Why Did Haiti Fail While the Dominican Republic Thrived?

Christopher Columbus first landed on this island in 1492, and since then, the fate of Hispaniola’s two nations has diverged dramatically.

Standing here in the Dominican Republic, it’s striking how different this place is from its neighbor, Haiti, just across the border. 

Why did two nations on the same island follow such different paths?

Haiti, born from a successful slave revolution in 1804, was burdened with crippling debt to France from the start. 

Meanwhile, the Dominican Republic, after gaining independence in 1844, avoided that economic trap.

Haiti faced decades of political instability, while the Dominican Republic, especially after the brutal Trujillo dictatorship ended in 1961, found relative stability, attracting foreign investment.

Haiti was diplomatically isolated, while the Dominican Republic built strong international ties.

And finally, Haiti’s history of exploitation left deep social scars. Here, a more mixed identity, despite challenges, fostered national unity.

Two countries, one island, but vastly different stories.