From Colonial Exploitation, to Environmental Degradation, to Economic Deterioration: How The French Empire Felled Haiti to its Downfall
Major
International and Global Studies
Submission Type
Poster
Area of Study or Work
International Studies
Faculty Advisor
Gabriel Spalding
Location
CNS Atrium
Start Date
4-11-2026 11:15 AM
End Date
4-11-2026 12:30 PM
Abstract
Over the course of 200 years, the westernmost land of Hispaniola has gone from an economically and physically fruitful state to a struggling nation. The nation of Haiti has suffered such drastic decline that over half of its population lives below the poverty line and suffers ongoing, severe environmental degradation. With the combination of the environmental consequences of colonial agricultural practices and the large debt imposed by the French for gaining independence from the empire, Haiti experienced extreme ecological devolution, which led to the current socioeconomic struggles today. This research delineates that even now, in the early 21st century, it is due to France’s previous colonial rule resulting in ongoing deforestation that Haiti is now considered to be the most underdeveloped country in the Western Hemisphere.
From Colonial Exploitation, to Environmental Degradation, to Economic Deterioration: How The French Empire Felled Haiti to its Downfall
CNS Atrium
Over the course of 200 years, the westernmost land of Hispaniola has gone from an economically and physically fruitful state to a struggling nation. The nation of Haiti has suffered such drastic decline that over half of its population lives below the poverty line and suffers ongoing, severe environmental degradation. With the combination of the environmental consequences of colonial agricultural practices and the large debt imposed by the French for gaining independence from the empire, Haiti experienced extreme ecological devolution, which led to the current socioeconomic struggles today. This research delineates that even now, in the early 21st century, it is due to France’s previous colonial rule resulting in ongoing deforestation that Haiti is now considered to be the most underdeveloped country in the Western Hemisphere.