Latin America (Only for the_ideas)

Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Trujillo’s Authoritarian Rule • Trujillo used the Armed Forces to remain in power. Trujillo kept the armed forced under his absolute authority. He managed to keep this control by shuffling personnel, surveillance and benefits. No potential opposition could develop.

The members of the Armed Forces remained loyal out of fear, habit or self-interest. He packed the Armed Forces with his relatives and cronies.

The key issue was loyalty not talent. He wanted loyal people in the Armed Forces. Trujillo’s Authoritarian Rule • Trujillo’s government was responsible for a huge number of human rights violations.

• Trujillo used the repressive forces (including the police, military and paramilitary organizations) to eliminate the opposition and to impose terror on the population.

• In this way, his government was responsible for multiple human rights violations. • Any one suspected of being anti- Trujillo or apathetic or merely neutral, would be arrested, tortured, killed or exiled. The repressive forces would have a network of inspectors, spies, murderers and torturers. Trujillo’s authoritarian rule • For reasons of racial discrimination, he also ordered the killing of thousands of Haitians in 1937. He believed that he had to stop Haitians from coming to the Dominican Republic stealing the jobs, property and women of the Dominicans.

For him, they represented the backwardness that the Dominican Republic should leave behind.

There is not an accurate figure of the number of people killed or arrested during his rule. 1937 Massacre of Haitians Trujillo’s Authoritarian Rule • Trujillo controlled the whole governmental apparatus by shuffling and reshuffling officeholders. No potential opposition can develop.

• The congress approved laws already designed and approved by Trujillo.

• In the bureaucracy, Trujillo established several security checks to make sure that employees would be loyal to his government: questionnaires about cooperation with his government t, participation in the official political party. Trujillo also packed the bureaucracy with his relatives and friends. Trujillo’s Authoritarian Rule • In 1930, Trujillo created an official political party, the Partido Dominicano. It served him as an instrument to control the government and politics in general. Trujillo nominated all candidates for all offices. • Trujillo rarely allowed opposition parties to participate in the elections and when he did (1945), he managed to manipulate the results. Trujillo’s Authoritarian Rule • Trujillo had a near monopoly of the national economy. Trujillo and his relatives and cronies owned almost every profit making organization in the DR. It is estimated that 50-60% of the arable land belonged to him and his family. It has also been estimated that Trujillo and his friends and family controlled 3/4 of the countries means of production (ex. land and factories). Through these businesses, he could control the population by firing or hiring employees, granting concessions or monopolies as he pleased. Trujillo’s Authoritarian Rule • Trujillo controlled the media. He used newspapers and radio stations to publicize his government policies and achievements. He also used the press to discredit individuals. For example, a letters to the editor column, called Foro Público, from the El Caribe newspaper, published letters discrediting people who have fallen in the eyes of Trujillo. His staff members usually wrote those letters. Trujillo’s Authoritarian Rule • The Dominican Republic achieved material progress and economic development thanks to Trujillo. It is true. Transportation, and communications improved, agriculture diversified, trade increased. He built airports, factories, docks, water systems, and highways.

The standard of living rose, gross national product increased, foreign and domestic debts were liquidated. In 31 years, indicators of economic development rose rapidly. Trujillo’s Authoritarian Rule • Trujillo also tightly controlled the educational system and scrutinized intellectual activity. The entire educational process, research, writing and artistic activities were linked to the propaganda of his government. Teachers had to educate students in the cult of Trujillo and intellectual life was limited to the production of works glorifying him. Trujillo’s Authoritarian Rule • The Trujillo dictatorship came to an end in 1961.

Why? How did it happen? We could say that many international and national factors contributed to the weakening of the tight control of the dictatorship and to the formation of an opposition inside and outside of the country that led to its overthrow. Trujillo’s Authoritarian Rule • International factors influencing the end of Trujillo’s rule : - Exiles organized in PR, Cuba, Mexico, Costa Rica, Venezuela and the US became increasingly vocal and active in denouncing the repression of Trujillo. On June 14, 1959, a group of exiles based in Cuba invaded the Dominican Republic and were killed by the Armed Forces. The martyrdom of these participants inspired others to join the first organized resistance, the June 14 th movement, against Trujillo. -Major discrediting of the Trujillo government as a result of the Galíndez case. Trujillo ordered the kidnapping and killing of Jesús de Galíndez, a scholar from Columbia University, who wrote a book criticizing him. Consequences- Trujillo had to spend money on PR to improve image of the Dominican Republic Trujillo’s Authoritarian Rule • Cont. International factors contributing to the end of Trujillo -The Organization of America States- In 1959 Romulo Betancourt, President of Venezuela, criticized Trujillo. Trujillo tried to overthrow and assassinate Betancourt. For these attempts, in 1960, the OAS for the first time in its history voted diplomatic and economic sanctions vs. the Dominican Republic. These sanctions discredited and hurt the economy of the Dominican Republic. Trujillo’s Authoritarian Rule • Internal factors contributing to the end of Trujillo’s rule:

-Economic crisis. Started in 1955, Trujillo organized an International Peace fair to commemorate his 25 th anniversary in power. He spent 50 million dollars. Export prices and tourism declined due to the Galindez scandal and sanctions of the OAS further contributed to his downfall.

Trujillo spent more money on weapons fearing more invasions. Increased loans. Unemployment rose. Trujillo overtaxed people. Professional, businessmen, workers, and military started to join the opposition. -Church became critical. Long time supporter of Trujillo until 1959. Due to invasion, Trujillo repressed citizens including churchmen. The Church expressed opposition in a Pastoral Letter in 1960. Trujillo’s Authoritarian rule • External and internal forces interacted and reinforced each other. On the night of May 30, 1961 Trujillo was assassinated. It was carried out by close collaborators, representatives of Armed Forces, businessmen, professionals, landowners and government officials. Transition from Authoritarian Rule • After Trujillo’s assassination, agitation mounted against the continued political dominance of the Trujillo family. Numerous exiles began to return home and political parties were reestablished.

• President Joaquín Balaguer, who took office as a Trujillo puppet in 1960, assumed control of the armed forces.