Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina is without a doubt one of the most known figures within the Dominican history. The “Era de Trujillo” (The Trujillo Era) occupied the Dominican Republic for the long period of thirty-one years. His dictatorship started in 1930 and ended with his assassination on May 30, 1961. Trujillo’s Career began with the occupation of the United States in 1916. During this time he was trained in a military school, and became part of the National Police, a military group made by the Unites States to maintain order in the Dominican Republic . Trujillo stood out during his military career and rapidly ascended within the military ranges. Under the government of Horatio Vasquez Trujillo received the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and was put in charge of chiefs and assistant commanders of the National Police . This new position gave him the opportunity to be part of the overthrowing of Horatio Vasquez. Trujillo was sworn into presidency on August 16, 1930. Marking the beginning of what is known as the cruel, violent and controversial part of history in the Dominican Republic. Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina came into the world on October 24, 1891. He was born in the small city of San Cristobal in the Dominican Republic. He was the son of Jose Trujillo Valdez and Altagracia Julia Molina. Trujillo’s parents were married on September 24, 1887 in San Cristobal. Trujillo’s father was a merchant and was dedicated to buy and sell items that he could make a profit from. His mother was a housewife and was considered very sweet and kind hearted by those who knew her . Not much is known about Trujillo’s childhood and family because he had records changed to not bring any shame brought onto his name. What is known is that he was... ... middle of paper ... ... and kill him. his death became notorious because this case was seen as one of the reasons that the relationship between the United States and the Dominican Republic was ruined. Works Cited Carcel la 40, Tortura de Trujillo, Youtube Interview., January 24,2012 Martinez, Lorenzo A. Personal Interview. April 10, 2014. Martinez Silvia C. Personal Interview. April 10, 2014. Secondary Sources Block Maxine (Author), E. Mary Trow (Editor). Current Biography Who's News and Why 1941 (January 1, 1941 ed.). The H. W. Wilson Company. p. 976. Crassweller, Robert D. Trujillo: The life and times of a Caribbean dictator. New York: Macmillan.1966. Derby Lauren, The Dictator's Seduction: Gender and State Spectacle during the Trujillo Regime, Callaloo 23.3. Summer 2000, pp. 1112-1146. Diederich Bernard. Trujillo: Death of the Goat. London: The Bodley Head Ltd 1978.
Alvar Nunez Cabeza De Vaca. "The Narrative of Cabeza de Vaca" University of Nebraska Press, 2003.
Manuel Noriega, the former dictator of the Central American country of Panama, rose to power through the art of destruction deception and detail. Manuel Noriega was able to profit and flourish as Panama’s new leader because of the Cold War environment. Due to the Cold War, its geographical positioning, and financial liberties, Noriega was able to manipulate all parties involved while making him very wealthy, powerful, a political asset, and finally a threat to the United States National Security.
Trujillo use of violence and challenge of political authority demonstrated that from the very beginning he created an insurgency regime within his military ranks that oppressed his country. Which 30 years later, his own military generals and freedom fighters will be the very ones to end his reign. To this very day, some of the Dominican people whether living in the United States or Dominican Republic are hesitate to talk about it, but are glad that it is in the past and
Before Trujillo became dictator, men usually worked and the wife stayed at home and it was a monogamous relationship. During Trujillo’s reign some ideas stayed the same, on the contrary now it became somewhat of a norm for “t triangle of dramatization”, these are relationships that are often described as a husband-wife-mistress triangle. The changes in the households that Trujillo are part of what aided him in legitimizing his career. The people who actually liked him as a person or as a dictator wanted to be similar to his lifestyle, which is the way that gender relations changed between men and
Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina reigned over the Dominican Republic in a dictatorship, extending over thirty years. He is known as having been the “most ruthless dictator in Latin America.” However, there is another side to the story. Trujillo was the third son of a humble sheep herder and worked as a sugar plantation guard in his adolescent years. He enlisted in the United States Marines Corp during the U.S.’s occupation in the Dominican Republic. He built himself up to National Commander and claimed presidency in 1930. He was a man known to be surrounded by “a surfeit of booze, women, wealth, power, and enemies.” Until his final years, he was admired by the Dominican people and seen as a demi-god and savior. During his first prosperous years
...rancisco Solano López and the Ruination of Paraguay: Honor and Egocentrism. New York: Rowan and Littlefield, 2007. Print.
Additionally, those who presume that the sisters were selfish feel that the Mirabals should have cared for their children, because they believe one's family and young ones are more important than one's personal goals or duties. Although, said people don’t understand that these women wanted their children to grow up in a country with an impartial government, where everyone is equal and can achieve their aspirations. Additionally, their actions throughout the revolution were vital for this positive outcome to occur. The results of the revolution alone prove that their sacrifices were essential in eliminating Trujillo’s repulsive regime. As a result of the influential actions made by the Mirabals, this generation and countless after will live in an unbiased and civil nation allowing superior opportunities for the population of the Dominican
The Cuban Revolution was a historic event in Cuba that began on July 26, 1953. The event went on and lasted for a total of 5 years, 5 months, and 6 days. It all sparked from when a man named Fidel Castro started a petition to overthrow President Fulgencio Batista. However, after falling to overthrow President Batista in a legal matter, Castro decided to launch an armed revolution. Batista was the 9th and 12th president of Cuba. He served his first term from 1940 to 1944 and his second term from 1952 to 1959. During his first term in office, he was known to be a progressive leader who was supported by Julio Antonio Mella's Communist Party. In his second term, Batista was a dictator trying to get recognition from the upper class of Cuba before he was overthrown as a result of the Cuban Revolution. Although the revolution came to an end on January 1, 1959, Cuba is still feeling a few repercussions of what took place in the event that would reshape the island of Cuba from what it was before the revolution.
