Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies

Dominican Republic: Government and Politics
A successful transition to democracy following the death of
Trujillo in 1961 faced numerous obstacles given the extent and
nature of Trujillo's domination of the island republic. The military
was essentially Trujillo's personal instrument, no independent
societal organizations existed (with the partial exception
of the Roman Catholic Church), and no political opposition
was countenanced. Furthermore, the country was relatively
poor, rural, and isolated. Yet, in part because of the involvement
of the United States, democracy advanced further in the
nation at this time than might have been expected based on
the country's history and the legacies of the Trujillo era. In the
period before and after Trujillo's assassination, the United
States once again became deeply enmeshed in Dominican
internal affairs, motivated both by anticommunist objectives
(which remained central) and a desire to promote democracy.
An initial result was a surprisingly successful democratic election
in 1962, with the victory of Juan Bosch Gaviho and his
Dominican Revolutionary Party (Partido Revolucionario
Dominicano—PRD). However, Bosch was overthrown after
only seven months in office by a coalition of conservative social
and political forces and the military; because of Cold War fears
about communism and concerns about the nature of Bosch's
leadership (including the belief that Bosch himself was not sufficiently
anticommunist) ,
defend his government.
the United States did not forthrightly
Following Bosch's overthrow, the country entered a deeply
tumultuous period, marked in 1965 by a brief civil war and
United States intervention that originated in an exaggerated
fear of a "second Cuba" in the Western Hemisphere. The
United States arranged the formation of a provisional government
and the holding of elections in 1966. These elections
were won by Joaquin Balaguer Ricardo, a prominent figure
from the Trujillo era, and his Reformist Party (Partido Reformista—PR).
Balaguer handily defeated a dejected Bosch, who
ran a desultory campaign. Balaguer was to become the dominant
figure of Dominican politics for the next three decades,
serving as president from 1966 to 1978 and again from 1986 to
1996.
Under Balaguer, patrimonial politics emerged once more,
although Balaguer never sought or achieved the degree of personal
control that Trujillo had attained. Balaguer was an astute
politician with an astounding drive for power. He was willing to
be ruthless if necessary, but not over-eager to employ repres-
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