Factors that were responsible for the outbreak of the Haitian revolution
Class division was a major factor, which contributed to the outbreak of the Haitian Revolution. In St Domingue, there was segregation among the different races. This was based on status, race or ethnicity. There were three major classes: the whites, the Mulattoes and the blacks. In addition, the whites comprised of smaller groups within its group. The Grand Blancs or rich planters were the wealthiest set of whites, followed by the merchants and professional men. The Petit Blancs were the poorest set of whites and consisted of shopkeepers, small estate owners and overseers. Furthermore, the other two major classes were: The Mulattoes also known as the coloureds, and the blacks or enslaved were the workers or labourers on the plantations. These classes were constantly fighting and arguing with each other, thus, this became a factor, which was responsible for the Haitian Revolution.
The division among the different classes bred, not only class division, but racial hatred. The different classes resented each other because of their status in the colony. The whites were not a united group. The rich planters and the seigneurs’ had economic power and sporadic leadership in the colony. Nevertheless, they wanted to govern the colony on their own. They wanted independence and political atonomy from France. However, they did not want this power to be granted to the other
Bibliography: R. Greenwood and S. Hamber Emancipation to Emigration Nadine. G. Atkinson Mac Millan CXC Revision Guides Doris Hamilton-Willie Movements TWARDS Independence and Regional Integration up to 1985 Peter Ashdown and Francis Humphrey Caribbean Revision History for CXC `