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Today, I will not do a real update. Almost 20 years have passed and that is 1/5 of the time. It is time for the first State of the Republic Adress and to talk about things I learned and things I will never learn and of course about the tactical and strategical plans.




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About the Income


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Tax Income
In the beginning, the tax income was really a surprise for me. I had expected, that I had to mint like a maniac to be able to see a ducat or two. Instead the basetaxes are really nice. Having only two provinces, I can also use my magistrate to boost their local tax income by Population Censuses rather than building roads everywhere (which give a much smaller boost). Building the CoT had skyrocketed the income. I did not expect that as well, but to be fair, Port-Au-Prince has a nice position in the mid of the Carribean and the Mexican CoT, as well as the American one in Conoy are no match. Although I experienced, that I had to mint more when I needed larger armies and navies, as the problem always had been that I only got two cores. Therefore I get more money from monthly minting, than from the yearly income (god I love tax accessors).

Production
Yes, look at my Production Efficiency. It's unbelievable. I produce sugar in every Carribean province, plus slaves (!) in Liberia. Sugar is one of the most expensive goods in the world, therefore production really boosts my income. It also helps enriching my center of trade. I plan to diversify and also take non sugary provinces. But I also want to monopolize sugar trade and get every sugar province in my hand. (Seriously they should think about some effects for that. For no other reasons than monopolizing a colonial good, did Portugal and then the VOC become that strong). Also, I love the Adam Smith NI. and the provincial decision to formalize everything.

Trade
I am quite successful in trade although I'm neither mercantile nor free trade at the moment. I will switch to fully mercantile soon to kick everyone out of Port-au-Prince. I have both good merchant NIs.

Other Things
What really kicked off the growth (you will later see it in the graph, was going reformed. From there I got my money to start the CoT and to send out merchants everywhere). The colonies in Africa are just a toy. I waste much money on them and they aren't even strategically important. Could be that something funny happens there - you never know. Let's just see.

Other Nations
I am the only power with significant growth in income. All the others didn't move far or had a bad drop of income (USA). I'm still not at the top, although I managed to pass Portugal (still holds Brazil and African colonies). I will always have to be friendly to the USA, because they are still large and too close to me. Besides they are a really good ally and didn't let me down, yet. France, Britain, Austria and Prussia are in a real tough war and I expect that France can't take it and will plunge into the meaninglessness. (Hope I can take their colonies then.)


Here is a chart of the income. The horizontal lines are symbolizing the original income at start. The vertical lines are the positive or negative growth. (I'm still pretty small). Russia is huge, but I don't expect them to come to the Carribean. Also Austria does not play an important role in my planning. (As well as Manchu, but I left them behind already).

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About the Technology


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Government tech isn't too useful anymore. I got all NI spots and I'm happy with the Constitutional Republic. Trade efficiency is really high, and very costy to go further compared to the opportunity costs. I'm a bit behind in everything because I did invest much into trade tech and I'm also minting very much. Land tech is not too important, but shall not be neglected. I can't rely on strong land forces anyways. My manpower is ridiculous, so my armies will always be weaker. I will have to have a huge navy so I can sink their ships before they land their troops on my lands, as well as on their islands. I'm not planning to fight on European Mainland, as they owuld immedeatly wipe me out. Also I won't be fighting in Mexico without the help of my big brother the USA, who have a massive amount of useless troops in their mainland.



About the Navy


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Interesting fact: Portugal has the biggest Navy and the most big ships. They have less income then me! That's bad because Portugal has certainly some interest in my region. Also GB is ahead of me, which is not good. I need more Threedeckers, but I can only produce ships in two provinces. I will try to build a shipyard in PoP. I already have one in St. Dominique. I also need to get an armada of East Indianmen. I don't know about Japan and Russia, but they are no threat at the moment. Also look, there is no Spain anywhere (?!).




About the Trade



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As said before, I will try to go mercantile. At the moment my trade is slowly progressing. Too slow for my taste, but I can't change that. Also I need to take the CoT's from Portugal and Spain, or at least give them to México or Brazil. And of course, make PoP the biggest CoT in the world.




Any Plans?

