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François Duvalier Quotes

François Duvalier , also known as Papa Doc, was the President of Haiti from 1957 to 1971. He was elected president in 1957 on a populist and black nationalist platform. After thwarting a military coup d'état in 1958, his regime rapidly became totalitarian and despotic. An undercover government death squad, the Tonton Macoute, indiscriminately killed Duvalier's opponents, and it was thought to be so pervasive that Haitians became highly fearful of expressing any form of dissent, even in private. Duvalier further sought to solidify his rule by incorporating elements of Haitian mythology into a personality cult.

Prior to his rule, Duvalier was a physician by profession. His profession and expertise in the field acquired him the nickname "Papa Doc". He was unanimously "re-elected" in a 1961 election in which he was the only candidate. Afterwards, he consolidated his power step by step, culminating in 1964 when he declared himself President for Life after another faulty election, and he remained in power until he died in April 1971. He was succeeded by his son, Jean‑Claude, who was nicknamed "Baby Doc". Wikipedia  

✵ 14. April 1907 – 21. April 1971
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François Duvalier: 4   quotes 0   likes

Famous François Duvalier Quotes

“Communism has established centres of infection… No area in the world is as vital to American security as the Caribbean…We need a massive injection of money to reset the country on its feet, and this injection can come only from our great, capable friend and neighbor the United States.”

François Duvalier

Quoted in Elizabeth Abbott, Haiti: An insider's history of the rise and fall of the Duvaliers (Simon & Schuster, 1988, ISBN 0-671-68620-8), p. 101.

“Bullets and machine guns capable of daunting Duvalier do not exist. They cannot touch me… I am already an immaterial being. No foreigner is going to tell me what to do! If the OAS claims the right to intervene because of repressive conditions, why don't they land troops in Alabama?”

François Duvalier

Quoted in Elizabeth Abbott, Haiti: An insider's history of the rise and fall of the Duvaliers (1988), p. 111.

“I accept the people's will. As a revolutionary, I have no right to disregard the will of the people.”

François Duvalier

Quoted in Elizabeth Abbott, Haiti: An insider's history of the rise and fall of the Duvaliers (1988), p. 103.

“God and the people are the source of all power. I have twice been given the power. I have taken it, and damn it, I will keep it forever.”

François Duvalier

Quoted in Elizabeth Abbott, Haiti: An insider's history of the rise and fall of the Duvaliers (1988), p. 112.

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