In response to the near-anarchy of the Republic of Haiti, the United States occupied the country from 1915 to 1934. During this time, they installed a puppet government, managed the economy, the army and the police, and took absolute control of the country for all intents and purposes. Although this rule was relatively mild, Haitians and American citizens were unpopular, and American troops and personnel were withdrawn in 1934.
Background to Haiti's plight
Since gaining independence in 1804 in a bloody rebellion, Haiti has experienced a succession of dictators. By the beginning of the twentieth century, the population was uneducated, poor and hungry. The only cash crop is coffee, which grows in the sparse bushes of the mountains. In 1908, the country completely collapsed. Regional warlords and militias known as cacos fought in the streets. Between 1908 and 1915, no fewer than seven men occupied the presidency, and most of them met some kind of terrible end: one was hacked in the street, another was killed by a bomb, and another was probably poisoned.
United States and the Caribbean
At the same time, the United States is expanding its sphere of influence in the Caribbean. In 1898, it won Cuba and Puerto Rico from Spain in the Spanish-American War: Cuba gained freedom, but Puerto Rico did not. In 1914 the Panama Canal was opened: the United States invested heavily in its construction, even separating Panama from Colombia in order to be able to manage it.
The strategic value of the canal, both economically and militarily, is enormous. In 1914, the United States had also been intervening in the Dominican Republic, sharing the island of Hispaniola with Haiti.
Haiti in 1915
Europe was at war, and Germany was doing well. President Woodrow Wilson feared a possible German invasion of Haiti in order to establish a military base there: this base would be very close to the precious canal.
He had the right to fear: there were many German settlers in Haiti who made loans for those fanatical cocoa beans, which would never be repaid, and they pleaded with Germany to invade and restore order. In February 1915, the pro-American strongman Jean Verbrunn Guillaume Sam seized power, and after some time he seemed able to take care of American military and economic interests.
The United States takes control
However, in July 1915, Sam ordered the massacre of 167 political prisoners, and he himself was fooled into breaking into the French embassy by an angry mob. Fearing that the American anti-CACO leader Rosalvo Bobo might take over, Wilson ordered the invasion. The invasion was not a surprise: U.S. warships had been in Haitian waters for much of 1914 and 1915, and U.S. Admiral William Burtl had been keeping a close eye on the events. The Marines who stormed the Haitian coast were relieved rather than resisted, and the interim government was soon formed.