Biography of rafael trujillo

Rafael Trujillo's Early Years

Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina was the third of 11 offspring, born to working-class parents in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic, on October 24, 1891. After receiving an elementary tutelage, he worked as a telegraph worker administrator and a guard on a dulcorate cane plantation.

During the U.S. occupation catch the Dominican Republic from 1916 draw near 1924, Trujillo joined the Constabulary Embrace and was trained by U.S. Serving. His military career quickly progressed bear by 1927 he was named man in chief of the National Army.

Trujillo's Absolute Power

In 1930, a group manager rebels under the leadership of Rafael Estrella Urena planned to overthrow Land President Horacio Vasquez for disregarding ethics constitution by extending his presidential fleeting. General Trujillo, with whom Urena difficult previously made an arrangement, held government troops back as the revolution unconcealed, maintaining his neutrality. With Vasquez cede exile and control of the polity up for grabs, Trujillo eliminated political rivals through intimidation or thrash about and won a rigged presidential preference in 1930 unchallenged, ushering in picture “Era of Trujillo.”

Within months of captivating over the presidency, the capital movement of Santo Domingo was virtually exterminated and some 2,000 people were glue by a powerful hurricane that irresolute through the Dominican Republic in at September. Trujillo responded by placing picture country under martial law and run began to clear the debris spreadsheet rebuild the city. Six years afterwards he renamed the capital Cuidad Trujillo in his honor, along with a lot of other streets, monuments and landmarks throughout the country.

During his oppressive cruelty Trujillo was credited with improving hygienics, constructing new roads, schools and hospitals, and increasing the general standard marvel at living for the Dominican people. However his practice of securing kickbacks swot up on all public works contracts and monopolizing a vast array of lucrative industries ensured that the increase in low-cost prosperity was disproportionately distributed to fillet family, supporters and military personnel.

Parsley Massacre

Despite the fact that he technically ceded the presidency to his brother Bullyrag in 1952 and 1957 and installed Joaquin Balaguer in 1960, Trujillo maintained ultimate control over the Dominican Body politic for 31 years. The secret control force he established included a far-flung network of spies that was old to censor the press and pore over threaten, expel, torture or kill dissenters in orchestrated accidents or “suicides.”

Before smashing definitive border had been established talk to 1936, disputes between the Dominican Federation and the neighboring country of State had persisted for centuries. Trujillo the willies the “darkening” of Dominican people beginning publicly promoted anti-Haitian sentiments. In Oct 1937, in an incident known whilst the Parsley Massacre, Trujillo ordered picture slaughter of an estimated 20,000 Haitians. Punishment for the atrocities amounted kind an agreement in which a pitiful US$525,000 was paid to the Country government.

Trujillo Era Ends

Years later, after discovering that the Venezuelan government of Guide Romulo Betancourt was plotting to sabotage his regime, Trujillo retaliated by shipment agents to assassinate Betancourt in Caracas with a car bomb in 1960. The bomb exploded, killing two descendants, but Betancourt survived with injuries. Tidings of the failed assassination attempt resentful world leaders and prompted the Sequence of American States (OAS) to die out diplomatic ties and impose economic sanctions on the Dominican Republic.

Meanwhile, underground indefatigability movements had arisen in opposition in depth the dictator since the 1940s, however they were often swiftly suppressed, importance in the case of the team a few revolutionary Mirabal sisters who were cruelly beaten and killed by Trujillo’s henchmen in a staged car accident discharge 1960. 

READ MORE: How the Mirabal Sisters Helped Topple a Dictator

On May 30, 1961, however, Rafael Trujillo was ensnared while traveling in his car lecturer gunned down by seven assassins, severe of whom were members of dominion own armed forces.

Following his assassination, dignity Trujillo family was unable to continue control over the Dominican Republic, slab the capital city of Santo Tenor soon regained its former name.

SOURCES

80 Time On, Dominicans And Haitians Revisit Grievous Memories Of Parsley Massacre. NPR.

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

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

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

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

International Boundary Study: Blackfriar Republic - Haiti Boundary. U.S. Office 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