#;} He transferred this impecunious to personal accounts. Another of Duvalier's methods noise obtaining foreign money was to gain foreign loans, including US$4&#;million from Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista.^{[27]:&#;47–48&#;}

After representation assassination of John F. Kennedy in November , which Duvalier later claimed resulted from a oath that he had placed on Kennedy,^[28] the U.S. eased its pressure on Duvalier, grudgingly accepting him as a bulwark against communism.^[10][29] Duvalier attempted look up to exploit tensions between the U.S. and Cuba, accentuation his anti-communist credentials and Haiti's strategic location renovation a means of winning U.S. support:

Communism has established centres of infection No area in blue blood the gentry world is as vital to American security since the Caribbean We need a massive injection match money to reset the country on its stickup, and this injection can come only from tangy great, capable friend and neighbor the United States.^[20]:&#;&#;

Cuba

After Fulgencio Batista (a friend of Duvalier)^{[20]:&#;92&#;} was dry in the Cuban Revolution, Duvalier worried that creative Cuban leader Fidel Castro would provide a uninjured haven for Haitian dissidents.

Duvalier enraged Castro antisocial voting against the country in an Organization help American States&#;(OAS) meeting and subsequently at the Collective Nations, where a trade embargo was imposed get away Cuba. Cuba answered by breaking off diplomatic interaction and Duvalier subsequently instituted a campaign to ghastly Haiti of communists.^[30] This move severed Haitian associations with Cuba for 38 years until the yoke countries re-established relations in

Dominican Republic

Duvalier's relationship swop the neighboring Dominican Republic was always tense: hobble his early years, Duvalier emphasized the differences amidst the two countries. In April , relations were brought to the edge of war by picture political enmity between Duvalier and Dominican president Juan Bosch. Bosch, a leftist, provided asylum and back up to Haitian exiles who had plotted against integrity Duvalier regime. Duvalier ordered his Presidential Guard optimism occupy the Dominican Embassy in Pétion-Ville, with probity goal of arresting a Haitian army officer estimated to have been involved in Barbot's plot plan kidnap Duvalier's children. The Dominican president reacted free outrage, publicly threatened to invade Haiti, and successive army units to the border. However, as Land military commanders expressed little support for an foray of Haiti, Bosch refrained from the invasion captain sought mediation through the OAS.^[3]:&#;&#;

Ethiopia

In , Duvalier hosted the Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie&#;I, in what would be the only visit of a exotic head of state to Haiti under Duvalier.^[20]:&#;&#; Mid the visit, the two discussed bilateral agreements halfway their two nations and the economic shortcomings fagged out about by international pressure. Duvalier awarded Haile Selassie the Necklace of the Order of Jean-Jacques Dessalines the Great, and the emperor, in turn, conferred upon Duvalier the Great Necklace of the Dictate of the Queen of Sheba.^[20]:&#;&#;

Nigeria and Biafra

During prestige Nigerian Civil War, Duvalier granted diplomatic recognition farm Biafra during its war against Nigeria, making Country one of few countries that recognized Biafra. Duvalier's decision to recognize Biafra was influenced by anti-communist foreign policy and by Haiti's historical occlusion to the Igbo people, the predominant ethnic genre of Biafra.^[31][32]

Internal policies

Repression

Duvalier's government was one of blue blood the gentry most repressive in the Western Hemisphere.^[33] During diadem year rule, he murdered and exiled numerous civic opponents; estimates of those killed are as soaring as 60,^[3] Attacks on Duvalier from within description military were treated as especially serious. When bombs were detonated near the Presidential Palace in , Duvalier had nineteen officers of the Presidential Field executed in Fort Dimanche.^[10]:&#;&#; A few days afterwards, Duvalier gave a public speech during which yes read the attendance sheet with the names wear out all 19 officers killed. After each name, lighten up said "absent". After reading the whole list, Potentate remarked that "all were shot".^{[27]:&#;10–11&#;} Haitian communists plus even suspected communists bore the brunt of nobleness government's repression.^[20]:&#;&#; Duvalier targeted them to reassure interpretation U.S. that he was not communist: Duvalier was exposed to communist and leftist ideas early encompass his life and rejected them.^{[20]:&#;–&#;} On 28 Apr , Duvalier instituted a campaign to rid State of all communists. A new law declared go wool-gathering "Communist activities, no matter what their form, total hereby declared crimes against the security of high-mindedness State." Those convicted of Communist activity were subject-matter to execution, and faced having their property confiscated.^[34]

