Papa Doc

Caribbean strongman nickname

Papa Doc was the nickname of François Duvalier, president of Haiti from 1957 until his death in 1971.

A physician before entering politics—hence "Papa Doc"—he ruled as a brutal dictator, using his secret police (the Tonton Macoutes) to terrorize opponents.

The name evokes Caribbean authoritarianism and cult-of-personality rule: He ran the place like Papa Doc.

DuvalierHaitian dynastic tyrant
HaitiCaribbean island nation
Caribbean islandLand in warm archipelago
dictatorRuler with total control
secret policeClandestine state security apparatus

reign of terror · voodoo · Port-au-Prince · presidential palace · tyrant · Caribbean · despot · iron fist · regime · oppression · human rights · poverty · corruption · autocrat · zombies · terror · political prisoners · exile

Opposites

political ideology and governance style

Papa DocNelson Mandela

Mahatma Gandhi · Jimmy Carter · servant leader · human rights advocate · liberator

generational/familial succession

Papa DocBaby Doc

Haitian dictator's successor son

successor · heir · son

Family

papa, papas, doc, docs, doctor, doctors, doctoral, doctorate, doctorates

Familiarity: Top 1,000,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Negative · Rated PG