TELESUR
Latin America has endured indirect intervention and occupation by U.S. forces for the last 100 years. From Mexico all the way down to Argentina, its people have seen how the political and military force of the northern country have determined their present and formed their future.
The Dominican Republic has experienced some of the worst of U.S. invasions and interventions in a century of attempts at domination that have shaped the current state of the country.
First U.S. occupation in 1916
In 1911, the Dominican President Ramon Caceres was assassinated and a civil war ensued. Five years later the political crisis grew, as supporters of president Juan Isidro Jimenez led a fierce battle against those supporting General Desiderio Arias, former minister of war who later became his rival.
With an economic downfall, and the country having troubles paying its debts, the U.S. government cleverly exploited this and invaded the Dominican Republic in 1916 and didn’t leave until 1924.
The invaders wanted to secure their economic interests in the region, collect their debt and assure a steady income by controlling customs offices at major Dominican ports.
With its proximity to the Panama Canal, which was completed in 1914, the Dominican Republic became a key figure for the U.S. to watch and control in the region.
The U.S. Navy controlled the government and military forces around the country, and even controlled who was appointed president, which had to be a supporter of the invading force.
The 8-year-occupation was highly unpopular within the Dominican Republic as well as in the U.S. for its high economic cost.
By 1922 both countries reached an agreement to move the troops out of the island, which was completed in 1924.
The U.S. would continue to hold customs duties. It was only in 1941 that the Dominican Republic regained its sovereignty over the customs revenues.
Support for a ruthless dictator
The Dominican National Guard was formed by the U.S. military members that were part of the 1916 invasion, and Rafael Trujillo, one of the deadliest dictators in Latin America, was shaped and trained in its premises.
Trujillo, trained by U.S. marines, became chief of the army after 9 years in the service, and is believed to be responsible for the deaths of 60,000 people.
During his more than 30 years as a military dictator, from 1930 to 1961, his enemies and opponents were victims of brutal repression, torture and killing.
In December 1962 the country held its first free elections in almost four decades, and elected Juan Bosch as president, a leading writer and intellectual and a strong supporter of the Cuban revolution, a development that alarmed the U.S.
Seven months later a military coup supported by the U.S. installed a military junta in 1963.
Second occupation in 1965
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