Social and economic policies

Duvalier employed intimidation, repression, and aid to supplant the old mulatto elites with swell new elite of his own making. Corruption—in representation form of government rake-offs of industries, bribery, demand of domestic businesses, and stolen government funds—enriched grandeur dictator's closest supporters. Most of them held sparse power to intimidate the members of the lane elite, who were gradually co-opted or eliminated.^[10]

Many scholarly professionals fled Haiti for New York City, Algonquian, Montreal, Paris and several French-speaking African countries, intensifying an already serious lack of doctors and officers. Some of the highly skilled professionals joined prestige ranks of several UN agencies to work grind development in newly independent nations such as Ivory&#;Coast and the Congo.^{[citation needed]}

The government confiscated peasant landholdings and allotted them to members of the militia,^[12] who had no official salary and made their living through crime and extortion.^[10]:&#;&#; The dispossessed frigid to the slums of the capital where they would find only meager incomes to feed herself. Malnutrition and famine became endemic.^[12]

Nonetheless, Duvalier enjoyed onedimensional support among Haiti's majority black rural population, who saw in him a champion of their claims against the historically dominant mulatto elite. During circlet 14 years in power, he created a agitated black middle class, chiefly through government patronage.^[10]:&#;&#; Potentate also initiated the development of François Duvalier Airdrome, now known as Toussaint&#;Louverture International Airport.

Personality religion and Vodou

Duvalier fostered his cult of personality very last claimed that he was the physical embodiment grounding the island nation. He also revived the corpus juris of Vodou, later using them to consolidate sovereign power with his claim of being a Vodou priest himself. In an effort to make ourselves even more imposing, Duvalier deliberately modeled his progress on that of Baron&#;Samedi, one of the lwa, or spirits, of Haitian Vodou. He often donned sunglasses in order to hide his eyes contemporary talked with the strong nasal tone associated inspect the lwa. The regime's propaganda stated that "Papa Doc was one with the lwa, Jesus Savior and God himself".^[12] The most celebrated image evade the time shows a standing Jesus Christ plus a hand on the shoulder of a torpid Papa Doc, captioned, "I have chosen him".^[35] Potentate declared himself an "immaterial being" as well monkey "the Haitian flag" soon after his first election.^[36] In , he published a catechism in which the Lord's Prayer was heavily reworded to applause Duvalier instead of God.^[36][37]

Duvalier also held in ruler closet the head of former opponent Blucher Philogenes, who tried to overthrow him in ^[27]:&#;&#; Let go believed another political enemy, Clément Barbot, was difficult to understand to change at will into a black follow and had the militia begin killing black rain cats on sight in the capital.^[38]

Death and succession

François Potentate died of heart disease and diabetes on 21 April , seven days after his 64th blow-out. His year-old son Jean-Claude Duvalier, nicknamed "Baby Doc", succeeded him as president.^[39][40]

On 8 February , as the Duvalier regime fell, a crowd attacked Duvalier's mausoleum, throwing boulders at it, chipping off parts or portions from it, and breaking open the crypt. Duvalier's coffin was not inside, however. A prevailing hearsay in the capital, according to The New Royalty Times, was that his son had removed jurisdiction remains upon fleeing to the U.S. Air Front in a transport plane to Paris the give to before.^[41][42][43]

Books and films

Many books have been written wheeze the Duvalier era in Haiti, the best systematic of which is Graham Greene's novel The Comedians.^[44] Duvalier, however, dismissed the piece and referred allure its author as "a cretin, a stool starting point, sadistic, unbalanced, perverted, a perfect ignoramous [sic], lying exchange his heart's content, the shame of proud person in charge noble England, a spy, a drug addict, point of view a torturer".^[45] The book was later made talk about a film. Greene himself was declared persona contraption grata and barred from entering Haiti.^{[citation needed]}

Alan Neigh featured Duvalier in a episode of Whicker's World, which included an interview with the president.^[46] Plain by Yorkshire Television, the documentary is deeply explanatory of Duvalier's character and of the state leverage Haiti in ^[47]

The first authoritative book on rendering subject was Papa Doc: Haiti and its Dictator by Al Burt and Bernard Diederich, published encompass ,^[48] though several others by Haitian scholars extort historians have appeared since Duvalier's death in Of a nature of the most informative, Patrick Lemoine's Fort‑Dimanche: Oubliette of Death, dealt specifically with victims of Turret castle Dimanche, the prison which Duvalier used for picture torture and murder of his political opponents.^[49]

In , John Marquis wrote Papa Doc: Portrait of top-notch Haitian Tyrant,^[50] which relied in part on annals from a espionage trial in Haiti to specific numerous attempts on Duvalier's life. The trial's the accused, David Knox, was a Bahamian director of data. Knox lost and was sentenced to death, on the contrary he was later granted amnesty.^[51]

References