The France-Haiti colonization is probably one of the most interesting pieces of history in the world. This is because of the sudden turn of events that saw the slaves take on their masters to occupy the land that had become home to them. It is a story of slaves that were imported from Africa long time ago to help work in sugarcane farms. The slaves who had since multiplied through birth overpopulated the land, which was originally French dominated. With the advantage of numbers, they had the strength to fight the French and subsequently won over a land that later on became the republic of Haiti.
The complexity of the matter left Haiti being termed as being colonized by France due to the influence it had on the land. It was apparent that most of the resources that the Haitians depended on were not theirs originally and were in fact employed by the French. Some of the Haitians that had their own source of living depended on subsistence farming which was not adequate to sustain the new republic. This hence implies that even though they had won their victory over France, they still faced similar challenges as those that were faced by other nations that were invaded by foreign country (Scott 87). It was clear that they had all the resources they originally did not have, yet they did not have adequate skills to utilize them for economic empowerment.
Despite the fact that the slaves were moved from their countries of residence to work for the whites, this worked advantageously for them. They were able to acquire skills and techniques that made them realize that they have the ability to overpower a superpower and even acquire their land. While they were working as slaves, they were taught a lot even as they were deployed in the army and in farms. The fighting skills they acquired from the French enabled them stage retaliation where they were able to fight their very masters. It can in fact be considered that the slaves ultimately became greater than their masters did, as they were able to study them and plan a revolution, which must have caught the French, by surprise.
It is unfortunate that colonizers underestimated the ability of the colonized, which made them take many things for granted. Most colonizers never realized that the more they used the colonized, the more they learned from them. It turned out to be an advantage to the colonized who were able to acquire more skills and knowledge. Despite the material resources they lost and the pain they endured, it helped sharpen them as they realized the importance of freedom and the need for them to be independent. If it were not for the colonizers, most probably the colonized would never have thought of having a strong government and even going to school (Ott 93). The colonialists made them realize that they were devoid of some knowledge, which they worked hard to acquire.
Apart from the skills that the colonized acquired from the colonizers, colonialism also brought about globalization. Colonizers were interested in certain regions because of the resources they benefited from them. However, once they were kicked out, they had to look for alternative means through which they would still get the resources. This ultimately led to international relations where by both the colonized and the colonizers realized that they needed each other. The colonizers would supply them with the necessary skills they needed to manage their resources, while the colonized shared the resources they have. It can therefore be concluded that colonization positively influenced international relationships.
Works cited
Ott, Thomas O. The Haitian Revolution, 1789-1804. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1973.
Scott, Julius Sherrard. The Common Winds: Currents of Afro-American Communication in the Era of the Haitian Revolution. University Microfilms, 1986.
