Dominican Republic - Independence
Columbus’ discovery of Hispaniola in 1492 brought not only Europeans to the new world, but slavery and disease that decimated the native population within decades. With the dwindling Indian work force came the importation of West African slaves to provide inexpensive labor for the mines, sugar plantations, and cattle farms. The present day capital, Santo Domingo, was founded in 1493 and became the seat of Spanish power in the New World.
In 1664, the French began to colonize the western portion of Hispaniola, and intermittent warfare between French and Spanish settlers culminated in the 1697 cession of western Hispaniola (then called Saint-Domingue, now Haiti) to France. In 1795, Spain ceded the rest of the island to France, and Toussaint L’Overture, who had let Haitian slaves in revolt against French colonial rule, was named governor. Toussaint and his forces occupied Santo Domingo, but the colonists revolted and reestablished Spanish rule in 1809.
Declaring that Hispaniola was indivisible, Haitians invaded Santo Domingo, which they occupied from 1822 to 1844. This Haitian occupation, which prompted the tension that still exists between the two countries, ended when Juan Pablo Duarte successfully led a Dominican rebellion.
In 1844 the Dominican Republic was established after citizens rebelled against Haitian occupation. During the next 20 years, Dominican leaders approached various countries, including Great Britain and the United States, about accepting Santo Domingo as a protectorate. In the mid-1860s, the Dominican Republic experienced another rebellion when the country returned to Spanish rule. From 1865 to 1882, seven revolutions occurred, followed by Ulises Hereaux’s 17-year dictatorship. Hereaux was assassinated in 1899 and was succeeded by Ramon Caceres, who attempted to save the country from its foreign debt and ruined national treasury.
In 1911, Caceres was assassinated. His murder prompted a sporadic civil war, and the U.S. intervened with Marines and military governance from 1916 to 1924. The Marines fought Dominican insurgents called gavilleros from 1917 to 1921. The U.S. occupation force built roads and sanitation systems, restored order, balanced the national budget, and reduced the national debt. The United States, under increasing domestic pressure, negotiated elections for a provisional government and departed in 1924.
Rafael Leonidas Trullijo, who rose through the ranks of the armed police force (the National Guard) established by the United States, used his control of the National Guard to become president in 1930; he ruled for 30 years.
Trullijo’s persecution of Haitians contributed to the list of grievances dividing the two countries. In 1937, he ordered the army to massacre thousands of Haitians. Trullijo also murdered domestic opponents, outlawed opposition parties, manipulated government institutions, and appointed unqualified political supporters to office.
Despite its poor relations with Haiti, the Dominican Republic experienced relative prosperity during Trujillo’s reign. However, the Organization of American States (OAS) isolated and condemned Trujillo after he attempted to have Venezuelan President Romulo Betancourt assassinated for publicly criticizing him. This assassination attempt resulted in Trujillo’s own assassination in 1961 by a group of high ranking military officers and civilians.
Even after his assassination, Even after his assassination, many who abhorred Trujillo’s repression admired his economic accomplishments and his ability to impose order on an often unruly country. Without his influence, the army split and civilian unrest ensued; a political revolt and a series of coups followed.
By 1965, the country was engaged in a civil war. US President Lyndon Johnson intervened, sending US Marine and Army units, as well as a small OAS peacekeeping element, into the country. U.S. forces established order, and elections were held in 1966.
Joaquin Balaguer, a political figurehead during the Trujillo regime and leader of the conservative Reformist Party (PR), became president in 1966 and was reelected in 1970 and 1974. Antonio Guzman Fernandez, who led the left-wing Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD), won the 1978 election. Guzman, died mysteriously in 1982 and was succeeded by the PRD’s Jorge Blanco. Blanco's administration was marked by economic problems and civil unrest.
Balaguer returned to power in 1986. In 1994, he was narrowly elected to his seventh term as president. On 16 May 1996, Leonel Fernandez Reyna was elected president, with Balaguer’s support. At age 94, Balaguer ran for president in the 2000 election, but he was defeated by Hipolito Mejia. Balaguer retired to his home in Santo Domingo, where remained active in politics.
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