Dominican Republic

By Pa Ying Moua, Sharnissa Henderson, and Pa Yang

Background of Dominican Republic• Rafael  Trujillo was the first dictator of the

Dominican Republic. before Trujillo became dictator, the island was under U.S control

• People in the Dominican Republic have suffered from Trujillo for 31 years

• During 20th Century, the Dominican Republic couldn't establish a stable democratic government because of the US and Rafael Leonidas Trujillo

• First island that Columbus has landed on when he thinks that he has reached East Indies

• three-fourth of the island is mixed with European and African people

Background Continue....• During the 19th Century, Haiti won it's

independence from France and controlled the Dominican Republic until 1844 when they eventually gained their independence

• 20th Century, US was a big trade partner of the Dominican Republic: sugar, coffee, cocoa, and bananas

• 1906, Dominican Republic signed a fifty year treaty with the US giving it political control

• 1916, US occupied the island• 1920, US left Dominican Republic and left in place

the US trained Dominican National Guard• 1924,  US pulled out their military and

left Rafael Trujillo in charge of the Dominican National Guard

Background of Rafael Trujillo• At the age of 16, worked as a telegraph

operator• 1918, accepted into Dominican National

Guard • Was promoted when the Dominican National

Guard was fighting against the Dominican guerrilla movement

• 1930, ran against Horacio Vasquez for president and received 95% of the votes

• power, used the National Guard to banish all civilian opponents

• established his own secret police SIM(Military Intelligence Service )

• for gathering information 

 

 

 

 "He may be a son of a b****, but he's OUR son of a b****." 

-- Cordell Hull

Conflict of the Cold War in Dominican Republic• The U.S. didn't care if Rafael Leonidas Trujillo was a bad

dictator, as long as he was an anti- communist• The U.S. supported him • SIM- controlled the press, bribed businessmen, and created

fear among the people

How was this a movement or conflict of it's own accord within the country?

• Trujillo used his political control over the nation to gain great wealth.

• He took over plantations and businesses. Family and political supporters received the best jobs. While the citizens of the country struggled day by day.

• Most of the income of the dictator was used to throw big extravagant parties. The rest of the money was stored in foreign bank accounts.

Continue....

• Trujillo welcomed U.S business and maintained a pro U.S foreign policy. 

• Many Americans did not like Trujillo, but after WWII,  many Cold War politicians in the U.S supported Trujillo as a leading Latin American Anti communist. Although this is true, the Dominican Republic refused to aide the U.S when they asked for troops while in Korean

How was this conflict a part of the larger, bi-polar world of the Cold War Era?

• Rafael Trujillo was tolerated because he was anti communist.

• The U.s was so obsessed with communists that they were willing to overlook terriable circumstances in the dominican republic.

 " He may be a son of a bitch, but he is our son of a bitch" This is a quote from the secratary of state Cordell Hull