Toussaint Loulverture Failure

Toussaint Louverture was the most influential leader of the Haitian Revolution, which, under his leadership, became the only successful slave revolution in history. Among Toussaint’s qualities that enabled the success of the revolution, one aspect that stands out is his diplomatic acumen; with the establishment of the “Louvertorian State” in 1798, Toussaint built complex foreign relations for the benefit of the revolution. Ironically, however, Haiti’s decline as an independent nation is closely correlated with its failures in diplomacy.
Nevertheless, it is undeniable that Toussaint Louverture pursued a foreign policy that was crucial to Saint-Domingue’s fight for independence, as it allowed a gradual break-away from the French empire and established friendly relationships with France’s political enemies at that time. Yet, because of its tremendous value as a colony, and the still-prevalent institution of slavery amongst European powers, Haiti’s failure in diplomacy as an independent state was inevitable, regardless of

Knowing that forcefully ousting him would infuriate the French Government, Toussaint replaced Hedouville with Philippe Roume—the only remaining member of the Third Civil Commision in Saint-Domingue. Toussaint was aware that Roume did not stand a chance to impede his agenda due to the overwhelming presence of the black population loyal to Toussaint (Popkin 95). Hence, by doing so, Toussaint not only nullified Hedouville and the French government’s restrictions, but also avoided the appearance of completely severing its ties with France. Toussaint thereby kept Saint-Domingue safe from any form of aggressive backfire. In other words, Toussaint possibly prevented the French government’s restoration of its power over revolutionary Saint-Domingue, as well as the restoration of