The Root of Haiti's Misery From The New York Times

Haiti gained independence from the French in 1804,  becoming the first independent black republic in the world.  

But self-rule did not mean economic independence. That's because France forced Haiti to pay reparations to descendants of slave masters or face another invasion. 

According to a fascinating essay in  The New York Times, those reparations helped enrich the French bank, Crédit Industriel et Commercial, and even lured  Wall Street,  "delivering big margins for the institution that ultimately became Citigroup."

How was Haiti able to pay reparations?  The French forced the Haitian government to accept a loan out of which they could pay the reparations. According to the New York Times, this loan was called the "double debt--the ranson and the loan to pay it — a stunning load that boosted the fledgling Parisian international banking system and helped cement Haiti’s path into poverty and underdevelopment."

The essay is an ideal assignment for world history students studying the unit on revolutions in the 1700 and 1800s.