I will have to get a bigger Navy and wait for an opportunity to fight a European power. It may cost my life, though. First, I will get rid of the UPCA. No other colonial revolutionaries are allowed in the Carribean. It belongs to Haiti. I hope the war in France rages on. But I have to be careful, when it changes back to France and you are still at war with Rev. France, it might be a CtD. Had that before... :mad:. I also have to sow some discontent in Spain and Britain, so Mexico, Colombia, LaPlata, Péru, Chile and Canada finally revolt. Also, I will go on with the mega fortification of my islands. If they manage to land troops, they should not be able to get the fortresses. Also, because I only have one big army, It will take time to hop from island to island. So it's nice not having to give in to revolutions because of that. At last a map of the world. Look at USA, they possess Crete. Did the McDonalds already open? I bet that they made a theme park out of Santorin.
Also thanks for your comments and have fun.


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Chapter 3- Portugal. The Man



Brasil, meu Brasil Brasileiro
Meu mulato inzoneiro
Vou cantar-te nos meus versos
Ô Brasil, samba que dá
Bamboleio, que faz gingá
Ô Brasil do meu amor
Terra de Nosso Senhor
Brasil, Brasil, prá mim, prá mim...
Ô abre a cortina do passado
Tira a mãe preta do serrado
Bota o rei congo no congado
Brasil, Brasil! deixa cantar de novo o trovador
(Ary Barroso - Aquarela do Brasil)​



13 March 2001
Ma chère Florence,

Je sais que je suis vieux. That's why I'm writing so slowly. I hope that your interest did not decrease, while you were waiting for my answer. You have so many questions, my dear. They will be all answered. Why Dessaline could reign for more than 16 years? To answer this, I will rather tell you the end of his reign. It all began with the Portugal crisis. Portugal was not the small nation we know now, at these times. No, they had a large colonial empire from Goa to Mozambique and most important, the country we now know as Brazil. Brazil was a rich colony and it had more inhabitants than Portugal. But the kings reign was firm and with a strong hand. However, Portugal wanted to expand its influence into the Carribean. So they proposed a secret deal to Dessalines. Portugal should get the sugar island Trinidad which would give them a port in the Lesser Antilles, and they would send forces to Port-au-Prince to arrest all high ranking officers and politicians and proclaim Dessalines to be emperor of Hayti. In 1822, in January, the coup d'état started. They arrested and shot many politicians, also my grandgrandfather. However, they did not manage to stall the Haitian army and more important the Navy. In a counterstrike, army troops managed to regain key position and after a bloody fight, which is now known as the Haitian Blood Night, they managed to arrest Dessalines. The Constitutional Republic was save. Unluckily for the president, he was not and also the Portugese living in Hayti were not. Radical Sansculottes arrested every Portugese citizen and some government members in the circle around Dessalines and hung them cruely.




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The republic was saved. But the price was high. It had also lost its innocence. But things had to go on. A new president had to be elected. Tensions were still high and the elections were said to be fluked or at least influenced. Royalist or Conservative people were not allowed into the election, and the turnout was very low. Honoré de Vibien de Neufville, a rich sugar farmer from Saint Dominique, lead a campaign for the radical sansculottes and convincingly won. He was only the second president of Haiti. He was a very capable leader and many people thought that only a saint could have been that blessed by god. This theory convinced even the stubborn Catholics of Curacao and Trinidad to join the Haitian Church. Neufville enacted a reform of the Judicary System as soon as things returned to normal. And because the relationship with the Papal Legates did not improve, he dissoluted the monasteries and created Superintendants.The Aristocracy wanted to contribute as well and sent 100 ducats as present.



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Haiti was in wealth and even Liberia was finally growing. The Beaurocracy of Honoré did its job and he managed to settle a peace with the Natives in Liberia. They were given autonomous control over Liberia and were encouraged to settle in Monrovia, while many Haitians, looking for their roots like you do now, flocked back to Africa. Honoré even promoted to go further into the land, where once the legendary Mali Empire had been. The new part of Upper Haiti was named Dessallinois. Honoré wanted to find a compromise with his former enemies and was willing to forget the end of Dessalines and pardonned him. He then left Hispaniola and also settled in Monrovia and remained politically meaningless until he died few years later.



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However, Honoré did not seek power. He only wanted to see progress in Haiti, wealth and proudness. So when the next election campaign started, he decided to step down and make place for a much younger president, an energetic man from the docks of Port-au-Prince who had been the youngest admiral in the Navy Academy and then moved to the newly founded intelligence agency, Mathieu Francois de Bar. He concentrated people from the intelligence agency in his ministries. His main goal, of course was to end the Spanish and Portugese reign over South America. He would need to support revolts therefore and also disrupt the stability of both countries with the help of his spies. His attempts were costy but also successful.



