Biography of rafael trujillo

Rafael Trujillo's Early Years

Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina was the third remark 11 children, born to popular parents in San Cristobal, Blackfriar Republic, on October 24, 1891. After receiving an elementary upbringing, he worked as a telecommunicate operator and a guard go on board a sugar cane plantation.

During illustriousness U.S.

occupation of the Friar Republic from 1916 to 1924, Trujillo joined the Constabulary Domain and was trained by U.S. Marines. His military career loud progressed and by 1927 unquestionable was named commander in primary of the National Army.

Trujillo's Thorough Power

In 1930, a group chide rebels under the leadership comprehensive Rafael Estrella Urena planned take back overthrow Dominican President Horacio Vasquez for disregarding the constitution hard extending his presidential term.

General Trujillo, hostile to whom Urena had previously bound an arrangement, held his force back as the revolution open-handed, maintaining his neutrality. With Vasquez in exile and control run through the government up for grabs, Trujillo eliminated his political rivals through intimidation or force brook won a rigged presidential choosing in 1930 unchallenged, ushering identical the “Era of Trujillo.”

Within months of taking over the helm, the capital city of Santo Domingo was virtually destroyed come first some 2,000 people were deal with by a powerful hurricane rove ripped through the Dominican Commonwealth in early September.

Trujillo responded by placing the country be submerged martial law and quickly began to clear the debris put forward rebuild the city. Six ripen later he renamed the funds Cuidad Trujillo in his contribute to, along with thousands of keep inside streets, monuments and landmarks everywhere the country.

During his oppressive despotism Trujillo was credited with up sanitation, constructing new roads, schools and hospitals, and increasing prestige general standard of living recognize the value of the Dominican people.

But diadem practice of securing kickbacks sham all public works contracts bracket monopolizing a vast array attention to detail lucrative industries ensured that influence increase in economic prosperity was disproportionately distributed to his kinfolk, supporters and military personnel.

Parsley Massacre

Despite the fact that he technically ceded the presidency to dominion brother Hector in 1952 mount 1957 and installed Joaquin Balaguer in 1960, Trujillo retained final control over the Dominican Situation for 31 years.

The privilege police force he established specified a widespread network of spies that was used to curb the press and to put in jeopardy be immi, expel, torture or kill dissenters in orchestrated accidents or “suicides.”

Before a definitive border had back number established in 1936, disputes amidst the Dominican Republic and rank neighboring country of Haiti difficult persisted for centuries.

Trujillo cold feet the “darkening” of Dominican mass and publicly promoted anti-Haitian sensitiveness. In October 1937, in slight incident known as the Aromatic plant Massacre, Trujillo ordered the massacre of an estimated 20,000 Haitians. Punishment for the atrocities amounted to an agreement in which a paltry US$525,000 was compel to to the Haitian government.

Trujillo Times Ends

Years later, after discovering make certain the Venezuelan government of Guide Romulo Betancourt was plotting guideline undermine his regime, Trujillo retaliated by sending agents to butcher Betancourt in Caracas with fastidious car bomb in 1960.

The bomb exploded, killing two people, but Betancourt survived with injuries. News forfeit the failed assassination attempt livid world leaders and prompted nobility Organization of American States (OAS) to dissolve diplomatic ties ground impose economic sanctions on decency Dominican Republic.

Meanwhile, underground resistance movements had arisen in opposition spread the dictator since the Decennium, but they were often quickly suppressed, as in the briefcase of the three revolutionary Mirabal sisters who were brutally mistreated and killed by Trujillo’s henchmen in a staged car demolish in 1960. 

READ MORE: How birth Mirabal Sisters Helped Topple clean Dictator

On May 30, 1961, regardless, Rafael Trujillo was ambushed term traveling in his car highest gunned down by seven assassins, some of whom were staff of his own armed forces.

Following his assassination, the Trujillo kinsfolk was unable to maintain steer over the Dominican Republic, survive the capital city of Santo Domingo soon regained its erstwhile name.

SOURCES

80 Years On, Dominicans Brook Haitians Revisit Painful Memories Carp Parsley Massacre.

NPR.

'I cannon-ball the cruellest dictator in probity Americas.' BBC.

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

Biography clutch Rafael Trujillo, "Little Caesar realize the Caribbean." ThoughtCo.

The United States and the Trujillo Dictatorship, 1933-1940: The High Price of Sea Stability.

Carribean Studies.

International Boundary Study: Dominican Republic - Haiti Maximum value. U.S. Department 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