The dictatorship of President Batista caught the attention of a young attorney named Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz, or better known as Fidel Castro. In protest against President Batista, Castro formed and led a small group called M-26-7. The name of this group symbolized when the group attacked the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba on July 26, 1953. This marked the beginning of the Cuban Revolution. The attack was unsuccessful and it left many of the attackers, including leader Fidel Castro, jailed while others fled the country and a few killed in the attack. After going to trial, on October 16, 1953, Castro was sentenced to 15 years in prison in the hospital wing of the Presidio Modelo while delivering his History Will Absolve Me speech. However, on May 15, 1955, Castro and the rest of the prisoners were released after President Batista believed that to be of no threat. Upon getting being released from prison, Castro’s main focus was to strengthen the M-26-7. Later that year, Fidel Castro and his brother Raúl Castro fled Cuba to avoid being arrested after the 1955 bombings. Fidel said that his reason for leaving was because all doors of peaceful struggle had closed on him.
Starting with the former dictator of the Dominican Republic, Rafael Trujillo, nicknamed Generalissimo, became dictator in 1930 through political maneuvering and torture. His dictatorship is considered one of the bloodiest in American history. During his campaign, he formed a secret police task force to murder supporters of the competing parties. Those who dared to oppose him were imprisoned, tortured and murdered. Their bodies often disappeared, rumoured to have been fed to the sharks (BBC.com, “‘I shot
Felipe Trujillo was born in Morelia, Mexico the 29 of November in 1984. Felipe lost his mother at an early age and lived with his father Felipe, from whom he inherited the name, and younger brother Manuel. His father was a doctor and it was really rare to see him in the house. In consequence, Felipe and his brother spent most of their time at their maternal grandmother’s place. It was at this place that he got his nickname “Bombon,” 1 because he was overweighed, and had cute dimples.
During 1492, when Christopher Columbus first landed on Hispaniola, it created war and violence between the Tainos, who were native to their homeland and the Spanish who previously arrived there. It created a cruel, exploitative unbalanced society because the Spanish colony imposed restrictions on citizens. Then, Trujillo came to power and strictly enforced laws which people rebelled. He used the power of secret police to spy on citizens, and killed massacred Haitian immigrants. He dominated the power structure in Dominican society, which made everyone powerless and fearful. For years, people faced violence and instability due to the vicious treatment of Trujillo. The corruption still exists when Trujillo is in power, the Dominican society is cursed. This can be seen throughout the novel, The Brief and Wondrous life of Oscar Wao, because the fuku has taken over the lives Belicia, Lola, and Oscar’s lives due to the downfall they faced. Belicia did not have much guidance as a child, she was an Orphan who was destroyed emotionally and spiritually by men. Oscar on the other hand, was a nerd who had trouble communicating with girls who lacked affections for him.
Citizens of the Dominican Republic might argue that the most egregious breach of human rights was that they were not allowed to say or think anything that was against Trujillo as it was forbidden to them. The 19th UDHR law states “You have the right to say what you like and nobody should forbid you from doing so. You should also be able to share your ideas - also with people from any other country”. There have been many victims to the breach of the 19th human right, one of them Jesús de Galíndez. On page two of the article Las Hermanas Mirabal and Jesús de Galíndez by an unknown author it states “ Galíndez had heavily criticized Trujillo. It was this sensibility for other nations that made him a threat in the eyes of Trujillo. On March 12th, 1956, Galíndez disappeared off the streets of Manhattan. There is no clear evidence for what exactly occurred that day, despite the fact that many historians and news sources blame the Dominican government for his unexplainable
In other words, the right of revolution whether peaceful of violent allows for people to overthrow a government that acts against the common interest. This right safeguards democratic principle against despotic, tyrannical governments. In the mid 1950`s ,for example, the Dominican Republic was ruled dictatorially by Rafael Leonid as Trujillo Molina who referred to himself as the Savior of Mankind and Son of God. During his 30 years in power, it is estimated that Trujillo was responsible for the death of more than 50,000 Dominicans. Brutal oppression and unjust massacres such as the Parsley Massacre became key features of Trujillo`s rule. As a result, Dominicans, tired of being oppressed, with the assistance of the CIA ambushed the dictator, assassinating him. With the assistance from the United States, in the period after Trujillo`s death, the Dominican Republic eventually became a democratic republic. Since the people were dissatisfied with Trujillo`s neopatrimonialism rule which inhibited the consolidation of democracy in the Dominican Republic, the citizens took action and overthrew the Trujillo
As the murder occurred during the annual Women’s Meeting and was “so violent in nature… that it felt like a reaction against such a clear manifestation of women’s autonomy” (Gago, 2017: 2). Gago, quoting Rita Segato, outlines how throughout Latin America there is a war against women. “There is a whole socio-political and economic framework that we need to understand in order to better see how women’s bodies are converted into a territory subject to conquest” (Gago, 2017:2).