The United States Occupation of Haiti, 1915-1934 [Paperback]

Hans R. Schmidt (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 081352203X | ISBN-13: 978-0813522036 | Publication Date: March 1, 1995

"A good history of a sordid intervention that submitted a people to autocratic rule and did little for economic development." --The New York Times "From Schmidt we get the full details . . . of the brutal racist practices inflicted on the Haitians for nearly all of the nineteen-year American presence in the country." --American Historical Review "The only thoroughgoing study of one of the more discreditable American interventions overseas." --Journal of Interdisciplinary History "Should become the standard work on the subject. . . .required reading for specialists in Caribbean studies and U.S.-Latin American relations." --Choice Hans Schmidt taught form many years at the State University of New York at New Paltz. He now teaches at the University of Hong Kong.

Product Details

• Paperback: 324 pages
• Publisher: Rutgers University Press (March 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081352203X
• ISBN-13: 978-0813522036
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #552,266 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #69 in Books > History > Americas > Caribbean & West Indies > Haiti

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Fair & balanced.", May 19, 2009

By 

TropicalDoc (Coeur d'Alene ID USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The United States Occupation of Haiti, 1915-1934 (Paperback)

This is a fair & balanced review of a very interesting historical period. It certainly reads like a text book but the material covered keeps it interesting. It lacks any coverage of Charlemagne Peralte and the caco resistance which would seem to be an important chapter during the occupation. Although the results of the occupation were a disappointment I get the feeling that it was not an intentionally evil enterprise as other authors conclude. I have not come across a comparable book covering the occupation and thus would recommend this without reservation to interested readers.

11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Brief New York Times review of the book, May 3, 2005

By 

T. bailey - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The United States Occupation of Haiti, 1915-1934 (Paperback)

New York Times review of the book Sep 26, 1971:

Pedestrian (lacking wit or imagination) but caustic (harsh or corrosive in tone) and thorough history of the US intervention in Haiti. Prevailing imperialistic and racist attitudes in America, coupled with a fatuous (unconsciously foolish) faith in technological progress, accounted for the involvement. The National City Bank had investments in Haiti, but American policy according to the Hans Schmidt, was more the result of fears that European countries, specifically France and Germany, had their eyes on the Caribbean. This is a good history of a sordid intervention that submitted a people to autocratic military rule and did little for economic development. Parallels with our recent Vietnam venture are not out of place.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Marines in Haiti, April 11, 2010

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The United States Occupation of Haiti, 1915-1934 (Paperback)

Hans Schmidt was one of the first people to write on this topic with sources that the Navy and Marine Corps declassified within 15 years of its writing. Schmidt approached this book much as a scholar offering an even handed approach that helps the readers understand why the Americans were there in the first place. The book exposes the good and bad that the Americans did there, from the modernizing the roads (admittedly this was as much for military purposes as civilian) to the racist attitude that most of the Marines on Haiti had (remember the Marine Corps was an all white organization at the time). He does a good job explaining the background of the intervention and how the United States invoked the Monroe Doctrine to keep the Europeans out. Though this book is rather dry at times, it is written well and Schmidt gets his point across. Overall I would say that this is a great book for someone looking for scholarly work on the subject, but other than that I think that most average readers would find it dry and boring.