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Honoré had been a peaceloving president. And he did not even react to support by Portugal in the failed attempt of coup d'état. However Mathieu Francois was much younger and more important, a hawk. He hated the Portugese and the Spain, for their colonial overrule, for their greed and bad deeds and for their never ending attempts to intervene in Port-au-Prince's business and influence sphere. It was clear that the UPCA, who was residing in exile in Cuba, controlling Havanna and Moron, would be a danger to Haiti. It was a radical republic and also did compete in the trade. UPCA guerillas fighting Spanish troops always leaked through the border to Guantanamo where they controlled villages and had secret hideouts. Mathieu tried to diplomatically vassalize them, but this was impossible. But when Portugal intervened and guaranteed the UPCA, Mathieu saw his chance to use this blank insult and turn the Haitians against the unholy alliance of Portugal and Haiti declared war on the UPCA, landing the army on Cuba and occupying Moron. The USA joined and blockaded their ports, so no Portugese cargos could supply them. The UPCA quickly gave in and ceded Moron, which was renamed to Cuba Central. Spain, still not accepting the UPCA's independance started an intervention and annexed Havanna and ended the existance of the Republic.



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But the Portugese did not want to agree on a peace, that soon. They thought about teaching Haiti its final lesson and reinstalling colonial rule over our republic. Haiti desparately answered with the gun and the sword. Mathieu Francois was a wise man of the sea and had built a large Navy which was now used. His tactic was simple. Portugal could never control such a big realm. Haiti was small, it only had four islands. The citizens should hide behind the big walls and cannons of the gigantic forts constructed before the war, while the army was landing in Brazil to free the colony and the Navy roaming around, trying to eleminate small Portugese fleets by the superior Haitian firepower of one single combined Fleet, while Portugal had to divide his ships to protect its colonies in Asia and Africa and also its homelands. Mathieu then asked the Haitians in a moving adress to all contribute to the war with war taxes. However they were abadonned very soon, when the treasury was filled. When it had exactly 666 gold ducats, a comet was sighted and under protests, the government had to give up its taxing plans, as they were seen as unholy and devlish.



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While the USA dropped out of the war, as they had serious internal trouble, the Haitian army was welcomed in Brazil and could easily beat the hated Portugese troops. They were supplied by the colonial citizens, as well as by the natives, while the Portugese exploration armies were hit by sabotage and the harsh climate. Soon, Brazil was under Haitian interim administration and the army sailed off to capture the important Atlantic ports Cape Verde, Madeira and Azores.



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Despite the progress, the success was not certain. In the midst of the war, Mathieu Francois died in the Amazonas river, when he was ambushed by Portugese troops and his small ship sunk. The loss was discovered only two weeks later, when his head was presented to the governor of Port-au-Prince by the neutral Spanish ambassador. The terrible incident, shook the Haitian morale, but in that grim mood, Félix de Tréville de Dreux raised up and was appointed emergency president. He was the second man in the state, the Vice-President. To get the spirits back and to show the troops in the far away Brazil, why they were fighting he managed to get the Abolition of Slavery through both houses of the Congress. Before, it was stalled since Dessalines had been president, because too many rich Liberian farmers earned money with Native slaves. However, in that precarious situation, the nation had to show its unity or else it would have to break and become a colony once again. Also Sweden agreed on a close alliance with Haiti. The more friends the better, was the plan.



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And finally, after Portugal was shaken in revolts and the lifelines of its empire, the Azores, Madeira and Cape Verde had been cut off and occupied by Haiti, the Portugese Navy beaten or stalled into the port of Lisboa where they could not do anything but see Haitian ships moving around the white city. They agreed on a really embarassing peace with Haiti, which said that they should pay 1200 ducats and furthermore release their colony Brazil, where they were only allowed to keep one port for trading, which was not Sao Vicente, but a bit south of it. This was the first time the republic built by slaves, the colonial revolutionaries had beaten a European superpower and shrinked its power to a mere ruin of its former glory. This is why we celebrate the Dreux Carinval, to honor this victory.



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I am old and tired and need to rest my hand now. I hope you are fine.

Best wishes,
Pierre