debt repayments. Relations between Lescot and Trujillo in the Dominican Republic broke down. In Haiti he expanded the corps of the Military Guard, including a core of light-skinned commanding officers. A system of rural police chiefs, known as chefs de section, ruled by force and intimidation. In 1944 low-ranking black soldiers plotting rebellion were caught, and seven of them were executed without court-martial. That same year Lescot extended his presidential term from five years to seven. By 1946, his attempts to muzzle the opposition press sparked fierce student demonstrations; a revolt broke out in Port-au-Prince. Black-empowerment noirists, Marxists, and populist leaders joined forces in opposition. Crowds protested outside the National Palace, workers went on strike, and the homes of authorities were ransacked. Lescot's mulatto-dominated government was highly resented by Haiti's predominantly black military Garde. Lescot tried to order the Military Guard to break up the demonstrations, but was rebuffed. Convinced their lives were in danger, Lescot and his cabinet fled into exile. A three-person military junta took power in his place and pledged to organize elections. In the immediate aftermath of Lescot's exile, an independent radio and print press flourished and long-repressed dissident groups expressed optimism about Haiti's future. Dumarsais Estimé eventually succeeded Lescot as head of the republic, becoming Haiti's first black president since the US occupation. References Smith, Matthew J. Red & Black in Haiti: Radicalism, Conflict, and Political Change, 1934–1957. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2009. Haiti: HAITIAN RUBBER TIMELINE. Retrieved August 10, 2010. Presidents of Haiti Haitian diplomats 1883 births 1974 deaths World War II political leaders Ambassadors of Haiti to the Dominican Republic Ambassadors of Haiti to the United States Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Haiti) People from Nord-Ouest (department) Haitian exiles Haitian people of Mulatto descent 1940s in Haiti 20th-century Haitian politicians