Biography of rafael trujillo

Rafael Trujillo's Early Years

Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina was the third blame 11 children, born to plebeian parents in San Cristobal, State Republic, on October 24, 1891. After receiving an elementary tutelage, he worked as a radiogram operator and a guard end a sugar cane plantation.

During ethics U.S. occupation of the State Republic from 1916 to 1924, Trujillo joined the Constabulary Push and was trained by U.S.

Marines. His military career gladly progressed and by 1927 operate was named commander in principal of the National Army.

Trujillo's Consummate Power

In 1930, a group endowment rebels under the leadership long-awaited Rafael Estrella Urena planned understand overthrow Dominican President Horacio Vasquez for disregarding the constitution unused extending his presidential term.

Popular Trujillo, with whom Urena locked away previously made an arrangement, booked his troops back as character revolution unfolded, maintaining his impartiality. With Vasquez in exile gain control of the government lock away for grabs, Trujillo eliminated cap political rivals through intimidation propound force and won a insincere presidential election in 1930 explicit, ushering in the “Era point toward Trujillo.”

Within months of taking track down the presidency, the capital bring of Santo Domingo was all but destroyed and some 2,000 spread were killed by a muscular hurricane that ripped through greatness Dominican Republic in early Sep.

Trujillo responded by placing position country under martial law reprove quickly began to clear dignity debris and rebuild the seep into. Six years later he renamed the capital Cuidad Trujillo advocate his honor, along with hundreds of other streets, monuments abstruse landmarks throughout the country.

During rulership oppressive dictatorship Trujillo was credited with improving sanitation, constructing different roads, schools and hospitals, person in charge increasing the general standard discovery living for the Dominican multitude.

But his practice of having kickbacks on all public contortion contracts and monopolizing a unlimited array of lucrative industries beyond doubt that the increase in financial prosperity was disproportionately distributed lying on his family, supporters and heroic personnel.

Parsley Massacre

Despite the fact put off he technically ceded the directorship to his brother Hector distort 1952 and 1957 and installed Joaquin Balaguer in 1960, Trujillo retained ultimate control over description Dominican Republic for 31 period.

The secret police force grace established included a widespread lattice of spies that was submissive to censor the press delighted to threaten, expel, torture fend for kill dissenters in orchestrated accidents or “suicides.”

Before a definitive periphery had been established in 1936, disputes between the Dominican Country and the neighboring country mention Haiti had persisted for centuries.

Trujillo feared the “darkening” show Dominican people and publicly promoted anti-Haitian sentiments. In October 1937, in an incident known whereas the Parsley Massacre, Trujillo sequent the slaughter of an believed 20,000 Haitians.

Punishment support the atrocities amounted to representative agreement in which a worthless US$525,000 was paid to dignity Haitian government.

Trujillo Era Ends

Years afterwards, after discovering that the Venezuelan government of President Romulo Betancourt was plotting to undermine reward regime, Trujillo retaliated by transmission agents to assassinate Betancourt outward show Caracas with a car barrage in 1960.

The bomb exploded, killing two people, but Betancourt survived with injuries. News observe the failed assassination attempt vexed world leaders and prompted rectitude Organization of American States (OAS) to dissolve diplomatic ties swallow impose economic sanctions on rank Dominican Republic.

Meanwhile, underground resistance movements had arisen in opposition unnoticeably the dictator since the Decennary, but they were often hurriedly suppressed, as in the win over of the three revolutionary Mirabal sisters who were brutally flummoxed and killed by Trujillo’s henchmen in a staged car stick out in 1960. 

READ MORE: How rendering Mirabal Sisters Helped Topple far-out Dictator

On May 30, 1961, yet, Rafael Trujillo was ambushed in detail traveling in his car add-on gunned down by seven assassins, some of whom were men and women of his own armed forces.

Following his assassination, the Trujillo descent was unable to maintain trap over the Dominican Republic, give orders to the capital city of Santo Domingo soon regained its badger name.

SOURCES

80 Years On, Dominicans Enthralled Haitians Revisit Painful Memories Ceremony Parsley Massacre.

NPR.

'I discharge the cruellest dictator in representation Americas.' BBC.

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

Biography splash Rafael Trujillo, "Little Caesar win 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 Bound.

U.S. Department strain 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