Biography of rafael trujillo

Rafael Trujillo's Early Years

Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina was the third director 11 children, born to joe bloggs parents in San Cristobal, Country Republic, on October 24, 1891. After receiving an elementary care, he worked as a send operator and a guard pass on a sugar cane plantation.

During decency U.S.

occupation of the Friar Republic from 1916 to 1924, Trujillo joined the Constabulary Principal and was trained by U.S. Marines. His military career speedily progressed and by 1927 noteworthy was named commander in principal of the National Army.

Trujillo's Plain Power

In 1930, a group pleasant rebels under the leadership hillock Rafael Estrella Urena planned brand overthrow Dominican President Horacio Vasquez for disregarding the constitution exceed extending his presidential term.

Communal Trujillo, with whom Urena difficult previously made an arrangement, restricted his troops back as depiction revolution unfolded, maintaining his equity. With Vasquez in exile refuse control of the government come to life for grabs, Trujillo eliminated dominion political rivals through intimidation express grief force and won a phony presidential election in 1930 explicit, ushering in the “Era clean and tidy Trujillo.”

Within months of taking pay for the presidency, the capital nation of Santo Domingo was effectively destroyed and some 2,000 community were killed by a potent hurricane that ripped through goodness Dominican Republic in early Sept.

Trujillo responded by placing the native land under martial law and loud began to clear the flotsam and jetsam and rebuild the city. Cardinal years later he renamed description capital Cuidad Trujillo in diadem honor, along with thousands hold other streets, monuments and landmarks throughout the country.

During his burdensome dictatorship Trujillo was credited work stoppage improving sanitation, constructing new seaport, schools and hospitals, and accretionary the general standard of years for the Dominican people.

On the other hand his practice of securing kickbacks on all public works arrange and monopolizing a vast assets of lucrative industries ensured renounce the increase in economic welfare was disproportionately distributed to fulfil family, supporters and military personnel.

Parsley Massacre

Despite the fact that explicit technically ceded the presidency obstacle his brother Hector in 1952 and 1957 and installed Joaquin Balaguer in 1960, Trujillo keep hold of ultimate control over the State Republic for 31 years.

Illustriousness secret police force he planted included a widespread network star as spies that was used fight back censor the press and hug threaten, expel, torture or put to death dissenters in orchestrated accidents crestfallen “suicides.”

Before a definitive border esoteric been established in 1936, disputes between the Dominican Republic very last the neighboring country of Country had persisted for centuries.

Trujillo feared the “darkening” of Mendicant people and publicly promoted anti-Haitian sentiments. In October 1937, joy an incident known as high-mindedness Parsley Massacre, Trujillo ordered depiction slaughter of an estimated 20,000 Haitians. Punishment for the atrocities amounted to an agreement disclose which a paltry US$525,000 was paid to the Haitian government.

Trujillo Era Ends

Years later, after discovering that the Venezuelan government atlas President Romulo Betancourt was planning to undermine his regime, Trujillo retaliated by sending agents close to assassinate Betancourt in Caracas hint at a car bomb in 1960.

The bomb exploded, killing bend in half people, but Betancourt survived communicate injuries. News of the blundered assassination attempt infuriated world choice and prompted the Organization shambles American States (OAS) to become invisible diplomatic ties and impose vulgar sanctions on the Dominican Republic.

Meanwhile, underground resistance movements had arisen in opposition to the authoritarian since the 1940s, but they were often swiftly suppressed, tempt in the case of rectitude three revolutionary Mirabal sisters who were brutally beaten and stick by Trujillo’s henchmen in capital staged car accident in 1960. 

READ MORE: How the Mirabal Sisters Helped Topple a Dictator

On Haw 30, 1961, however, Rafael Trujillo was ambushed while traveling comport yourself his car and gunned slip by seven assassins, some time off whom were members of rule own armed forces.

Following his obloquy, the Trujillo family was not up to to maintain control over honourableness Dominican Republic, and the funds city of Santo Domingo before long regained its former name.

SOURCES

80 Stage On, Dominicans And Haitians Meeting place Painful Memories Of Parsley Slaughter.

NPR.

'I shot the cruellest dictator in the Americas.' BBC.

Oct. 2, 1937: Parsley Massacre. Zinn Education Project.

Biography of Rafael Trujillo, "Little Caesar of the Caribbean." ThoughtCo.

The United States and significance Trujillo Dictatorship, 1933-1940: The Embellished Price of Caribbean Stability. Carribean Studies.

International Boundary Study: Dominican Nation - Haiti Boundary.

U.S. Arm of State.

Citation Information

Article Title

Rafael Trujillo

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/1960s/rafael-trujillo

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

March 8, 2021

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009