Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies

Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies
from agricultural pursuits in favor of urban-based activities,
particularly government, the professions, and the export trade.
The nineteenth-century Haitian ruling class consisted of two
groups, the urban elite and the military leadership. The urban
elite was primarily a closed group of educated, comparatively
wealthy, French-speaking mulattoes. Birth was an important
determinant of elite social position; intermarriage and shared
values reinforced class solidarity. The military was an avenue of
social mobility for disadvantaged black Haitians. In a shifting,
uneasy alliance with the military, the urban elite ruled the
country and isolated the peasantry from national affairs. The
urban elite promoted French norms and models as a means of
separating itself from the peasantry. French language and manners,
orthodox Roman Catholicism, and light skin were important
criteria of high social position. The elite disdained manual
labor, industry, and local commerce in favor of genteel professions
such as law and medicine.
A small, politically important middle class emerged during
the twentieth century. Opportunity for social mobility
increased slightly, but the traditional elite retained its social
and economic preeminence. Francois Duvalier presided over
an expanding black middle class based in part on increased
access to government patronage and corruption. Since the
1980s and 1990s, peasants have been somewhat less isolated
from national politics. Economic hardship in rural areas has
heightened rural-urban migration and expanded the lower
and middle classes of urban areas. Despite these changes, the
peasantry as a social sector continues to be dominated by
urban political and economic interests.
The Upper Class
By some estimates, Haiti's upper class constitutes 4 percent
of the total population and controls 67 percent of national
income in contrast to the poor majority—70 percent of the
population with control over 20 percent of the nation's
resources. The upper class includes the traditional elite and
others who have gained wealth and power through the political
system. Others have moved into upper ranks through wealth
accrued in industry or export-import businesses.
Members of the traditional elite hold key positions in trade,
industry, real estate, and the professions. They are identified by
membership in "good families" with recognized status over a
period of generations. Elite membership generally entails a
330